The sweet strawberries, creamy pudding and pound cake really come together and scream deliciousness in this super easy strawberry trifle with pound cake recipe. This strawberry dessert will be a complete hit with all your guests!
Easy Strawberry Trifle With Pound Cake Recipe: I’ve written about it a few times before, but we have a fantastic little strawberry farm about 30 minutes down the road. I’ve taken the kids there every year since my youngest was 2. (I have some of the cutest pictures of them in the strawberries.)
In the last few years we’ve timed our visit so we were able to pick strawberries, blackberries, potatoes and a couple of times, even peaches.
We plan to hit the farm up for strawberries and blackberries this coming Friday since will be out of school. (No peaches this year, we had a late March freeze that froze all the blooms.)
So in the meantime, I’ve been having to make my strawberry recipes with just regular ol’ grocery store strawberries.
Traditionally, trifles are made with a type of sponge cake and soaked with sherry. There are plenty of easy trifle recipes out on the web. Some use angel food cake and others use pound cake. (Angel food cake is similar to sponge cake, but without egg yolks and pound cake is a sponge cake with butter.)
In my opinion, and the reason I use pound cake in this recipe, is that the pound cake holds up better and helps the trifle last longer in the fridge. Pound cake also just tastes better -rich, buttery – yum! (After all, pound cake gets its name from the pound of butter used in the original recipe.
What’s The Secret To Making The Best Trifle?
The secret to why this trifle recipe is so yummy is I use macerated strawberries, which makes the strawberries even yummier. By adding sugar to fresh strawberries, the sugar pulls the liquid out of the strawberries and makes a strawberry sugar syrup. You then will pour the strawberry syrup over the pound cake layers. The pound cake absorbs all that yummy strawberry sweetness for an even better flavor!
Ingredients:
For the strawberry layers:
4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup homemade strawberry jam
For the whipped cream:
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the crumbs:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs or your choice of sweet biscuit crumbs
For the custard:
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups whole milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the garnish:
Fresh strawberries, halved
Additional graham cracker crumbs
Cinnamon powder
Instructions:
Prepare the custard: In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar until smooth and creamy. In a saucepan, heat the milk until hot but not boiling, then gradually whisk it into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
Whip the cream: In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it forms soft peaks. Be careful not to overbeat. Refrigerate until needed.
Assemble the trifle: In a clear trifle bowl, create a layer of sliced strawberries. Over the strawberries, evenly spread the homemade strawberry jam.
Add the first layer of whipped cream: Gently spread half of the whipped cream over the strawberry jam layer.
Sprinkle the crumbs: Carefully distribute the graham cracker crumbs over the whipped cream layer.
Layer the custard: Spoon the chilled custard over the crumbs, spreading evenly.
Add the second layer of whipped cream: Spread the remaining whipped cream over the custard.
Garnish: Arrange halved strawberries on top for decoration. Sprinkle with additional graham cracker crumbs and dust lightly with cinnamon powder for a hint of spice.
Chill: Allow the trifle to set in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours before serving. This lets the flavors meld together and ensures a firm layering.
Serve this sumptuous trifle chilled, diving into layers of luscious strawberries, sweet jam, velvety custard, and light, airy whipped cream, all accented with the crunch of crumbs and the warm spice of cinnamon. It’s a dessert that’s as delightful to look at as it is to eat!
