This strawberry shortcake trifle is easy to make with layers of pound cake, sweet whipped cream and fresh strawberries. It’s a classic dessert perfect for summer!
Summer strawberries are my favorite to use in a no-bake dessert! This strawberry shortcake recipe with angel food cake, strawberry shortcake bars recipe and strawberry shortcake biscuits are others we love.
Table of Contents
Easy Strawberry Trifle Recipe
I love how fancy and pretty a trifle looks with it’s layers of color of texture! Strawberries are my favorite fruit to add to a trifle dessert during summer. They taste amazing in this strawberry shortcake trifle, as well as my brownie strawberry trifle.
Each bite of this show-stopping strawberry trifle dessert is a delicious blend of buttery pound cake, sweet whipped cream, and juicy strawberries. It’s one of my favorite crowd-pleasing desserts with strawberries!
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle Ingredients
This strawberry shortcake trifle recipe is ready in about ten minutes and so easy that the kids can help make it, plus it has just a few easy ingredients.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Pound cake: Pre-made store purchased pound cake or homemade pound cake is tastes amazing when paired with the fresh berries and cream. It’s moist, tender and it’s dense texture makes it sturdy enough to support the trifle layers.
- Strawberries: Fresh, juicy strawberries add sweetness and fresh flavor. Look for plump strawberries with a vibrant red color and sweet fragrance.
- Cream: Making a stabilized whipped cream or cool whip from scratch is not only delicious, but will help the cream stay sturdier for longer. Regular homemade whipped cream is another option, although it tends to fall quicker.
Substitutions and Variations
- I love to use pound cake, but vanilla cake or my homemade angel food cake cubes taste great as well. You can even use the pound cake muffins from Costco.
- Other types of berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries) would also taste delicious.
- Sweeten the strawberry layer by making an easy strawberry sauce with a sprinkle of granulated sugar. This makes them a little more syrupy.
- Store-bought cool whip may also be used in place of the homemade stabilized whipped cream.
- For the cream layer, use a cream cheese filling or vanilla pudding instead of whipped cream. It won’t be as fluffy or sturdy, but will have richer flavor.
- Make a chocolate version by using chopped homemade brownies or chocolate cake instead of pound cake.
How to Make a Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
- Prepare the whipped cream. Let the gelatin Dissolve gelatin in a small bowl of water to bloom. Once thickened, heat in the microwave for about 10 seconds to liquify the mixture again. Next beat the cold heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla using an electric mixer or hand mixer on low until combined, then on high until a soft peak forms. Slowly pour in the gelatin and beat until a stiff peak forms.
- Cake layer. Slice the pound cake into 1-inch cubes. Then add half of the cake cubes into the bottom of a trifle dish.
- Strawberry layer. Next you’ll chop the fresh strawberries and sprinkle half of the berries on top of the cake layer.
- Cream layer. Spread half of the whipped cream over the fruit, then repeat with the remaining pound cake, strawberries and cream until the trifle is filled to the top.
Tips for the Best Trifle
- Chill your beaters. Before making the whipped cream layer, place your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for about 15 minutes prior. This helps the stiff peaks form quicker.
- Don’t use frozen strawberries. They will be too soggy in the trifle.
- Macerate your strawberries. A trifle is often made with macerated berries which is a fancy way of saying the strawberries are tossed with sugar to sweeten them! It’s easy, just mix sliced strawberries with around 1/3 cup sugar and let them rest for 20 -30 minutes.
- Chill until serving. During summer when it is warm, storing your trifle in the fridge until serving keeps this sweet treat fresh.
5 star review
“Love how easy this came together. Made it for a local holiday on Thursday and everyone was raving about the trifle.”
-Helene
FAQs
For a smaller crowd, you can make strawberry shortcake in a cup!
Halve the recipe and serve in mini trifle jars, mason jars or individual cups (this recipe will make 12 mini strawberry shortcake cups). Simply divide the pound cake, strawberries and whipped cream between the cups and layer until full. Don’t forget to garnish with a sliced strawberry and fresh mint leaves if desired. The perfect mini dessert!
This strawberry shortcake trifle definitely tastes best served the first day, however you can prepare it a few hours in advance if needed. This is where using stabilized whipped cream comes in handy, so that it doesn’t fall and stays sturdy while it chills.
Simply assemble the trifle up to 2 hours in advance, then cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy. I’d recommend adding the final top layer of whipped cream right before serving.
While this dessert is best served the same day it is made, you can store it covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. The cake will get soggier the longer it sits.
Need more strawberry desserts? Try strawberry cake, strawberry sheet cake and easy strawberry brownies are all full of berrylicious taste!
More Strawberry Dessert Recipes
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Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
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Ingredients
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 2 teaspoons gelatin (unflavored)
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 cups heavy cream , cold
- 5-6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Trifle
- 2 loaves pound cake , cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 cups strawberries , chopped
Instructions
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Place a medium-large-sized mixing bowl and the beaters into the freezer for about 15 minutes.
- Dissolve the gelatin in a small bowl with the water. Let sit a few minutes until thickened. Microwave about 10 seconds until it turns back to liquid.
- Pour the cream, sugar, and vanilla into the chilled bowl. Beat on low until the ingredients are mixed together, then beat on high until a soft peak forms, about 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly mix in the liquid gelatin while the beaters are on. Beat until a stiff peak forms.
Strawberry Trifle
- To assemble the trifle, distribute half of the pound cake into the bottom of the trifle. Sprinkle half the strawberries over the top, then add a dollop of whipped cream. Repeat with remaining pound cake, strawberries, and whipped cream until complete.
Notes
- I love to use pound cake because it is sturdier, but vanilla cake or angel food cake taste great as well.
- You can also swap out the berries, if you prefer blueberries or raspberries.
- If you would like for the strawberries to have more of a syrup, you can sprinkle sugar over top of the strawberries 15 minutes before adding.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 4th of July, American, Cake + Cupcakes, Desserts, Fruit Desserts, No-Bake, Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This is one of our go-to desserts for Mother’s Day. It’s my moms favorite! It’s so light & fluffy & tastes heavenly!
The stabilized whipped cream worked like a dream! So perfect for our trifle.
This was so simple to make and everyone loved it! Making it again for all our summer parties!
This is a summer must-have for us, it’s just fabulous!
This is delicious! Perfect for parties or just whenever I want to treat myself!
Light and delicious. Perfect for summertime and a quick dessert.
Everything’s better when served as a trifle. Especially a strawberry shortcake. Excellent recipe!
Love how easy this came together. Made it for a local holiday on Thursday and everyone was raving about the trifle.
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for leaving a comment and review Helene! :)
SO easy, my kids loved this one.
Itz ok if im using banana bread and banana fruit instead of strawberry??
Sounds delicious! It will definitely be a different dessert, but it sounds great! :)
Can you use any bread?
You can use whatever you prefer! :)
I’m so excited that strawberry season is almost upon us. There is nothing better than sweet, fresh strawberries. Thanks for the yummy recipe!!