Strawberry Shortcake Crunch Topping (from Scratch)

With a crunchy texture and a bright strawberry flavor from freeze-dried strawberries, this strawberry crunch topping is as versatile and delicious and a cinch to prepare, not to mention entirely scratch-made!

This crunchy strawberry shortcake crumb is made entirely from scratch with no strawberry gelatin mix and no pre-packaged cookies. And yet despite its homemade nature, it comes together in under an hour (and most of that time is chilling and baking).

When developing my recipe for a strawberry sheet cake inspired by the classic ice cream treat from my childhood, I set about creating a crunchy strawberry shortcake crumb mixture—entirely from scratch.

A quick search for ‘strawberry crunch’ brings up dozens of recipes for this nostalgic topping, but almost all of them use either strawberry gelatin dessert mix and/or crushed up golden Oreo cookies (or both) to achieve the bright strawberry flavor and crunchy texture. And I really didn’t want to use either of those things.

So I set about creating my own version entirely from scratch.

I started with a milk bar-style shortbread crumb, made with flour, sugar, and melted butter, and some cornstarch and dry milk powder for added tenderness and dairy richness. It took me a few tries to get the balance right, as I wanted something that came out perfectly crunchy but wasn’t dry (my first attempt tasted too much like flour so I had to dial it back a bit).

Adding a bit of baking powder gives the crumb just a tiny bit of rise, resulting in softer shapes and a more cohesive, crunchy yet tender texture (it’s the kind of delicate crunch that almost melts in your mouth as opposed to the hard, tooth-breaking kind.)

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Strawberry Crunch Sheet Cake with Buttermilk Frosting

This pretty in pink sheet cake tastes like pure nostalgia, with a moist and tender strawberry cake, tangy buttermilk frosting, and a generous sprinkle of crunchy strawberry shortcake crumbs that add the perfect sweet and salty finishing touch.

Inspired by an ice cream truck classic, this strawberry crunch sheet cake combines all the elements you love about the frozen treat in sheet cake form: a tender strawberry buttermilk cake topped with a cloud-like buttermilk frosting and a scratch-made strawberry crunch topping.

This recipe was created in partnership with Amoretti (use coupon code LOVEANDOLIVEOILFREESHIP for free shipping on your order!) All opinions expressed here are my own.

There are few things more nostalgic than the ice cream truck, the tinkling sound of the melodic jingle that starts softly at first but gets louder as the anticipation grows. I strongly recall the breathless feeling of frantically running around the house scooping up the loose change from the couch cushions and bolting out the door before it passes you by.

The sound (and taste) of the ice cream truck is a particularly strong childhood memory for me, maybe because we grew up in an area that ice cream trucks did not frequent, so my only experiences with them were when we were visiting our grandparents in Los Angeles, making it an extra special experience.

The ice cream truck felt like a carnival on wheels, but for your tastebuds.

And of all the classic ice cream truck treats, the strawberry shortcake crunch bars are certainly one of the most memorable flavors, with a core of bold strawberry surrounded by creamy vanilla ice cream and an outer coating of crunchy strawberry shortcake crumbs. I’m usually a chocolate girl through and through, but something about that combo of creamy and crunchy, vanilla and fruit hit all the right notes.

This recipe is inspired by that nostalgic ice cream treat, with all the same flavors and textures, reimagined in a party-ready sheet cake.

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Candied Orange Ice Cream with Chocolate Fudge Swirl (Crema del Doge)

This sweet and creamy custard-based ice cream is flavored with candied orange syrup and features a swirl of rich and chewy chocolate fudge and bits of candied orange peel studded throughout.

Inspired by a particularly memorable cone of gelato from our travels, Crema del Doge is a flavor fit for a king: sweet cream with a hint of orange, with swirls of dark chocolate fudge and bits of bright candied orange peel mixed right in.

Sometimes, a single delicious bite from a trip is so memorable that you’re still thinking about it 7 years later.

This is one of those bites.

Ok, so we had quite a few memorable bites on our trip to Venice back in 2017, including a decadent pistachio cream and the always satisfying straciatella, but it was a mind-blowing scoop of chocolate-and-orange deliciousness dubbed Crema del Doge that embedded itself in my mind and refused to leave.

Crema del Doge is the signature flavor of Gelateria il Doge in Venice, Italy. (The Doge was the highest ranking leader in Venice from about the 7th to 18th centuries… so this gelato is fit for royalty, wouldn’t you agree?) If you ever find yourself in the Floating City, I highly recommend seeking out this particular gelateria as you won’t be disappointed (SuSo is the other one that’s an absolute must).

This particular flavor flavor features a sweet cream gelato base with a swirl of chocolate fudge and bits of candied orange peel, making for a lovely chocolate and orange combination that’s darn near perfection. It was one of those moments where I knew, shortly after taking that first lick, that this was a flavor I needed to recreate at home.

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Candied Orange Peel in Syrup

Bitter and sweet, fruity and chewy, candied orange peel is one of citrus season’s under-appreciated treats. Whether spooned over ice cream, garnishing a fancy cocktail or mocktail, drizzled over pancakes, or chopped and mixed into cookies or scones, they are as versatile as they are delicious.

Pieces of tender, chewy candied orange rind swimming in a thick and sweet sugar syrup, lightly scented with honey and orange blossom water. This recipe has been thoroughly tested and expert reviewed to be safe for water bath canning methods for shelf-stable storage (that said, you don’t have to can them and can store the jars in the refrigerator or freezer too).

2024 is the year of the candied orange, apparently.

Seriously though, I don’t think I’ve let a weekend go by without at least one test batch of candied oranges in one form or another. I’ve probably gone through 25 pounds of oranges and upwards of 10 pounds of sugar at this point.

I am still finding sticky bits of syrup on various surfaces and even my camera buttons (oops).

So yes, I know I’ve already posted a recipe for candied orange slices (which I used to top these gorgeous Chocolate Blood Orange Cupcakes), but this recipe is slightly different in that it uses strips of orange rind rather than full slices, and it has been developed specifically so that, instead of drying, the peel is preserved in the syrup (you’ll notice it calls for a lot more sugar as a result, since we need enough syrup to fully cover all of the candied peel). Additionally, it’s been thoroughly tested and expert reviewed to be safe for water bath canning! Which makes it a great option to make now while citrus season is still in full swing so you can enjoy candied orange peel all year round.

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