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These Strawberry Shortcake Bars are an easy cake mix cookie bar topped with whipped cream frosting and fresh strawberries. Soft and sweet, they’re the perfect summer dessert!
This post is sponsored by Challenge Butter, whose butter and cream cheese are used to make the bars and the frosting.
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Easy Strawberry Shortcake Bars Recipe
If you’re looking for a dessert bar version of strawberry shortcake then this is the recipe for you!
- Soft and chewy cake mix cookie bar
- Whipped Cream Frosting that’s stable
- Fresh strawberries on top!
This is the perfect summer cookie bar – great for potlucks or anytime you have a bounty of fresh strawberries!
I can never get enough of strawberries and cream, and when you combine that with a cake mix bar? I’m in heaven!
Ingredients in Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Bars
Cake Mix: Use your favorite brand. I prefer yellow or white cake mix for this recipe.
Butter: Always use the best! Challenge Butter is our family favorite and it’s what I use in all my recipes. We melt the butter so it’s easier to mix in.
Eggs: Always buy large eggs.
Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract is the best!
Heavy Whipping Cream: For the whipped cream frosting; no substitutes.
Cream Cheese: Challenge Cream Cheese is super creamy and smooth and perfect for making frosting.
Strawberries: Hull and slice them to layer on top. You can also use a mixture of fresh berries!
Using the best ingredients possible will give you the best outcome, which is why I always recommend Challenge Butter. The butter has been a quality staple for over 100 years and is churned from the freshest purest cream. It’s 100% natural without the use of synthetic hormones.
Challenge is a cooperative association of more than 600 family owned dairies and it’s available nationally. I’ve been using this brand my entire life, so it’s natural I reached for it to make strawberry bars!
How to Strawberry Shortcake Bars
- Add melted butter, eggs and cake mix to a large bowl. No mixer needed!
- Stir until it’s combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Press the batter into a 9×13-inch pan. I like to line my pan with foil for easy removal.
- Once the bars are baked and cooled, make the whipped cream frosting.
- Frost the bars.
- Top with strawberries. Slice and enjoy!
How to Store Cake Mix Cookie Bars
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a day. These are best eaten within a day of being assembled.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Make the cake mix bars and store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days without frosting or topping.
Freeze Cake Mix Cookie Bars (without topping) for up to 3 months.
The whipped cream frosting can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before frosting. Do not freeze.
Don’t slice your strawberries or add them to the bars until just before serving. The berries will weep, discoloring the frosting, if they sit longer than a day.
Expert Tips for making Strawberry Shortcake Bars
- Variations: Use any fruit on top! Make this like a fruit tart or rainbow fruit pizza.
- Be sure to whip the frosting until stiff peaks form. It will set up if you mix it enough.
- Don’t forget to let your cream cheese soften to room temperature before making the frosting.
- Don’t over bake the bars – the cake mix bars are done when they just loose their glossy sheen and are light golden around the edges.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Berry Dessert Lush is a layered no bake dessert with tons of fresh berries.
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad Pie is like a jello salad but in pie form!
- Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is another great cake mix recipe.
- Cherry Cheesecake is a no bake summer classic!
Have you made this recipe?
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Strawberry Shortcake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix
- ½ cup (113g) melted Challenge Unsalted Butter
- 2 large eggs
- 8 ounces (226g) Challenge Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (474ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 pound strawberries hulled and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add cake mix, butter and eggs to a large bowl. Stir until combined. You can do this by hand or use a mixer.
- Press batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake until light golden around the edges and no longer glossy, approximately 15-20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
- To make the forsting, beat cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Mix on high speed while adding heavy whipping cream, then mix until stiff peaks form.
- Frost bars as desired. Store leftover frosting in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Just before serving, top bars with sliced strawberries. Slice and serve.
- Store bars in refrigerator for up to 24 hours once berries are added. Make bars up to 2 days in advance and frosting up to 2 days ahead. Don’t assemble until ready to serve.
Recipe Video
Recipe Nutrition
Strawberry Shortcake Bars are a soft cake mix bar cookie, topped with whipped cream frosting and fresh strawberries. It’s shortcake in cookie bar form!
