A combination of two desserts, this Strawberry Shortcake Trifle is a light and easy summer treat. With layers of angel food cake, fresh whipped cream and strawberries, it’s the perfect dessert for potlucks and picnics.
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle is one of my go-to desserts. There’s no baking required when you use pre-made cake and it’s full of juicy, fresh strawberries. With layers of angel food cake, homemade whipped cream and fresh berries, every bite is a true delight.
Not only is this trifle filled with slices of fresh strawberry, I included a simple sauce to add strawberry flavor to every bite. While I took a shortcut and used jam instead of making the sauce from scratch, it’s the only shortcut I used. Everything else, including the whipped cream, is made from scratch.
With its bright red color, this is a great dessert for Memorial Day and the 4th of July. But don’t wait for a holiday to make this dessert as it’s guaranteed to be a hit every time.
Ingredients You Need
This easy strawberry shortcake trifle requires less than 10 ingredients! Most of them are baking staples that you likely already have on hand too.
- Strawberries – Fresh strawberries are best.
- Lemon juice – Helps to macerate the strawberries.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the strawberries.
- Heavy whipping cream – Used to make whipped cream.
- Confectioners’ sugar – Added to the heavy whipped cream for the whipped topping layer.
- Vanilla extract – A splash of flavor.
- Strawberry jam – Makes the strawberry sauce layer.
- Water – Added to the jam to make the sauce.
- Angel food cake – From the store or homemade.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
This strawberry dessert comes together in just 4 simple steps! With no baking required, you can have this trifle ready to serve in just 30 minutes.
- Prepare the strawberries. Combine the strawberries, lemon juice and granulated sugar. Allow them to sit for at least 15 minutes.
- Make the whipped cream. Mix heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar and mix until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to use.
- Prepare the strawberry sauce. Combine the jam and water in a bowl. Microwave until warm and then whisk to combine.
- Assemble the trifle. In a trifle bowl, layer angel food cake cubes, whipped cream, strawberry sauce, and fresh strawberries. Repeat layers until ingredients are used or the dish is filled.
- Enjoy. Serve immediately or chill for a few hours.
Tips for Success
For the best strawberry shortcake trifle, plan ahead and keep these tips in mind.
- Do not allow the strawberries to macerate for too long. If you let the strawberries sit in the lemon juice for too long, you’ll end up with a strawberry mush. 15 to 30 minutes is the perfect amount of time. An hour is too long.
- Use homemade angel food cake. It’s so worth the extra effort to have a light and fluffy homemade cake!
- Allow to chill. While you can serve this trifle immediately after assembling, I recommend allowing it to chill for an hour or several hours first.
- Substitute vanilla cake. If you don’t have angel food cake on hand, you can also make this strawberry trifle with any vanilla cake.
- Use fresh, ripe strawberries. Strawberry shortcake is best made with fresh strawberries. Frozen strawberries will have the same great flavor but a different texture.
Serving Suggestions
A big spoonful of this strawberry shortcake trifle in a bowl is the way to go! Be sure to scoop deep instead of wide, to make sure you get all of the layers in every bite.
If I’m serving this at home to a small group vs at a big potluck, I sometimes make individual serving-sized trifles. Instead of assembling this in one big trifle bowl, I assemble a handful of smaller ones in small glass bowls. Then, everyone gets their own, perfectly portioned trifle! Not only does it taste amazing, it looks beautiful when presented this way. It’s an easy way to make this quick dessert a little more fancy.
How to Store Leftovers
If you happen to have any leftover, it will last in the fridge for up to 2 days. After that point, the cake will likely become soggy from the strawberry sauce and the whipped cream.
I rarely have leftovers when I make this, though, so it’s never lasted more than 2 days in my fridge!