Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Quick Strawberry Chocolate Dessert Trifle Recipe
When I was a little girl, my parents used to make a trifle dessert that I always looked forward to devouring. I definitely had a sweet tooth at a very young age! I suppose that is what lead me to make cakes for extra money when I was a full-time teacher.
The ingredients for the trifle
My beautiful cake creations (I made them for brides, retirees and more) helped my husband and I out financially, especially when I was paying off all my student loans.
I love this strawberry slicer!
While I still make cakes, they are merely created for fun now, and I still love to spread my joy of making desserts with anyone who is interested. There’s something about a great homemade dessert that happily brings people together.
See me make the trifle in a 1 minute YouTube video tutorial below:
This trifle in particular reminded me of a scene in the show FRIENDS when the character Rachael made a trifle with meat for Thanksgiving. My recipe does not contain meat….lol…but it will happily bring FRIENDS together. See that scene on YouTube by clicking here.
This short video shows my recipe for a delicious pumpkin pie that I make every year for Thanksgiving gatherings. Watch it below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
What the whipping cream looks like after being whipped for 5 minutes
This strawberry chocolate trifle dessert was shared with many over the years, as my parents were often asked to make it for family holiday gatherings and parties.
How the first two layers of the trifle look
Though my parents divorced and a lot of of joy exited our lives during that stressful time, I turned to creating food creations to help ease the pain. Creating and sharing delicious food can bring joy back to your life and spread the joy to others as well.
We were fortunate to have a kitchen after Hurricane Ian hit Sanibel Island
Going through Hurricane Ian in 2022 was another hard and stressful time in my life, and once again, I turned to creating lots of things to help ease the pain.
The top of the strawberry chocolate trifle
During a particularly hard moment in hurricane recovery, I remembered this chocolate strawberry dessert trifle. I suppose my soul was craving something familiar that could help make me smile again. After a phone call to my mom, together we were able to remember this recipe and its contents.
An easy dessert recipe idea!
We have no idea where it originally came from, but we know that over the years it has always reignited joy in our hearts and we hope it does the same for you.
A trifle dessert serving in our vintage Fire King dishes
What I love about this recipe is that it is actually delicious, QUICK and EASY. So many dessert recipes I’ve tried making have claimed to be delicious, quick and easy, but then they are not. This trifle requires no cooking and comes together fast. It serves a lot, making it a great choice for large gatherings of people. You may even want to create a second one, as it will go fast once people start eating it. It’s that good.
This trifle is a great holiday dessert recipe idea!
You can alter this recipe with adding different fruits. Banana slices instead of strawberries and chocolate chips would turn this into a delicious banana pudding! Or you could try adding blueberries. Mango and kiwi would make it very tropical.
This trifle dessert recipe is one of my favorites!
No Bake Quick Strawberry Chocolate Dessert Trifle Recipe
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Time to Put This Recipe Creation Together: < 20 minutes
Suggested kitchen tools: standing mixer or hand mixer, large mixing bowl, trifle bowl, spatula, knife or strawberry slicing tool
Quick Strawberry Chocolate Dessert Trifle Recipe:
16 oz. strawberries, stem removed and sliced
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
9 oz. box of vanilla wafers
1-pint heavy whipping cream
3.5 oz. box of instant vanilla pudding
Directions:
Rinse and slice the strawberries, making sure to remove the green stem first. Set aside.
Place the heavy whipping cream into a large mixing bowl and whip (using a stand mixer or a hand mixer) on high speed for 5 minutes, or until it is thick and peaks form.
Gently fold in the box of instant pudding (do not make it into a pudding first….only add the mix to the whipping cream), gently stirring until combined.
Add the can of sweetened condensed milk.
Use the mixer to combine it with the whipping cream and pudding mixture on a low setting until it is smooth.
Place a layer of the pudding mixture into the bottom of the trifle bowl.
Top with a single layer of vanilla wafers, strawberry slices and chocolate chips.
Spoon another layer of pudding mixture on top and use a spatula to smooth it out flat.
Add another layer of vanilla wafers, strawberry slices and chocolate chips.
Keep layering until all the pudding is used. You should end up with about 8 layers (4 layers of pudding, 4 layers of wafers/chocolate chips/strawberries).
Keep it covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve!
Quick tip: This is best when kept in the fridge overnight and eaten the next day. The pudding softens the vanilla wafers to be almost cake-like, the strawberry slices and chocolate chips give the pudding a delicious flavor. It also tastes great eaten right away too though.
Tips and Tricks:
You can alter this recipe by adding different fruits or cookies. Banana slices instead of strawberries and chocolate chips would turn this into a delicious banana pudding!
You can try dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for a new flavor twist too!
I’d eat the pudding within the first few days of making it as fresh strawberries go bad quickly.
This would make a great crowd dessert for special events like weddings, birthdays, holiday events and more!
If you are concerned about health/food safety and want to make these as individual servings, it will work! Create mini versions by using small glass jars or disposable dessert cups.
If you loved this article, we know you will love this one too: Easy Simmering Potpourri Recipe and Gift Idea
Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.