This Strawberries & Cream Trifle is the decadent dessert of your summer dreams. Trifles are the perfect solution for dry day old cake (if your cake lasts that long!), or a stunning glow up for fresh cake. Our trifle layers feature a day old pound cake soaked in homemade vanilla simple syrup, a dynamic pudding with hints of citrus, cinnamon, and vanilla, fresh and juicy strawberries, and homemade whipped cream. Dish up a bowl, and be sure to get a bit of every layer! Or dive straight in with a spoon – I won’t judge.
Pair this sweet treat with a dry Chardonnay of your choice.
Ingredients
Pudding
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 piece lemon peel
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Simple Syrup
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped cream
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream, cold
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 lb strawberries
- 8×8 inch tray day old vanilla pound cake or white cake
Directions:
- Prepare pudding. Add cornstarch, sugar, and eggs to a small saucepan. Whisk together until completely smooth. Add remaining pudding ingredients, except the vanilla extract, whisk until combined, and place over medium heat. Stir constantly with a rubber scraper while heating to prevent the cornstarch from clumping or settling. Continue cooking until the pudding thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Chill the pudding. Remove the cinnamon and citrus peels. Cover the pudding to prevent a film from forming and refrigerate for an hour to chill and set completely.
- Prepare simple syrup. Bring sugar and water to a simmer, and cook, stirring continuously, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare whipped cream. With an electric mixer, whisk the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla to stiff peaks.
- Remove greens from the strawberries and quarter. Slice cake into roughly one inch cubes.
- Assemble trifle. Arrange cake into a single layer in a 2 quart trifle dish. Pour about ⅓ of the syrup over the top of the cake, soaking it completely and evenly. Add a layer of pudding, add a layer of fresh strawberries, add whipped cream. Repeat two more times or until all of the components are completely gone.
- Note: This can also be done in a large glass bowl. Press strawberries to the edge of the dish for a beautiful visual presentation.
- Gently cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Maddie is a Minneapolis-based recipe developer and food photographer with a background in Food Engineering and Nutrition. Maddie utilizes her scientific understanding of food to create delicious recipes that are worth repeating. When she’s not experimenting in her kitchen, she’s exploring new cities around the world or fostering pups to help them adjust to the good life and find their forever homes! You can find more of Maddie’s work (and follow her cute fosters) on Instagram or maddieaugustin.com.
