Easy strawberry shortcake are a quick and easy strawberry shortcakes made with 4 ingredient drop biscuits, layered with fresh, sweet macerated strawberries and fluffy vanilla whipped cream. These strawberry shortcake biscuits are the perfect summertime treat.
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Why Make This Recipe
I have several easy and fresh layered strawberry recipes on the blog that I absolutely adore. My Strawberry Banana Pudding, Strawberry Cream Cake, Easy Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Tiramisu, Strawberry Mousse and Strawberry Parfait are just a few of my favorite strawberry recipes on the blog. I am so excited to add this strawberry shortcake trifle recipe to the blog.
- Only a few ingredients needed. You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make this easy strawberry trifle dessert.
- The perfect spring or summer dessert. Take 30 minutes to transform fresh summer strawberries into a delightful and beautiful dessert that's perfect for warm weather gatherings.
- Easy to customize. Follow the same recipe, but swap the fruit and jam with whatever seasonal berries or stone fruit you have on hand.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This shortcake strawberry trifle recipe needs only a few simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you will need to make these easy layered dessert.
- Fresh Strawberries: Use fresh, ripe and sweet strawberries. Fresh strawberries will produce the best strawberry shortcake. Taste the strawberries to ensure they are sweet. Frozen strawberries can be used, but must be thawed overnight and drained of the excess liquid before mixing with the sugar and jam.
- Sugar: Light brown sugar or maple sugar would work well.
- Strawberry Jam: I prefer seedless jam for this recipe. This is an easy way to make a quick strawberry sauce. If you prefer, you can make your own strawberry glaze or even use another jam to add in another layer of flavor.
- Heavy Cream: I love making freshly whipped cream by whipping heavy cream. Heavy cream usually whips to twice the amount of liquid heavy cream. Make sure to use heavy whipping cream with 36% milk fat.
- Vanilla Extract: This is used for flavor. I recommend keeping the vanilla extract if you have it.
- Cream Cheese: I love the extra boost of creaminess in the filling from the cream cheese. Adding the cream cheese has the added benefit of making the filling taste a bit more like cheesecake. If you don’t have cream cheese, mascarpone would work well.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This is used to sweetened the cream cheese filling and to add another layer of creamy texture.
- Angel Food Cake or Pound Cake: I like to use a store bought angel food cake. You could also make one using a recipe you like or with a cake mix. Other delicious options are chocolate cake, vanilla cake or even brownies.
Variation
Individual Strawberry Shortcake Trifle Cups: Skip the large trifle dish and serve the shortcake trifle in smaller trifle cups. This shortcake trifle recipe makes about 13 - 14 cups (104 - 112 oz.) of dessert (with layers of cake, cream and strawberries).
How To Make
Learn how to make strawberry shortcake trifle in a few easy steps.
- Wash and dry the fresh strawberries. Hull or de-stem the strawberries. Slice or chop the strawberries into your desired shape and size. Place the prepared strawberries into a large mixing bowl. Top the strawberries with sugar and strawberry jam. If you have any other flavor additions such as fresh herbs, extracts, liquor or citrus juice, add them at this time as well. Gently mix the berries, jam and sugar together. Taste and adjust as needed to achieve your desired flavor. Transfer the berry sauce into the fridge while you prepare the other components.
- Add the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Combine the ingredients on low for 1 minute. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium speed. Mix for about 1 - 3 more minutes or until the cream has whipped to medium - medium stiff peaks. Scoop out into another bowl. Add the room temperature cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and salt into the mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment. Cream together the cream cheese and sweetened milk until smooth and well combined. Fold in the whipped cream until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
3. Gather the cream filling and the strawberry sauce when you are ready to assemble. Cube the homemade or store bought angel food cake into bite sized cubes.
4. To assemble the trifle add about ⅓ of the cubed cake into the bottom of the bowl. Top with about ⅓ of the strawberry sauce, followed by ⅓ of the creamy cream cheese whipped cream filling. Repeat with the remaining layers, ending with the cream cheese filling. If you have some leftover strawberries, top the trifle with whole or sliced strawberries with the leaves left on. Serve the trifle straight from the bowl into serving bowls.
How To Store, Freeze, Thaw and Serve
- Store: The assembled shortcake trifle will keep well the day it is made. For longer storage, keep the macerated berries and whipped cream cheese filling in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 1 - 2 days. The store bought or homemade angel food cake or pound cake should keep well for 3 - 4 days.
- Freeze and Thaw: I do not recommend freezing the assembled trifle. If you need to make and freeze parts of this dessert, I recommend only freezing and thawing the cake part of the trifle.
- Serve: These easy layered dessert is best when served right after being assembled. The cake will get soggier the longer it sits after being assembled.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use a large clear bowl or trifle dish. Part of the beauty of this layered strawberry dessert is seeing the layers of fluffy cake, creamy filling and glossy strawberries.
- Use ripe, fresh and in season strawberries. To make the best strawberry sauce make sure to use ripe, in season strawberries.
- The cake matters. Choose a light and fluffy cake like angel food cake or a sturdy, buttery cake like vanilla pound cake. Cube the cake into bite sized pieces for the best strawberry shortcake trifle.
- Add herbs, citrus, liquor or alternative sugars for flavor variations. Herbs such as basil, rosemary or mint can be added to the strawberry sauce for a fresh, earthy flavor. Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice for fresh tart flavor. Add Balsamic, rose water, vanilla extract or liquors such as bourbon, brandy or amaretto to taste for bold and unique flavor.
- Order matters in a trifle. The cake layer is the first component of each layer in a trifle. Then top the cake with the fruit layer, followed by the creamy filling layer. Repeat and end with either the filling or whipped cream and more fresh whole berries for decoration.
FAQs
The moisture from the strawberry sauce and creamy cream cheese filling will soften the angel food cake or pound cake overnight, but it shouldn't get too soggy. The texture (sogginess) and overall flavor of the trifle will change around day 3.
A light, fluffy, vanilla flavored cake like angel food cake or a sturdier, buttery cake like vanilla pound cake are the best cakes for making a layered strawberry shortcake.
Wash and pat dry fresh, sweet strawberries. The hull and slice the berries in half or quartered depending on the size of the strawberries.
This shortcake trifle can be assemble the night before and served the next day. Alternatively, make the whipped cream cheese filling the same day you plan to serve it. The strawberry sauce can be made 1 - 2 days before and the cake can be made up to 3 - 4 days before assembling.
Other Fresh Strawberry Recipes to Try
If you try this Strawberry Shortcake Trifle recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle Recipe
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or hand held mixer
- 3 - 4 mixing bowls
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries (about 5 - 6 cups)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) strawberry jam, slightly warmed
- 1½ cups (360 ml) cold heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 4 oz. (113 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 angel food cake or pound cake, cubed store bought or homemade
Instructions
- Wash and dry the fresh strawberries. Hull or de-stem the strawberries. Slice or chop the strawberries into your desired shape and size. Place the prepared strawberries into a large mixing bowl.2 pounds fresh strawberries
- Top the strawberries with sugar and strawberry jam. If you have any other flavor additions such as fresh herbs, extracts, liquor or citrus juice, add them at this time as well. Gently mix the berries, jam and sugar together. Taste and adjust as needed to achieve your desired flavor. Transfer the berry sauce into the fridge while you prepare the other components.½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (120 ml) strawberry jam, slightly warmed
- Add the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Combine the ingredients on low for 1 minute. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium speed. Mix for about 1 - 3 more minutes or until the cream has whipped to medium - medium stiff peaks. Scoop out into another bowl.1½ cups (360 ml) cold heavy cream, 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Add the room temperature cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and salt into the mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment. Cream together the cream cheese and sweetened milk until smooth and well combined. Fold in the whipped cream until the mixture is smooth and well combined.4 oz. (113 g) cream cheese, room temperature, 7 oz. sweetened condensed milk, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Gather the cream filling and the strawberry sauce when you are ready to assemble. Cube the homemade or store bought angel food cake into bite sized cubes.1 angel food cake or pound cake, cubed
- To assemble the trifle add about ⅓ of the cubed cake into the bottom of the bowl. Top with about ⅓ of the strawberry sauce, followed by ⅓ of the creamy cream cheese whipped cream filling. Repeat with the remaining layers, ending with the cream cheese filling. If you have some leftover strawberries, top the trifle with whole or sliced strawberries with the leaves left on. Serve the trifle straight from the bowl into serving bowls.
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