Strawberry Shortcake Trifle recipe is a fun twist on the traditional crisp and crumbly biscuit, made with layers of soft cake cubes, fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce, and creamy cheesecake filling. Just 5 simple ingredients!
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle With Cream Cheese Mixture
Our easy Strawberry Shortcake Trifle takes all the delicious flavors found in my Strawberry Shortcake Cookie, Strawberry Shortcake Fudge and Strawberry Shortcake Truffles recipes and turns them into a beautifully arranged layered dessert.
While a classic strawberry shortcake recipe is constructed as a fruit and whipped cream-filled crispy cake, this strawberry trifle is made like a savory lasagna, with layers of cubed cake, followed by strawberry filling, and then covered with a cream cheese mixture, all stacked until it reaches the top of the trifle dish.
What I love most about a layered strawberry dessert recipe is that it has no rules – you can use fresh or frozen fruit, store-bought angel food cake, buttery pound cake, or vanilla cake baked from a box, packets of pudding or a cream cheese mixture — then display your layers into a stunning showstopper dessert!
Why We Love Strawberry Shortcake Trifles
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses only a handful of simple ingredients.
- Delicious no bake dessert is a beautiful display of different tastes and textures, all layered in a glass bowl.
- Light and refreshing treat that’s cool for summertime snacking but can be enjoyed during any season.
- Perfectly portable for holiday parties, potlucks, or any time you are feeding a crowd.
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle Ingredients
- Fresh strawberries
- Granulated sugar
- Cream cheese
- Whipped topping or cool whip
- Angel food cake: You can use a store-bought or homemade cake.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Switch The Cake Squares: You can buy or bake your own white, vanilla, yellow, or pound cake instead of angel food cake.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
- Prepare The Produce: Wash, dry, and slice the strawberries. Mix the strawberries with sugar and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to macerate.
- Make The Cream Cheese Mixture: Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped topping.
- Assemble: Add a layer of cake pieces to the bottom of the trifle dish. Cover the cake with the strawberry mixture, including the liquid, and top with the cream cheese mixture. Repeat the layers with the remaining cake, strawberries, and cream.
- Serve: Garnish with fresh strawberries, serve, and enjoy!
Tips For Making Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
- Ensure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you begin. This will make it easier to beat, ensuring a smooth, creamy finish without lumps.
- You may not use all of the cake depending on the size of the cake and your trifle bowl.
- The easiest way to cut the angel food cake to avoid tearing it is with a serrated bread knife.
- For a pretty presentation, I like to turn the cubes of angel food cake so only the white part of the cake is visible through the glass of the trifle bowl.
- If you bake your own cake, allow time for it to cool off before assembling the trifle.
- My trifle bowl was 3 quarts. You may end up with extra cake cubes, depending on the size of your trifle bowl.
How to Store Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
- To Store: The cake is best enjoyed the same day it is made. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this trifle.
More Easy Trifle Recipes
More Recipes like STrawberry Shortcake Trifle
- Strawberry Crunch Poke Cake
- Walking Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Strawberry Fluff Salad
- Strawberry Shortcake Poke Cake
- Strawberry Lasagna
- Black Forest Trifle
- Pina Colada Trifle
- Pumpkin Trifle
- 4th of July Trifle
If you tried this Strawberry Shortcake Trifle Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries
- ⅓ cup + ½ cup granulated sugar divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 8 ounces tub whipped topping thawed
- 1 Angel food cake cut into 1-inch pieces (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries and dry them well. Slice off the top of the strawberries and quarter them.2 pounds fresh strawberries
- Add the strawberries to a large bowl with ⅓ cup of sugar and mix well. Set the strawberries in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to macerate.⅓ cup + ½ cup granulated sugar
- Beat the cream cheese and ½ cup of sugar in a large bowl with a hand or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped topping.⅓ cup + ½ cup granulated sugar, 8 ounces cream cheese, 8 ounces tub whipped topping
- Add a layer of angel food cake pieces to the bottom of the trifle dish. Top the cake with ½ of the strawberry mixture, including the liquid that has formed in the bowl. Top the strawberries with half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat the layers with the remaining cake, strawberries, and cream.1 Angel food cake
- Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired, and enjoy!
Jenn’s Notes
- Ensure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you begin. This will make it easier to beat, ensuring a smooth, creamy finish without lumps.
- You may not use all of the cake depending on the size of the cake and your trifle bowl.
- The easiest way to cut the angel food cake to avoid tearing it is with a serrated bread knife.
- For a pretty presentation, I like to turn the cubes of angel food cake so only the white part of the cake is visible through the glass of the trifle bowl.
- If you bake your own cake, make sure to allow time for it to cool off before assembling the trifle.
- My trifle bowl was 3 quarts. You may end up with extra cake cubes, depending on the size of your trifle bowl.
This was perfection! Thank you for this recipe because all the others using pudding. Taste fabulous!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
I don’t know what a Danish pastry is??
https://amzn.to/3fInCp9 – here you go.
I can’t get the danish stuff in time is there anything else I can use