Every June I can’t help myself but try out new strawberry recipes and find a new great one to share with you guys. There is nothing better in the summer than enjoying a sweet treat incorporating the fruits that are prevalent and perfectly ripe in the summer, such as making a delicious peach cobbler or blueberry pie in the late summer months.

 I love all things strawberries and cream, whether that is a strawberry shortcake, milkshake, a creamy strawberry popsicle (a recipe I shared last week), or strawberry cheesecake--the list is endless and that is a great thing! There are few things more fresh and delicious than that sweet combination of strawberries and cream.

Today, you are going to get a perfect dose of it with a recipe I want to share for strawberry trifle from the Spending with Pennies blog. I love this recipe because it is so beautiful and simple to make. She has a delicious layer of no-bake cheesecake filling with tangy cream cheese, heavy whipping cream and a nice orange kick from juicing and zesting an orange, which just knocks this recipe out of the park! I love any dessert that has some tangy cream cheese or sour cream added.

What is Trifle?

Before we get to the recipe, let’s establish what a trifle is and where it came from. Trifle is a traditional British dessert that consists of sponge cake, soaked in liquor, layered with fruit, chocolate, jello, custard pudding, or whatever else you desire. Today’s recipe is booze-free but feel free to soak the cake in something stronger than the strawberry syrup if no kids are eating the trifle today.

Trifle is so beautiful with all the layers, no matter the flavor, that it is most often displayed in a clear trifle dish for everyone to oooh and ahhh over, but you can also put them in bowls or even wine glasses for individual servings.

Today’s recipe layers cake, cheesecake, and fruit to create this bright and fresh summer dessert.

Cake:

You can use any store-bought angel food cake but my recommendation, which is what I did, is get the pack of three pound cakes from Costco and use those for your cake. I would probably always prefer pound cake to angel food cake, but that’s just me. You could use any similar cake to cube up and layer in this cake. 

Pro Tip for Assembly: When assembling your cake, it makes things even easier to cube your cake if you freeze your angel food cake before you cut it. 

Cheesecake:

This recipe makes a nice zippy orange “cheesecake” layer with orange juice and zest whipped together with whipping cream and cream. You could always do something like vanilla custard or strawberry mousse instead of this cheesecake layer.

Fruit:

Today we are going to use strawberries but you can always try a different fruit like peaches or blueberries instead.

To Make Juicy Strawberries:

Combine the strawberries with sugar and allow them to sit on the countertop for at least 30 minutes. The sugar allows the berries to release their juices, which helps the trifle turn out extra tasty. This process is known as mascerating and it can actually be done with many fruits.

Alternatively, you can add a splash of your favorite liquor, if so desired, to the sugar (like Grand Marnier) or even a splash of citrus juice.

What is your favorite strawberries and cream dessert to enjoy in the summertime? Do you enjoy making trifles? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.



Add Recipe to Cook'n