Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
With moist yellow cake, fresh strawberries, and homemade whipped cream, this light and airy dessert is a perfect treat for spring and summer and made entirely from scratch. Quick and easy to prepare, it’s an irresistible crowd-pleaser that will brighten up any gathering.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 401kcal
Ingredients
Yellow Cake Mix*:
- 1 1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup avocado oil sub: vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- *Sub: An 18-ounce box of yellow cake mix from the store
Strawberries:
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, quartered
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make Yellow Cake*: Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 9x13 pan by either lining it with parchment or coating it with cooking spray.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Whisk together the oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk in a medium bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and whisk until no flour is visible and no lumps are remaining, but do not over-mix.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula until the batter is smooth on top and evenly distributed. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating after 8 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs with no batter remaining. The top will be lightly golden.
- Let cool on a rack before transferring from pan to a cutting board. Cut cake into 1-inch cubes, cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap, and set aside.
- Macerate Strawberries: Toss cut strawberries together with sugar and lemon juice. Cover and store in the fridge until needed.
- Make Whipped Cream: Place heavy cream in a medium bowl or stand mixer and whip on medium-high speed with a whisk attachment until it has reached the “soupy peaks” stage - the whisk will leave an impression in the cream and it will have increased in volume but not quite form peaks yet.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whip on medium-high speed until the whipped cream forms firm peaks - when you pull the whisk up out of the cream, you will see the “Dairy Queen swirl.” Be careful not to over-whip the cream.
- Assemble: Before assembling, set aside a portion of strawberries and whipped cream for decorating if desired. Put an even layer of cake cubes (about 1-2 cubes deep) in the bottom of a trifle dish. Cover with half of the strawberries, followed by half of the whipped cream. Repeat this process once more.
- Decorate & Store: Decorate the top of the trifle as desired, cover, and keep refrigerated until needed. Store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Extra cake cubes can be frozen for up to 3 months or used to make miniature trifles (see full article for how to do this).
- *If using store-bought cake mix, skip Yellow Cake steps 1-6 and follow instructions on box instead.
Video
Notes
- The cake can be made a few days in advance, or made up to 3 months in advance and frozen. Thaw before using.
- Recipe makes 1 large trifle, 8 (9-ounce) trifles, or 15-16 (4-ounce) trifles. For the smaller trifles, it is recommended cutting the strawberries and cake cubes into smaller pieces.
- Frozen and thawed strawberries can be used but fresh ones are recommended for best results.
- Strawberries can be cut to whatever size and shape is desired, it is completely up to personal preference. More or less sugar can also be used as desired.
- If you want to try a different spin on this dessert, try our Healthy Strawberry Shortcake.
Nutrition
Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 239mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g