Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle
This Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle features layers of sweetened berries doused with Amaretto, angel food cake cubes, and luscious cheesecake filling, lightened with whipped cream.
I was hosting brunch at my house, and that called for a lovely fruit-filled dessert recipe. Adding a homemade cheesecake twist to a Trifle Recipe was brilliant.
Why You Must Make
- A store-bought angel food cake made quick work of the preparation.
- Since this is a no-bake trifle dessert, it’s perfect for hot summer days when you don’t want to turn on the oven as well as holidays when the oven is often filled with turkey and casseroles!
- The presentation is absolutely stunning!!!
- Not exactly health food, but this strawberry trifle is definitely lighter fare than so many other dessert options! You know it’s a hit when the men at the table start inquiring about the ingredients. They do combine beautifully for a delicious party in your mouth with every bite.
How to Make
PRO-Tip: Save this recipe for strawberry season or around the holidays when you can often find some lovely fresh berries.
- Layer berries, then angel food cake.
- Spread the cheesecake layer over the cake.
- Repeat the layer.
- Use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Chill until ready to serve.
Expert Tips:
Since a trifle is made in a special, straight-sided glass bowl, care is needed to make a beautiful presentation. Smears up and down the sides of the container defeat the purpose of using a transparent serving piece.
- Carefully layer the bottom layer. First, place the berries in the center of the bowl, and then move them towards the perimeter to avoid spattering the sides.
- Since the cake pieces don’t leave marks, just layer them, trying to aim for an even top.
- The cheesecake, custard, or pudding layer, depending on your recipe, must be added with care. With fat as an ingredient, it’s hard to clean marks off the bowl without using Windex, which you don’t want to do use around anything edible!
- PRO-Tip: Mindfully add the custard to the center and use an offset spatula or spoon to carefully spread it towards the edges to make an even layer.
- The servings vary on the size of your trifle bowl, but this does feed a crowd. If you don’t have a trifle bowl, any clear container will do. The glorious layers in this strawberry trifle recipe will wow your guests!
Frequently Asked Questions
A trifle is a very forgiving and adaptable layered dessert. Originally from England, trifles were made of sponge cake fingers soaked in sherry and covered with jam, candied or fresh fruit, and custard.
Angel food cake was used in this recipe but trifles are also made with pound cake or ladyfingers.
It’s traditionally served in a footed glass trifle bowl that showcases the beautiful layers.
The first mention of a trifle in a cookbook was in the late 1500s. Gelatin made from the bones of calves’ feet was utilized to make the jelly or jam back in that era.
The cake pieces are often soaked with liquor like sweet sherry, port, Madeira, or whiskey, but I love sprinkling in a liqueur such as Chambord, Amaretto, or Grand Marnier for a less boozy taste. In this recipe, the Amaretto was added to the berries to keep the cake nice and white.
Ditch the angel food cake and use sponge cake or ladyfingers instead.
Jam is an ingredient in a classic English trifle, but I did not use any in this Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle. It is spread on the cake pieces for another delicious element. Feel free to add a jam that coordinates with the flavors in your trifle.
It needs at least 4 hours in the refrigerator so the berry juices can soak into the cake cubes. And it can be made the day before you plan to serve it.
You May Also Like:
- Strawberry Buttermilk Cake from The View from Great Island
- Strawberry Topped Cheesecake
- Mascarpone Cheesecake with Balsamic Strawberries
- Fresh Strawberry Meringue Cake
- Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberry Gelee
- Fudgy Brownie Trifle
- Traditional English Trifle
- More Best Dessert Recipes
Useful Tools:
- Pampered Chef Trifle Bowl
- KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer
- Medium Spatula, Cherry Red
- Small Offset Spatula (affiliate links)
Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle Recipe
A twist on an English trifle featuring angel food cake, fresh strawberries, and a cheesecake filling. Recipe adapted from Country Woman.
Ingredients
Cheesecake layer:
- 16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (to add to cream)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (to add to cream)
Cake layer:
- 1 angel food cake, cut into cubes (I only used half a large bakery angel food cake)
Strawberry layer:
- 2 pounds of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons Amaretto, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar; add sour cream, vanilla, and almond extracts. Set aside.
- In a small deep metal chilled bowl, whip the cream, vanilla, and sugar. Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Set aside.
- Combine strawberries, sugar, and Amaretto. Layer in a large glass trifle pedestal bowl, starting with half the strawberries, then a layer of cake, followed by a layer of the cheesecake filling. Repeat, ending with the filling.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill well before serving.
Notes
Servings will vary depending on the size of your trifle bowl.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 244Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 99mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 3g
77 Comments on “Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle”
I am making this for my daughter’s Birthday tomorrow, my mouth is watering, wish me luck!
Good luck, Kathy! Trifle is very forgiving!!!
How beautiful and delicious, Liz! I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas… Wishing you all a very blessed New Year.
I have been wanting to make a trifle and this totally got me in the mood. It is so beautiful with those precise layers.
I’m in love. I always make my trifle the traditional way with custard but your cheesecake sounds fantastic.
Ripe, delicious berries this time of year is a real treat!
I don’t see the recipe?
Susan,
Thank you for letting me know!There was some sort of glitch and I was finally able to add back the recipe. So sorry for the inconvenience!
This is a beautiful trifle!! My kind of dessert 😀
The first time a friend brought a trifle to a dinner party I know I’d be hooked. That same friend bought me a trifle bowl for Christmas – she knew how excited I would be! I love this strawberry filled version. It’s perfect for holiday festivities!
Lizzy,
Your trifle looks lovely. And I forgot to thank you for the giveaway.
Annamaria
Wow, this is a show stopper. Perfect for all occasions.
This trifle looks so gorgeous and delicious! Can’t wait to get my hands on some strawberries!
This is really a beautiful dessert. I am sure that it would be the hit of any meal. I know that I would love it.
What a great dessert, Liz! It looks very festive for the holiday and has to be delicious! I’m sure it would disappear quickly!
WOW! The Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle looks stunning! I’m a huge fan of strawberries, so I’d die to try it !
This trifle sounds fabulous Liz! I love cheesecake-anything, and adding fresh strawberries sounds like the perfect twist!
This sure will brighten anyone’s day… looks so incredibly delish.
How pretty!
Amazing Christmas treat! Looks very good!
I got sweet strawberries a couple of weeks ago so I think this is a dessert that will be doable when I’ve got guests coming in a couple of weeks. It certainly looks beautiful.
I bet there were gasps of delight from everyone when they saw this beautiful trifle. Then again, I’m sure that happens overtime you have guests! It’s true that right around this time of year you can sometimes find wonderful berries. I wonder why that is?