Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Why would Mindy post a chocolate dessert recipe if she gave up chocolate desserts for lent? Because I like to torture myself and test my willpower, that’s why, LOL! No really, I wanted to make my god-daughter Karina a strawberry shortcake trifle for her 2nd birthday party. When her mother (my cousin & best friend) was little, she loved strawberry shortcake. The dessert, the ice cream bar, the cartoon, she even dressed up as Miss Shortcake for Halloween! I thought it would be a cute and sentimental treat to bring to her daughter’s party.
Plus, I was DYING for this trifle bowl because it had a lid, and I loved the shape of it. I registered at Bed Bath and Beyond and loved all of the Luigi Burmioli products. I couldn’t wait to use it.
I had all good intentions to use pound cake or even angel food cake. I was too lazy to run to the store thought I’d be creative, and decided to use a brownie mix I already had.
I prepared the brownies using one less egg than the directions on the box instructed (yes, a boxed brownie mix. I didn’t have all day to bake these babies from scratch!). The less egg in a batter, the more fudge-like and chewy the brownies will be.
If you want to make this more waistline-friendly, you can prepare the brownies using applesauce instead of oil and use fat free or sugarfree coolwhip 😉 .
**random side note**
My mom was over our house that night and she loooves the edges and corners of brownies, so we ended up with this…
I think I know what I’m getting her for her upcoming birthday…. (Mom, if you’re reading this, scroll down quickly)
That pan makes only edges an corners! We are hardcore brownies people in mi famiglia.
I digress…
I let the brownies cool completely, then I crumbled them up. This will make it much easier than brownie squares to scoop out when serving.
I put some crumbs in the bottom of the trifle bowl as my first layer.
Next, I spread a layer of whipped cream on top of the brownie crumbs. This part can get messy . If it smears on the bowl, the presentation is not pretty at all (I learned this when I made it). Start in the center and spread to the sides gently.
I sliced up some strawberries and placed them on top of the whipped cream.
Repeat the layers until you reach the top of the bowl.
This was the first trifle I’ve ever made, so it wasn’t the prettiest thing, but it disappeared at the party.
Karina ate some Dora The Explorer cake instead of my dessert I guess I can see the appeal :)…
She had a nice time opening gifts after the cake.
This guy kicked back after all that cake to watch the wrapping paper fly!
Dessert wears me out too. It’s tough being a kid! LOL!
Well, there ya have it. My strawberry & brownie trifle recipe and some gratuitous proud auntie pictures of my favorite girl!
What kind of trifles have you made that were a hit? I want some new ideas!
Okay that looks super yummy AND easy. My kind of recipie!
Me too! I’m all about the “throw everything into one bowl and see what happens” recipes! LOL
xo
Mindy
ZOMG that sounds soooo good. Well done on improvising with the brownies! I think I’d like that even better than shortcake/poundcake or even angel food cake. You’re killing me *sips coffee faster and pretends it’s made of chocolate*
I heard it was better than angel food cake. I wanted to test it out, but I’ll have to wait until after Easter! Waaaah!
xo
Mindy
It was delish!! You definitely need to make this again!
Ohh that looks so good!
Any chocolate looks good to me! Now that I gave it up more than ever!!!
oh i love strawberry shortcake!!! I was her for halloween every year when I was younger!
and of course, love the layered cake….lucky birthday girl!
I was a Fraggle girl, but Shortcake was so cute! I had her doll & she smelled like strawberries!
I could go for some of that trifle NOW!!!!! p.s. I scrolled fast…
Comedy!
I love strawberry shortcake too!! And I love seeing the original, it reminds me of when I was a kid! My daughters love the new shortcake gal and I’m sure they would love this dessert! I too have a trifle bowl in need of use.
Great Post!!:)
She’s so cute 🙂 Thanks! Let me know when you use the trifle bowl! Those desserts can be so beautiful.
xo
Mindy
yummmmm!!! I take strawberry and chocolate any time and i also love the little kid lounge chair, looks very comfy!
I love the chocolate starwberry combo too. That little boy was hysterical! He was totally sprawled out lounging watching his cousin have at the gifts. He’s such a little man.
Banana pudding, sliced bananas and nilla wafers with a bit of cool whip on top!
Yum!
YUM!
I was about to say, wow, those kids have a rough life!
Um, girl, you have some major willpower! I would have had to make two of those trifles, it looks amazing! I’ve never made one before 🙁
It was my first. It was easy. The hardest part was not smudging the cream. You can do it Tiffany!
Oh yum, thanks for sharing! Karina’s so pretty with rosy cheeks 🙂
Try tiramisu, its pretty much just layering like your trifle (i think you can use brownies too) and its a sure crowd pleaser… 😉
http://tienunscripted.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/tiramisu/
YUM! Thanks for the recipe Tien.
xo
Mindy
Mindy that looks so delish, chocolate, whip cream and strawberries. How can you go wrong. I’ve never tackled a triffle before, I think I would just start munching away at the ingredients and have no fruit left. I guess I would then have to make a cake and cream triffle?
HaHaHa! Just make 2! 1 for them & 1 for you!
Mindy I am so proud of youand to say your my neice and what a beautiful job you job you do from cooking baking and decorating I LOVE YOU…
Thanks Tee! I love you too.
xo
I’ve made this trifle before, and people who claimed to not like whipped cream even raved about it!
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/creamy-layered-fruit-sensation-90571.aspx
Hungry now.
YAY! A healthified recipe! This sounds like the perfect summer treat! Bring on the warm weather!! Thanks for your input, Krista!
xo
Mindy