Strawberry Lemon Trifle with Angel Food Cake

strawberry trifle layered with lemon mousse and angel food cake in glass trifle bowl.

Strawberry Lemon Trifle with Angel Food Cake

This StrawberryLemon Trifle with Angel Food Cake is a light and creamy dessert that's sure to impress at your next gathering. With layers of soft angel food cake, tangy lemon mousse, fresh strawberries, and fluffy whipped cream, it's a dreamy treat that's surprisingly easy to make.

Course All Desserts

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 35

Additional Time 1

Total Time 2 20

Servings servings

Calories 402

Author Alyssa--In Fine Taste

Ingredients

1 large angel food cake (can use cake mix, store bought, or homemade)
2 pounds fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Lemon Curd

You can substitute homemade lemon curd with 1 ½ cups of store bought lemon curd
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar (200 grams)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 medium lemons or 2 ½ large lemons)
1 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter (28 grams) room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon zest packed (zest of 3 large lemons)

Lemon Mousse

1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 batch homemade lemon curd (recipe above) Or 1 ½ cups store bought lemon curd

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Angel Food Cake. Bake the angel food cake according to the cake mix instructions. Use a tube pan or 2 loaf pans—cool upside down to prevent it from collapsing as it cools. Cool completely before using in strawberry lemon trifle. Or you can use your own favorite angel food cake recipe or purchase one from the store.
Lemon Curd. If using store bought lemon curd you can skip to step 5. To prepare the lemon curd, whisk together egg, egg yolks, and sugar for 2 minutes in a heat-safe bowl until the mixture is pale yellow. Whisk in the cornstarch and salt until smooth—there should be no lumps.
Whisk in lemon juice, water, and lemon zest. Place the heat-safe bowl over a pot of simmering water, make sure the water does not touch the bowl. Whisk the mixture for 7 minutes, scraping down the sides every 30 seconds or so. The color should deepen and the mixture will thicken.
Stir in the butter until melted and fully incorporated. Remove the lemon curd from heat and continue mixing for 1 additional minute. pour into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Lemon Mousse. Once the lemon curd is cool, prepare the lemon mousse by beating 1 cup of cream together with ¼ cup powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream and lemon curd together until there are no streaks.
Prepare Strawberries. Wash, dry, and remove the stems of 1 pound of strawberries, Dice and mix with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Slice the remaining pound of strawberries lengthwise, keeping the two separate.
Whip Cream. Whip 1 cup of heavy cream with powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. This will be for the topping.
Assemble Trifle. Slice the angel food cake (or tear using your hands) into small, bite-sized cubes. Take a large, clear, trifle bowl a layer half of the angel food cake along the bottom of the bowl. Top with all of the lemon mousse. Arrange half of the sliced strawberries along the outer rim of the lemon mousse, pressing up
Layer the remaining angel food cake pieces overtop of the strawberries, followed by the all of the whipped cream. Top with the remaining sliced strawberries. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours before serving.

Notes

Storage. The trifle will stay good for several days, however, the texture will continue to get softer over time. Store covered in the refrigerator.

What if I don’t have a trifle dish? No problem! There are several alternatives you can use if you don’t have a glass trifle bowl. You can use cups, bowls, or jars for individual portions (see section above for more ideas and tips). You can also use a large glass bowl, even a mixing bowl will work, and layer it in the bowl. Alternatively, a deep 9x13 inch casserole dish works great too!

Make it red, white, and blue. We often serve this strawberry lemon trifle at BBQs for Memorial Day or the 4^th of July! To make it more festive we’ll use a combination of strawberries and blueberries to make it red, white and blue.

Nutrition