Chocolate Strawberry Earthquake Cake

This recipe for Chocolate Strawberry Earthquake Cake is a rich mix of strawberry cake and a chocolate/cream cheese/sweetened condensed milk mixture - simply swirl & bake in the oven for an easy, delicious dessert!

🍰 What's an Earthquake Cake?

If you've never made an earthquake cake, you're in for a treat.

With earthquake cakes, you mix different ingredients into prepared cake batter and bake. It makes a great swirl of cake and add-ins, giving the cake cracks & crevices (kind of resembling the aftermath of an earthquake). That way, you get a little bit of all things delicious in each bite!

♥️ Why You'll Love This Recipe

• The combination of fresh fruit and rich chocolate is the best. Get richness and freshness in each sweet bite.
• The texture is a great combination of soft, light strawberry cake and rich, creamy frosting.
• It's such a fun, pretty recipe that's really easy to make! Trust me, people will remember this one. This cake is a really delish, bright dessert that looks complicated. However, it's really as easy as mixing and baking.

👩🏻‍🍳 Ingredients

(See recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient measurements.)

For Cake Base

• strawberry cake mix - There are a ton of different variations you can use for this cake - see below for substitutions.
• eggs
• milk - Use whole milk for a really rich cake.
• vanilla extract
• butter - I like to use butter that's softened to room temperature for tmy cakes.

For Chocolate Cream Cheese Swirl

• cream cheese - This should also be softened to room temperature prior to cooking.
• sweetened condensed milk - This will thin out your filling some and give it a super sweet, rich element.
• cocoa powder - Make your filling super chocolatey!

Other Fillings and Toppers

• strawberry pie filling - Both for swirling in the cake mix and topping the cake.
• chocolate chips - Mini chocolate chips will give you the perfect little pocket of chocolatey goodness.
• fresh strawberries - I like to chop mine into thin slices for a fresh element in the cake topping.

Variations

You can use whatever flavor combo your heart desires for this cake. It's really easy to change up a few ingredients for a totally different feel.

• Lemon Earthquake Cake - Use a lemon cake mix, lemon pie filling, white chocolate chips, and omit the cocoa powder.
• Chocolate Earthquake Cake - Use a chocolate cake base and chocolate syrup in place of the strawberry pie filling.
• Red Velvet Earthquake Cake - Use a red velvet case base and omit the strawberry pie filling/strawberries.
• Apple Earthquake Cake - Use a spice cake base and white chocolate chips, omit the cocoa powder, and use apple pie filling with dried apple slices on top. Adding some kind of crushed nuts to the top would also be a great element!

I've got a couple of great variations on the blog - check out my Pumpkin Earthquake Cake and Reese's Earthquake Cake!

⏲️ How to Make Chocolate Strawberry Earthquake Cake

Step 1: Make the strawberry cake base.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter with an electric mixer. (I've found using an electric mixer makes the mixture more fluffy and airy.) Pour this mixture into a large prepared pan (sprayed with cooking spray).

Step 2: Add chocolate and strawberry.

In another bowl, beat together cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until fluffy. Slowly add in cocoa powder until well combined.

With half of this cream cheese mixture, spoon large dollops on top of the cake batter. Set other half aside.

Top cake mix with large spoonfuls of pie filling, reserving maybe ¼ cup.

Next, sprinkle everything with chocolate chips.

Step 3: Swirl everything together.

After that, very gently mix everything together (you can use a spoon or a butter knife to do this). You just want to swirl everything without really combining it. Make sure you swirl all the way to the edge and bottom of pan.

Step 4: Bake and finish.

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes, until center is no longer jiggly. Let cool.

Finally, layer with remaining chocolate frosting, remaining pie filling (mixed with a splash of water to make it easier to spread), and fresh strawberries.

That's all there is to it! Mix, swirl, bake, and frost. It's as easy as that.

🎥 Step-by-Step Recipe Video

🧊 Leftovers & Storage

I recommend storing this one in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This cake should be enjoyed within 2-3 days of baking. When you're ready to enjoy it again, it's great cool or warm (20-30 seconds in the microwave).

This is not a great cake to freeze...the texture is just off after you thaw it.

✅ Helpful Tips & Tricks

• Make sure to swirl the add-ins all the way to the edge of the baking dish. This ensures every piece has a bit of every flavor.
• Don't top the cake with fresh strawberries unless you're planning on serving it within 3-4 hours. They tend to get soggy pretty quickly.
• If you have a great homemade strawberry cake recipe, by all means, use it! I just like using the boxed cake mix for convenience.