Now that summer is on its way, the cravings for fresh, light desserts are also on the rise. We all go to many a BBQ during the summer, and it’s always great to have a few easy, quick (and delicious) dessert recipes on hand.

I recently found a tasty recipe for a Strawberry and Cream trifle, courtesy of Wendy Paul (you should totally check out her website– I spent lots of time looking at all the fantastic recipes). Wendy’s book, 101 Gourmet No-Bake Desserts in a Jar—is packed full of yummy creations just perfect for the summer season. I am happy to share with you her Strawberry and Cream Trifle recipe, which I made for a Memorial Day cook-out.

Ingredients:

4 cups strawberries, rinsed (about 2 cartons)

1 quart heavy whipping cream

1 Angel Food cake

1 Tablespoon sugar     (I only used ¾ T because my berries were so sweet)

2 cups confectioner’s sugar   (again I only used 1 ½ c due to the sweetness of the berries)

Step 1:

Mash 1 cup of strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of sugar on top, mix and refrigerate.

 Step 2:

Whip the cream in a mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold in 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar.

Step 3:

Scoop half of the cream mixture into a separate bowl. Add the mashed strawberries and mix until incorporated.

 It was a challenge not to eat this whole thing by itself.

Step 4:

Slice up 3 cups of strawberries and add to a bowl. If you would like, sprinkle with a little sugar/toss.

Step 5:

Cut up the angel food cake into 1 inch cubes. I used ¾ of an angel food cake I found at the food store [yes, we New Yorkers call it food store, not grocery store :) ].

Step 6:

Begin to layer the trifle as follows:

Layer 1: angel food cake,

Layer 2: strawberry cream,

Layer 3: sliced strawberries,

Layer 4: plain whipped cream,

I repeated the layers a second time. Top the final whipped cream layer with a strawberry design of your liking.

Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. I had ¼ of the angel food cake leftover, in addition to some strawberries, and a small tupperware of the plain whipped cream. A nice little snack for the next night!

People commented on how pretty the dessert was, and there was just a meager scoop left over at the end of the night!