Angel Cake Strawberry Shortcake in Cups

These strawberry shortcakes in jars give you all the flavor of the traditional dessert with alternating layers of juicy strawberries, and a mixture of angel food cake, cream cheese and Cool Whip topping.

The cake pieces are stirred right in to the creamy ingredients so you get one big fluffy mixture to layer with the fruit. It’s a festive twist and the individual servings make it perfect for parties.

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The color lends itself to red themed holidays and occasions like 4th of July, Valentines day, and Christmas. But also, mini desserts are fantastic for special occasions like baby showers, bridal showers and birthdays. Individual jars look great on a dessert table for ladies luncheons, a Mother’s Day brunch, and tea parties.

RELATED: If you like mini trifles in jars, you’ll also love these black & white mini parfaits and these banana pudding mini cups.

Ingredient Notes

• Angel Food Cake. Get a prepared cake from the bakery department of any grocery store. Angel food cake holds up well next to the other ingredients so you can feel good about making it ahead. You can substitute with pound cake or sponge cake too.
• Fresh strawberries. Dice them into small bite size pieces. Strawberries do not continue to ripen once they’re picked so choose the best looking berries you can. 
• Cool Whip. Use frozen whipped topping and let it thaw so it’s easy to work with. I don’t recommend using real whipped cream for this. You need the stability that the whipped topping offers. 
• Cream Cheese. Use a block of cream cheese (use 1/3 less fat if you like) and let it soften at room temperature or in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds. It needs to be easy to stir, but not warm.
• Garnish. White chocolate shavings and fresh mint leaves.

Step-By-Step Photos

The first thing you need to do is wash and dry the strawberries. Then remove stems and dice them into small cubes. Macerate the strawberries the day before you need them so you have plenty of time for the juice to develop.

Macerate is just a fancy word for softening fruit in liquid. The sugar draws out the natural juices making the strawberries softer and creating a light sweet syrup.

Add Sugar to Berries

Place strawberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle granulated sugar on top. Give them a good stir and cover and refrigerate for AT LEAST 2 hours. Overnight is best.

Combine Creamy Layer

Cut the angel food cake into 1-inch cubes and set aside.

Use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Once it’s mixed, stir in the whipped topping. Once you have the creamy mixture, carefully fold in the cake pieces.

Assemble Dessert

In each jar, layer creamy cake filling, strawberries with juice, and another layer of cake filling. Top with strawberries and juice.

Garnish with mint and white chocolate shavings.

PARTY TIP: Place mini trifles on a tray or sheet pan, cover with foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Place a towel on the tray if needed to keep the jars from sliding around while transferring them to the table.

Helpful Tips

• I like to top these with white chocolate shavings. Use a vegetable peeler to scrape across a bar of chocolate and get the shavings.
• This recipe is made for individual servings, but you can easily make one large trifle using a larger bowl.
• You can add a little strawberry ice cream syrup topping, in a pinch, if you don’t have time to macerate the strawberries.
• Chocolate cake would be a nice alternative to try, however I wouldn’t mix the cake into the cream cheese mixture. I would simply make 3 layers alternating the cubed cake, the creamy filling, and the strawberries.

Make-Ahead

• Make them up to 12 hours ahead for best results, however leftovers can be enjoyed for about 3 days.
• The creamy filling keeps the cake from drying out. It’s also thick enough that it provides a barrier so the strawberry juice won’t make it soggy. To store, cover them with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate.

How to Serve Individual Trifles

You need 12 mini dessert cups that hold 4 to 6 ounces each. I used these 5-ounce jars that are actually upcycled from a brand of yogurt. Small 4-ounce mason jars also work great for layered trifles.

You can also use pretty tea cups for a ladies tea party or luncheon. No need to alternate layers since the cups aren’t made of glass.

Serve them with cute little dessert or demitasse spoons.

You can serve these in coupe glasses for a dinner party. For this you don’t need to create layers, just add the creamy cake mixture on the bottom and top with the macerated strawberries. Small compotes can also be used.

Small stemless wine glasses can also be use to hold the trifles.

More Strawberry Recipes

Incorporate this build-your-own strawberry shortcakes bar for a larger gathering, and let guests do the work themselves. It’s fun and interactive. Or this red, white and blue trifle is everyone’s favorite for 4th of July and summer parties.

Bite-size stuffed strawberries are great for brunch, showers, ladies luncheons, and tea parties. Or, if you’d rather cook with berries, try this mixed berry galette for a warm dessert.

The macerated strawberry topping is something I grew up eating every summer. We would always cut up fresh strawberries and sprinkle sugar on top. Then we would mix it up and let it sit for a while, and voilà! Just like magic, a delicious light syrup would appear after a few hours.