Strawberry Trifle

This Strawberry Trifle recipe will knock your socks off! It’s the perfect, easy dessert recipe for any time of year!

Two weeks ago, I made trifle for my family for the first time. It was in a lovely, large glass bowl. Half of the dessert was left after my family members had each had a helping (except my oldest daughter who is allergic to almost everything). I put it away in the refrigerator for the night. The next morning, the other half was missing! Only a single serving was left in the bowl! Normally, I would suspect my husband of these types of shenanigans, but this time, I had a sneaking suspicion that my middle daughter was to blame.

I was right. She had eaten part of it for breakfast and taken the other part to school for lunch.

I made it again the next week (so I could take pretty pictures for this post), and once again, she ate half of it.

I will admit, it’s pretty addicting. It’s gorgeous, too!

There are five parts to this classic trifle: Jello, fruit, pudding, cake, and whipped cream.

For this trifle, we are going to use strawberry Jello (although you could also use raspberry or cherry flavors), strawberries, vanilla pudding, yellow cake, and whipped topping.

You simply layer these ingredients in whichever order you choose. However, this is what I recommend:

• Cake
• Fruit
• Jello
• Pudding
• Whipped Cream

When I make this in a big glass bowl, I do two layers of each, saving the whipped cream just for the top. When I used the goblets pictured here, I just did one layer of pudding in the middle.

For the Jello, I like to layer it in when it’s not quite set up. That way, it can soak into the cake a little bit. And even if it is still a little runny, you can add the pudding right on top. It won’t get mixed in, and you’ll still get a lovely strata.

I make my own cake from scratch for two reasons.

1. I am a cake snob and don’t like boxed mixes.
2. I have the perfect recipe from my mom that just makes an 8×8 cake, which is exactly the right amount of cake for this dessert. It’s super easy and quick and doesn’t require any creaming or beating. I have the recipe for you at the bottom of this post.

I am not a snob when it comes to Jello or pudding, however, which is a good thing. Otherwise, this trifle would be a LOT more time-consuming and complicated to make!

So make a big bowl, or make cute individual servings. Just be prepared for all of it to disappear in no time flat!

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Strawberry Trifle

Author: Melissa Howell

Ingredients

• White or yellow cake 8x8 size, or 2/3 of a 13x19 pan. To get my recipe for the cake, scroll down).
• 1 package 3 oz. strawberry, cherry, or raspberry Jello
• 1 cup boiling water plus 1/2 cup cold water and 1 cup ice (for the Jello)
• 1 package 3.4 oz. instant vanilla pudding
• 2 cups of milk for the pudding
• 1 tub 8 oz. whipped topping, or 1 cup heavy whipping cream plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, whipped on high speed until stiff peaks form
• 1 lb. strawberries sliced

Instructions

1. Cut the cake into cubes and put about 1/3 to 1/2 in the bottom of your glass bowl.
2. Pour the Jello mix into a medium-sized bowl.
3. Boil one cup of water and stir it into the Jello. Stir about two minutes until the Jello is completely dissolved.
4. Add the 1/2 cup of cold water plus the ice. Stir and let sit while you prepare the pudding.
5. In a medium-sized bowl, add the pudding mix to 2 cups of cold milk. Whisk for two minutes. Let sit to thicken slightly.
6. Slice the strawberries and place 1/3 to 1/2 of them on top of the bottom layer of cake.
7. Remove any remaining ice from the Jello and pour 1/2 the of the partially-set Jello over the berries and cake.
8. Pour 1/2 of the pudding over the Jello.
9. Make a second layer of everything, starting with cake, then strawberries, then Jello, and ending with the pudding.
10. Spread whipped topping all across the top of the trifle.
11. Chill until ready to eat.

To get lots more trifle inspiration, visit my post, 20 Terrific Trifle Recipes.

Here is the recipe I use for my cake:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix.
2. Add all the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix with the dry ingredients.
3. Pour into a greased 8×8 pan.
4. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees, or until toothpick comes out clean.

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