Can You Make Strawberry Fudge?

Yes, you can! When most people think of fudge, they think of regular chocolate, or perhaps white chocolate–not strawberry. In fact, many people would think it isn’t possible to make fruit-flavored fudge.

Types of Strawberry Fudge Recipes

In reality, there are a lot of strawberry fudge recipes on the Internet. Although the recipes vary, they normally fall into two groups:

Canned Frosting – This 2-ingredient strawberry fudge recipe from MidgetMomma.com is a great example of how you can make homemade fudge with storebought frosting and white chocolate chips.

Marshmallow Fluff – With strawberry marshmallow fluff as a main ingredient, this version from WhereIsMySpoon.com also calls for white chocolate chips.

My Strawberry Fudge with Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe

I’m sure the other versions are delicious, but I wanted to try something different. Storebought frosting usually has trans fat-containing hydrogenated oils, and marshmallow fluff can be a bit hard to find. That’s why I decided to invent my own recipe for strawberry fudge with sweetened condensed milk.

Why Make Strawberry Fudge with Sweetened Condensed Milk?

Making strawberry fudge with sweetened condensed milk is great because it’s so quick and easy. While researching this recipe, I realized that many of the other recipes, including both the canned frosting and marshmallow fluff versions mentioned above, called for white chocolate chips.

As I learned from my very popular sweetened condensed milk fudge recipe, using a can of condensed milk and a bag of chocolate chips to make homemade fudge in the microwave is super simple and incredibly delicious. Given the success of my other chocolate recipe and what I saw in existing strawberry versions, I decided to create a new strawberry fudge recipe using the same concept from the past recipe.

Why Use White Chocolate Chips to Make Strawberry Fudge?

Although it might sound odd to use white chocolate chips in a strawberry fudge recipe, it makes perfect sense:

More Neutral Flavor – Compared to normal chocolate, white chocolate’s flavor is definitely more subtle, making it easier to add other flavors on top of it.

Holds Its Shape – Like other types of chocolate, you can melt white chocolate and then cool it down again, and it will harden into a solid that you can cut into pieces.

Readily Available – White chocolate is available in almost every grocery store, so it’s easy to find.

Given these characteristics, it’s no wonder that white chocolate is a main ingredient in this recipe.

Why Use Freeze Dried Strawberries to Make Fudge?

Freeze dried strawberries are strawberries that have been processed to remove almost all of the moisture but not the flavor or nutrients. When ground into a powder, freeze dried strawberries allow you to add flavor from real strawberries without adding moisture–this is super important in some recipes, such as my strawberry cookies with cake mix, since moisture would make the cookies fluffy like a cake, not crisp.

Since moisture, whether from water or juice, can ruin melted chocolate, I knew that adding real strawberries wasn’t an option. That’s why I opted for freeze dried strawberry powder. It worked absolutely fantastic in this recipe, so don’t leave it out–it added a lot of good, old-fashioned flavor.

Strawberry Fudge Recipe Ingredients

My strawberry fudge recipe with sweetened condensed milk has just a few, simple ingredients:

Sweetened Condensed Milk – 14 oz can

White Chocolate Chips – 11 oz bag. If your bag is 10 or 12 oz, that’s OK.

Freeze Dried Strawberries – 1.2 ounces. You can also just buy freeze dried strawberry powder.

Strawberry Jello – 3 oz box. In the US, this is the standard size for small boxes of gelatin.

Unsalted Butter – 1 Tablespoon. If using salted butter, leave out the 1/8 teaspoon of salt.

Salt – 1/8 teaspoon

Recipe Tools

When you make this recipe, make sure you have:

Microwave-Safe Bowl – I recommend a large, glass bowl.

Spatula or Large Spoon – Something to stir the fudge.

Plastic Wrap – To line the dish in which you’re going to pour the fudge mixture.

Casserole Dish – I poured the fudge into an 8×8 dish to harden. For thicker fudge, use a loaf pan.

Rolling Pin and Plastic Bag -or- Food Processor – To pulverize the freeze dried strawberries into powder.

How to Make Strawberry Fudge

Learning how to make strawberry fudge is easy. You just have to follow a few, easy steps:

Dry the Bowl and Utensils

If there’s any water in the bowl or on your utensils, it has the potential to seize your chocolate, ruining the fudge. So, make sure your microwave-safe bowl, spatula, and spoons are 100% dry before you begin.

Prep the Mold Before You Start

It’s important make sure the dish in which you’re going to harden the fudge is lined with plastic wrap. Once everything is mixed together, the fudge will start to set quickly. If you forget to line the dish, taking just an extra minute or two to prep the dish will make the fudge much harder to pour and spread.

Pulverize the Freeze Dried Strawberries

After gathering the ingredients and prepping the dish, the first step in my strawberry fudge recipe is pulverizing the freeze dried strawberries. I did it the old-fashioned way: I put the freeze dried strawberries in a plastic bag and hit them with a rolling pin until they turned into dust.

I think you could also use a small food processor, too. You could even buy freeze dried strawberry powder and skip this step. However, if you don’t want to buy special tools or pay more for the powder, a rolling pin, a plastic bag, and some built-up anger will work just fine, hahaha

Combine the Sweetened Condensed Milk, White Chocolate Chips, and Butter

The next step is pouring the sweetened condensed milk, white chocolate chips, and butter into a microwave-safe bowl. Since just a few drops of water can make chocolate seize and ruin the recipe, it’s very important to make sure the bowl is clean and 100% dry.

Melt the Sweetened Condensed Milk, White Chocolate Chips, and Butter in the Microwave

Once these ingredients are in the bowl, melt them together in the microwave. Microwave them on high, uncovered, for a total of 2 minutes using 30-second increments, stirring after each increment.

Stir Every 30 Seconds, And at the End

It’s very important to stir every 30 seconds to make sure everything melts evenly, so don’t forget!

At the end of the 2 minutes, the white chocolate chips may appear to not be fully melted. Simply keep mixing the soon-to-be fudge together a few times, and the chips will melt totally.

Add the Freeze Dried Strawberries and Strawberry Jello

After the sweetened condensed milk, white chocolate chips, and butter are melted and mixed together, it’s time to add the freeze dried strawberries and strawberry gelatin to give the fudge flavor. The order in which you add them doesn’t matter.

However, it’s important to note that once you add the strawberry gelatin, the fudge mixture will become a lot harder to stir. Like I said earlier, it’s important to have everything ready at the beginning because this recipe moves quickly, especially at the end.

Don’t Forget the Salt!

Although you can add the salt to the sweetened condensed milk, white chocolate chips, and butter and melt the 4 ingredients together, I waited until the end of the recipe because, honestly–I forgot, LOL.

Pour the Strawberry Fudge into the Prepared Dish and Smooth It Out

With all of the ingredients now mixed in, pour the soon-to-be fudge into the prepared dish. Use a spoon or spatula to smooth it out as much as possible.

Chill in the Refrigerator to Set the Fudge

Once the strawberry fudge is distributed evenly and smoothed out, let it cool down for 15-30 minutes before placing it in the fridge. Then, place the fudge in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours to set. There’s no need to cover it while chilling–I didn’t.

Cut and Serve the Fudge

3-4 hours later, your strawberry fudge should be firm enough to cut and serve–enjoy!

How Long Does Strawberry Fudge Take to Set?

My old-fashioned strawberry fudge recipe takes 3-4 hours to set. To be on the safe side, I would give it 4 hours in the refrigerator.

How Many Servings Does This Recipe Make?

Honestly, it depends on how big you cut the pieces. If using an 8×8 casserole dish, cutting the strawberry fudge into 32 pieces will give you portions that will require multiple bites to finish but still aren’t too big. To make 32 evenly-sized pieces, make 8 horizontal cuts, then 4 vertical cuts.

How to Store Strawberry Fudge with Sweetened Condensed Milk?

To store your strawberry fudge, place it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Although you could wrap each piece individually, I don’t think that’s necessary–besides, it would be very time-consuming.

How Long Does Strawberry Fudge Last?

If stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, your strawberry fudge should keep for 3-4 weeks. After that, it will start to dry out and lose flavor.

Can Strawberry Fudge Be Frozen?

Yes! In fact, if you want your strawberry fudge to last more than a few weeks, I recommend freezing it.

If you don’t want the pieces of fudge to freeze together, spread them out on a baking sheet so that they aren’t touching, then place them in the freezer. Once fully frozen, put them into a plastic bag. By freezing them spaced-out first, they won’t stick together when you go to take them out of the bag.

However, if you don’t mind having to pull the pieces of fudge apart, you can just put all the pieces of strawberry fudge into a bag and then put the bag in the freezer. This recipe is forgiving.

Can I Make Strawberry Fudge with Regular Chocolate Chips?

Although you technically could make this recipe with milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips, it would no longer be “strawberry fudge.” Instead, it would become “strawberry chocolate fudge.” I’m sure it would be delicious, so if you give it a try, let me know!

Can I Use Fresh Strawberries in this Recipe?

Probably not. Although strawberry puree is a main ingredient in my strawberry cake with jello recipe, it won’t work in fudge. As stated above, water can make melted chocolate seize, so the moisture in strawberry puree would likely ruin this recipe.

Although you could potential cook down the puree until most of the moisture boils away, I’m still not sure if it would work. If you give this a try, let me know how the recipe turns out!

Can You Make Strawberry Fudge on the Stovetop?

Yes! This strawberry fudge recipe is super versatile, so if you prefer to do things the old-fashioned way, you can melt the condensed milk and white chocolate chips on the stovetop with the water bath method.

Why Is My Strawberry Fudge Gritty?

If you try the fudge before it’s firmed up fully, you may find that it has a gritty texture. That’s from the strawberry gelatin and freeze dried strawberries. Once the two dry ingredients have had time to fully hydrate and chill, the texture will be a lot smoother.

Why Is My Fudge Soft?

If your fudge is soft, it’s probably because it hasn’t chilled long enough to set firmly. Like I said above, I would give it 3-4 hours–preferably 4–before serving.

Another possibility is that the fudge has been out of refrigeration for a long time. Although the fudge won’t melt at room temperature, it won’t be as firm. My advice is to leave it out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes, and then serve–that should make the strawberry fudge a bit softer, but not too soft.

A Chef’s Review

Honestly, I was really pleased with how my strawberry fudge recipe with sweetened condensed milk turned out. The strawberry flavor was surprisingly strong for such a quick and easy recipe: everyone who tried it really liked it. Although there was a bit of “and cream” flavor in the background due to the white chocolate, everyone who tried this was absolutely amazed by how good and fruity it was.

In addition to the old-fashioned flavor, this recipe is super easy. As I said above, all you have to do is melt 3 ingredients together in the microwave, add a few other things, then chill the fudge in the refrigerator. The hardest parts are pulverizing the freeze dried strawberries and making sure everything is dry.

And to top it all off, this fudge had a bright pink color that represented the flavor perfectly. Like I said, this strawberry fudge was a bit hit with my friends and I. Since fruit-flavored fudge isn’t very common, you and your family are sure to live this.

Possible Changes to the Recipe

Although I was very pleased with how this strawberry fudge recipe turned out, possible changes include:

Lactose-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk – For those who are lactose-intolerant, this might be a good option.

Vegan Fudge – Although I haven’t tried it, I imagine that sweetened condensed coconut milk, vegan white chocolate, vegan butter, and vegan strawberry gelatin could be used in this recipe, too.

Strawberry Fudge Recipe Variations

If you’re looking to add a twist to this strawberry fudge recipe, try:

Red Sprinkles – Shake red sprinkles on top of the fudge before putting it into the refrigerator. This will add not only more color but also nice crunch.

Chocolate Drizzle – A touch of melted semi-sweet chocolate added once the fudge is in the mold, or even once cut into pieces, would be nice.

Easy Fudge Recipes

If you like homemade candy, be sure to check out these other easy fudge recipes on my site:

Sweetened Condensed Milk Fudge Recipe – Make a chocolate treat with just 2 ingredients!

White Chocolate Fudge – Made with a base of 2 ingredients, this treat is perfect for the holidays!

Recipes with Strawberries

Strawberry Pie with Frozen Strawberries – If you can’t get high-quality fresh berries, this is a great option.

Strawberry Dump Cake – This 3-ingredient strawberry dessert is perfect for beginner cooks.

Strawberry Cake with Jello – Adding strawberry gelatin and puree to cake mix makes this cake amazing.

Strawberry Fudge Recipe Directions

YouTube Video

Be sure to watch my YouTube video tutorial:

The post Strawberry Fudge with Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe appeared first on ParnellTheChef.

Strawberry dump cake with cake mix is a super easy 3-ingredient recipe that’s perfect for summer! With just 2 cans of pie filling, a box of white or yellow cake mix, and 2 sticks of butter, you can make a delicious cobbler that’s perfect for beginner cooks. This dump cake has not just a fantastic flavor but also a beautiful color, the bright red filling making it the perfect eye-catching dessert for the 4th of July, Canada Day, or any other summer holiday. If you want to learn how to make strawberry dump cake, this article is for you!

What is A Strawberry Dump Cake Cobbler?

According to a QuaintCooking.com article, dump cakes are a type of cobbler dating back at least to the 1980’s, if not the 1960’s. Known for their simplicity, all you have to do is literally “dump” cake mix, some sort of canned fruit, and butter into a 9×13 dish and then bake.

For people who want a cobbler but don’t want to prep fruit or roll out pie crust, dump cakes are a lifesaver. Since all but the butter is shelf-stable, dump cake cobblers are great for when you want to make an easy and delicious dessert for a crowd at the last minute.

Dump cake recipes are very versatile, so you can change the flavor by using different types of cake mix and canned fruit, such as my apple dump cake with pie filling and cake mix recipe. In this article I’m going to show you how to make a strawberry version that is sure to be a hit with you, your family, and friends.

Strawberry Dump Cake with 3 Ingredients

As stated in the previous section, the basic dump cake recipe has 3 ingredients: cake mix, canned fruit, and butter. My strawberry dump cake recipe uses the same basic ingredients:

1. White or Yellow Cake Mix

When I make dump cake cobblers, I usually use white cake mix because of its neutral flavor. For this recipe, I recommend either white or yellow cake mix because of their neutral flavors, but I think that other flavors such as chocolate would be good, too.

2. Pie Filling

Although some dump cakes use canned sliced fruit, most recipes use storebought pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and thickened, so you don’t have to add anything other ingredients.

However, as in my cherry dump cake recipe, one or two extra ingredients can take the storebought filling to the next level. Your cobbler will be perfectly fine if you all you do is open the pie filling and pour it into the pan, but going beyond the basic 3 ingredients for dump cake will make a big difference.

3. Butter

The final of the 3 basic dump cake ingredients, butter is what turns the raw cake mix into a crumble-like crust. Most recipes call for slicing the butter into small pieces and then laying those pieces on top of the raw cake mix.

The small pads of butter melt down into the cake mix as the cobbler bakes, turning the raw flour and sugar into a crispy, crunchy crumble topping.

As you can see, the three ingredients in strawberry dump cake all have an important role in creating the amazing combination of tastes and textures. Later on this article, I’ll give you some ideas on how you can switch up the basic recipe to create new flavor combinations.

How To Make Strawberry Dump Cake with Cake Mix and Pie Filling

Although learning how to make a strawberry dump cake with cake mix and pie filling is easy, I think it’s a good idea to go over each step in a bit of detail. The steps are as follows:

Pouring the Pie Filling

After greasing a 9×13 pan with butter, the first step in making a strawberry dump cake is pouring in the pie filling. All I did was simply open the cans, pour the filling into the dish, and then use a spatula to spread out the filling.

Adding a Bit of Lemon Juice

Although using just the 3 basic dump cake ingredients would be fine, adding a bit more flavor to the pie filling will help elevate your dessert from good to great. So, I added:

• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice – As I explain in my strawberry pie with frozen strawberries recipe, lemon really helps to bring out berry flavor.
• 1 teaspoon strawberry extract – Feel free to leave this out if you don’t have it, but a bit of concentrated flavor always helps. Honestly, I would NOT replace this with vanilla–I think vanilla extract might actually take away from the strawberry flavor.

Dumping on the Cake Mix

Hence the name, the second step is “dumping” the raw cake mix on top of the filling. I literally just opened the bag and shook it while moving slowly over the dish so I could distribute the cake mix evenly.

I then took a large spoon to smooth out the cake mix, breaking up any lumps along the way. It’s important to remember to NOT pack it down or mix it in with the pie filling–just leave it as is.

Adding the Butter

The third and final step in my strawberry dump cake recipe is adding the butter. Most dump cake recipes call for first slicing the butter as thinly as possible so you can place pads of butter on top of the cobbler.

When laying the butter on top, it’s important to put them fairly close together, roughly 1/4″ apart, if not closer. At the same time, you have to make sure that they are distributed as evenly as possible.

Although this step may seem odd, it allows the butter to melt down and spread out as the dump cake bakes, moistening the cake mix and turning it into a crumble topping. If you’ve never made a strawberry dump cake before, you’ll be surprised by just how well this works out–it’s almost like magic.

Cold Butter

Whenever you’re working with butter, it’s easier if the butter is cold. Even though I have the butter off to the side at the beginning of the video tutorial, I put it back into the refrigerator to keep it cold.

It is much easier to slice cold butter, so be sure to keep your butter in the refrigerator until you’re ready to slice it. You might even want to put it in the freezer for a few minutes–just make sure it isn’t frozen.

Grating Frozen Butter

A YouTube subscriber commented on one of my dump cake recipes and suggested perhaps freezing the butter, grating it on a cheese grater, then sprinkling the grated butter on top of the cobbler. I’ve never tried that, but I think it would be easier than cutting the butter into thin slices.

Can You Melt The Butter and Pour It Over The Dump Cake?

Although pouring melted butter over the top would be faster, I don’t recommend doing that. I think it would be hard to pour the butter over the top evenly, so there’d probably be a few dry spots.

As with many things, slowing down and taking a bit of time to put in some extra effort pays off. However, if you do melt the butter first, please let me know how your cobbler turns out!

How Long to Bake Strawberry Dump Cake?

I baked my strawberry dump cake at 350F, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Ovens vary, so I would check on your cobbler at around the one hour mark to make sure it doesn’t burn.

How Do You Know It’s Done?

You know dump cake is done when the top is fully moistened from the melted butter and has turned a beautiful golden brown. The filling will likely be bubbling up through the cake mix crust in a few places, too.

Should Dump Cake Be Refrigerated?

Food safety experts recommend refrigerating most foods, and dump cakes are no exception. Even though I normally don’t refrigerate my pies or cobblers (most food safety experts recommend refrigerating all baked goods, but I’ve never a problem), I did this time.

Once fully cooled, refrigerated your dump cake, uncovered, to keep it fresh.

How Long does Strawberry Dump Cake Keep?

I had small pieces over the course of a few days, and I think the strawberry dump cake maintained its freshness for about 2 days. After 48 hours, the humidity in the refrigerator made the cake mix crumble soggy.

Although a soggy crust probably isn’t dangerous to your health, the loss of the crispy texture affects the overall experience. So, I recommend finishing your cobbler with 48 hours of putting it in the refrigerator.

Can Dump Cake Be Reheated?

After eating the first piece of my strawberry dump cake warm, I ate all the others cold. However, if you want to reheat your dump cake, I recommend putting individual slices in the microwave for 30-second ingredients on high, checking after each increment to see if it’s warmed through.

Can You Freeze Strawberry Dump Cake?

Even though I’ve never done it, yes, you can freeze strawberry dump cake. Cut the cobbler into individual slices, place on paper or plastic plates, wrap in plastic wrap or foil, and then freeze.

When ready to serve, simply remove from the freezer and microwave or bake until reheated–no need to thaw first. Your cobbler slices should keep in the freezer for about 3 months.

A Chef’s Review

Honestly, I was surprised by how much I liked this strawberry dump cake with cake mix and pie filling. Like I said earlier, dump cakes don’t have as much flavor as old fashioned cobblers do, but the strawberry flavor was strong than I was expecting. Together with the texture and color, this was a big success.

Serving Suggestions

Although this strawberry dump cake was delicious on its own, it would also be good with ice cream, Cool Whip, or whipped cream. A strong cup of coffee would be good as well if you want something to cut the sweetness a bit.

Possible Changes to the Recipe

Although this strawberry dump cake cobblers was a success, here are ways you could switch things up:

Additions to Filling

• Orange or Lime Juice – Although I think lemon is best, experimenting with other citrus could be interesting.
• Cinnamon – Once again, less is more, but a bit of cinnamon would be a good way to “spice things up.”

Other Types of Cake Mix

Besides white or yellow cake mix, you might want to try:

• Chocolate Cake Mix
• Strawberry Cake Mix
• Lemon Cake Mix
• Spice Cake Mix

More Strawberry Desserts

If you love strawberries, then you’ll want to try some of my other recipes:

Easy Strawberry Fudge Recipe – With just 2 minutes in the microwave, you can make homemade candy!

Strawberry Pie with Frozen Strawberries – Using frozen berries allows you to make pie anywhere, anytime.

Easy 3-Ingredient Dump Cake Recipes

If you liked the easy of this 3-ingredient strawberry dump cake, be sure to try similar recipes on my site:

3-Ingredient Blackberry Dump Cake – The golden brown top and deep purple filling look great together.

Strawberry Dump Cake with Cake Mix Recipe

YouTube Video

Be sure to watch my YouTube video tutorial:

The post Strawberry Dump Cake with Cake Mix appeared first on ParnellTheChef.