Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

We had a last minute BBQ to attend on Saturday and I needed a quick dessert to bring. I only had about 45 minutes to throw something together so I knew a trifle would be the easiest way to go! I also had a TON of strawberries so I decided on a Strawberry Shortcake Trifle.

This came together in about 15 minutes, was delicious, and will definitely be made again!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

6 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 (1 lb) frozen pound cake, thawed
2 (3.4 oz) pkgs instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
1 pkg white chocolate chips, melted
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip

Sprinkle sugar over sliced strawberries; let sit to macerate while preparing the pudding.

Slice pound cake into cubes; set aside.

Mix pudding with milk; set in fridge while melting chocolate. Once chocolate is melted, whisk into pudding. Fold in cool whip.

Layer pound cake, pudding, and strawberries in trifle dish. Refrigerate until serving.

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

You can't tell that this is a trifle by looking at the picture... sorry! We had company over for a BBQ and I made this for dessert. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture beforehand and once it was time for dessert, I didn't want to make everyone wait while I got a good picture. So... here is the top. You'll just have to trust me that there are layers below! :)

You can't go wrong with the peanut butter/chocolate combination... at least not in my book! This trifle is made with layers of peanut butter chip brownies, peanut butter pudding, and peanut butter cups. So rich and so delicious!

*Note... I forgot the whipped cream but it works either way!

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle
Recipe from My Sister's Kitchen

1 9X13 pan of your favorite brownie recipe with 10 ounce bag of peanut butter chips mixed in
5 ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix
3 cups milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream, whipped and divided
24 regular sized peanut butter cups, divided

Cut or crumble brownies;set aside. Coarsely chop peanut butter cups; reserve 1/4 cup for garnish.

Combine pudding mix and milk in large bowl. Beat at low speed for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add peanut butter and vanilla; beat until smooth. Gently fold in half of whipped cream.

Place half of brownies in bottom of trifle bowl; top with 1/2 of chopped candy and half of pudding. Repeat layers. Top with remaining whipped cream, spooned or piped on. Garnish top with remaining peanut butter cups.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

I've been wanting to make a pumpkin gingerbread trifle for a while now but haven't done it yet. Last week a friend wrote me on Facebook asking if I had a good recipe for a pumpkin trifle. I gave her the basics of what I had in mind (didn't have a recipe yet) and then she got to work on hers. She made a slightly different version and posted pictures and that sealed the deal for me. Less than an hour after she posted her pictures I had my gingerbread baking in the oven! :)

I knew I wanted 3 basic components in my trifle: gingerbread, pumpkin mousse, and some sort of cream cheese layer. I ended up keeping the cream cheese simple (cream cheese and powdered sugar thinned out with a little cream) and I love how it balanced out the gingerbread and pumpkin.

I enjoyed this trifle very much and am pleased with how it turned out. I can't wait to make it again!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Gingerbread:

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water

Cream Cheese Mixture:

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Milk or cream for thinning

Pumpkin Mousse:

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the gingerbread:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 inch square pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.

In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Mix into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour mixture into pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature and then cut into 1" cubes.

For the cream cheese mixture:

Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add milk or cream until desired consistency is reached. (I preferred mine a little more pudding like, but you could leave it thicker if you wanted.)

For the pumpkin mousse:

Combine pumpkin, 1/2 cup cream, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in saucepan. Heat for 5 minutes. Let cool completely.

Whip remaining cream until soft peaks form. Fold into cooled pumpkin mixture.

To assemble trifle:

Divide gingerbread cubes into 3 equal piles (save 2 or 3 cubes for crumbling on top). Assemble as follows:

1/3 gingerbread cubes
1/2 pumpkin mousse
1/3 gingerbread cubes
All of cream cheese mixture
1/3 gingerbread cubes
1/2 pumpkin mousse

Can decorate the top with whipped cream rosettes, if desired, or crumbled gingerbread.

Spring Fruit Trifle and Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter! I hope everyone has a wonderful day! Mine is going great so far and I am looking forward to dinner with friends tonight. For dessert, I am bringing this fantastic trifle. I have said it before but it is worth repeating. Trifles are the best dessert if you are short on time and still want to impress. The trifle looks so pretty layered in the dish. I love all the fresh fruit in this one. It is so yummy!!!

Also, on a side note, things have been pretty hectic and busy around here lately. I apologize for not visiting other blogs as often as I usually do. I try to catch up on blog posts when I can, but other things take priority. I know you all understand, but I wanted to make sure you know I appreciate every comment that is left and I am grateful to all my readers. Even if I don't get a chance to return the comment, please know that I am SO glad you stopped by here!

Have a fantastic Easter!

Spring Fruit Trifle

1 box Nilla Wafers

1-2 TBSP orange juice

3 cups fresh fruit (kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple)

2 pkgs instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups milk

1 package white chocolate chips, melted

8 oz cool whip

Combine pudding and milk; refrigerate until thick. Add white chocolate, whisk until smooth. Stir in half of cool whip.

Break wafers in bottom of trifle dish; sprinkle with orange juice. Top with fruit. Spoon pudding mixture on top of fruit. Top with remaining cool whip.

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

I love trifles. I don't know what it is about them, but I think they are beautiful and incredibly delicious. This trifle is no different. While in Arizona, we had a BBQ at my mom's house after a fun day at the Children's Museum. I have made this trifle many times before and thought it would make a great dessert for the day.

It was fantastic! I love how quick it is to put together. With storebought pound cake and the use of instant pudding, it is an easy-peasy dessert that will wow a crowd!

Lemon Blueberry Trifle

16 oz frozen prepared pound cake

2 lemons

1 1/2 cups milk

8 oz sour cream

8 oz cool whip

2 pkgs (3.4 oz each) lemon instant pudding

1 pint blueberries

White chocolate chunks or shavings

Cut pound cake into 1" cubes; place in large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice. In another bowl, combine milk, sour cream, and half of the cool whip; whisk until smooth. Add pudding mix and whisk until mixture thickens.

Place 1/3 of pound cake cubes in bottom of trifle dish. Top with blueberries, white chocolate, and pudding. Repeat layers 3 times. Garnish with cool whip rosettes, blueberries, and white chocolate. Cut lemon slices and place in between rosettes, if desired.

TWD: Berry Surprise Cake

This week's recipe intrigued me from the beginning. A hollowed out cake filled with a cream cheese mixture and berries. What's not to love, right? I didn't feel like making and decorating an entire cake, though, so I decided cut the recipe in half and made individual trifles.


The cake itself was very easy to throw together as was the cream cheese mixture. I used a combination of strawberries and blueberries, mostly because that is what I had on hand! The result... good. I enjoyed it and there were no leftovers here, but, for me, there wasn't anything that made it stand out from any other trifle I have had/made. I don't know if I would make this again or not, but, it was worth trying and it wasn't a failure. :)

Thanks to Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen for choosing this week's recipe. Check out the TWD blogroll to see the many variations of this cake!