Fruity and luscious Strawberry Jello Poke Cupcakes are topped with a light and fluffy pudding frosting and garnished with the BEST Strawberry Shortbread Crumbles. Not only are these Strawberry Crunch Jello Cupcakes delicious, but they also taste just like the strawberry shortcake ice cream bars!
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Why you'll love this recipe
Who remembers those delicious strawberry shortcake ice cream bars- the ones with the cakey strawberry center, wrapped in vanilla ice cream and that yummy crumbly coating?? Well, here is the cupcake version and it's so delicious!
Light and fruity strawberry poke Jell-O cupcakes are frosted with a sweet and creamy vanilla pudding frosting, and garnished with a one-of-a-kind crumble topping!
These Strawberry Crunch Jell-O Cupcakes are super easy to make and are the perfect summer dessert!
Do you love poke cakes as much as I do? Give Better Than Sex Cake a try!
Ingredients for cupcakes
Here's what you'll need to make strawberry crunch Jell-O cupcakes:
- White cake mix, prepared into cupcakes
- Strawberry Jell-o mix
- Instant French vanilla pudding mix
- Milk
- Cool Whip
- Strawberries (optional)
Ingredients for crumble
Get more tips and tricks for the strawberry shortcake crumble recipe here.
- Lorna Doone shortbread cookies
- Instant vanilla pudding mix
- Strawberry Jell-O mix
- Butter
- Flour
Instructions for cupcakes
Prepare the cupcakes according to the instructions found on the box of white cake mix.
While the cupcakes are still warm, use a skewer to poke holes all over each cupcake. Be careful not to poke holes through the bottom or sides of the cupcake liners.
Poke holes into the cupcakes while they're still warm. As they cool, the top of the cakes will crumble more easily.
Prepare the Jell-o by boiling one cup of water. Add the Jell-o mix and stir until dissolved.
Carefully pour the Jell-o over each cupcake. Each cupcake should get about 1 tablespoon of Jell-o. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
Instructions for crumble
While the cupcakes are chilling, prepare the strawberry shortbread crumble. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In BOWL 1 combine ¼ cup flour, ½ stick of softened butter, and 1 instant vanilla pudding package.
In BOWL 2 combine ¼ cup flour, ½ stick of softened butter, and 1 strawberry Jell-O package.
Baking time
Dump each bowl out onto a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Flatten each mixture to about ¼ inch and bake for 6 to 7 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Once cooled, break each side into smaller pieces. Place the broken-up pieces into a food processor, about ⅓ at a time so the processor is not overfilled.
Pulse the food processor until you’re left with crumbles. Repeat with the remaining ⅔ of the pieces. Transfer to an airtight container and add the crushed shortbread cookies.
Instructions for frosting
Combine the ingredients for the creamy vanilla pudding frosting: French vanilla pudding mix, milk, and Cool Whip. Whisk until smooth.
Frost each cupcake using a piping bag (or Ziploc with a corner cut) and a large star decorating tip (I use Wilton Open Star Tip 1M).
Garnish with strawberry shortbread crumble and half of a sliced strawberry (optional).
Make it ahead of time
Follow the recipe in the recipe card below up to one day in advance. Bake the cupcakes, whip up the frosting, and make the shortbread crumbles but store them all separately.
When you're ready to serve, assemble the cupcakes.
Tips & tricks
Don't poke through the cupcake wrapper. Take care not to poke hole through the sides or bottom of the cupcake wrapper. This could make it a little messy!
Sprinkle the topping on. It may be tempting to roll or dip the frosted cupcake into the strawberry crumble- don't do it! The frosting isn't thick enough to do that and it will flatten the topping.
Recommended tools
- 12-cup Muffin Tin. We can't make cupcakes without cupcake pans! Pick up two pans and make all 24 cupcakes at once.
- Piping Kit. Frost beautiful cupcakes with this cute (and handy!) little piping kit!
- Wooden Skewers. This is one of my favorite tools to use to poke holes into these cupcakes.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store the Strawberry Crunch Shortbread Crumble in an airtight container for up to five days. Store the frosted Strawberry Cupcakes in an airtight container for up to four days.
If you make the cupcakes ahead of time, store the cupcakes, frosting, and crumble separately, to keep the crumble from getting mushy.
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Recipe
Strawberry Crunch Jello Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 box white cake mix prepared into cupcakes
- 3 oz box strawberry Jell-o mix
- 1 c boiling water
Frosting
- 3.4 oz box instant French vanilla pudding mix
- ⅓ c milk
- 8 oz Cool Whip
- 1 lb strawberries optional
Strawberry Crunch Shortbread Crumble
- 12 Lorna Doone shortbread cookies crushed
- 3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 3 oz box strawberry Jell-o mix
- ½ c butter softened and divided
- ½ c flour divided
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Using the white cake mix, prepare the cupcakes according to the package instructions.
- After the cupcakes have cooled slightly, use a skewer to poke holes all over each cupcake. Be careful not to poke holes through the bottom or sides of the cupcake liners.
- Prepare the Jell-o by boiling one cup of water. Add the Jell-o mix and stir until dissolved.
- Carefully pour the Jell-o over the cupcakes. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
Strawberry Crunch Shortbread Cumble
- While the cupcakes are chilling, prepare the shortbread crumble. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In BOWL 1 combine ¼ cup flour, ½ stick of softened butter, and 1 instant vanilla pudding package.
- In BOWL 2 combine ¼ cup flour, ½ stick of softened butter, and 1 strawberry Jell-o package.
- Dump each bowl out onto a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Flatten each mixture to about ¼ inch and bake for 6 to 7 minutes. Chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Once cooled, break each side into smaller pieces. Place the broken up pieces into a food processor, about ⅓ at a time so the processor is not overfilled.
- Pulse the food processor until you’re left with crumbles. Repeat with the remaining ⅔ of the pieces. Transfer to an airtight container and add the crushed shortbread cookies.
Frosting
- Combine the ingredients for the frosting: French vanilla pudding mix, milk, and Cool Whip. Whisk until smooth.
Assemble
- Frost each cupcake using a piping bag (or Ziploc) and a large star decorating tip. Garnish with strawberry shortbread crumble and half of a sliced strawberry (optional).
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
The nutritional information provided is only an estimate. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
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