Happy National Pick Strawberries Day to you! In our region, we typically begin harvesting the local juicy berries around Memorial Day. That is not the case this year, but this day is still a good time to talk about the versatile fruit. We can enjoy them fresh and plain, sliced and added to cereal or salads, made into jam or used in desserts. Over the years I have shared several strawberry recipes and today have combined three sweet treats highlighting this fruit.
A strawberry trifle is light, refreshing and easy to put together. I think this is a good one when you're entertaining in the hot summer months.
Strawberry Trifle
one angel food cake, cut into one inch cubes
instant vanilla pudding mix, 3.4 ounce box
2 cups milk
1 large tub Cool Whip
2 (plus) pounds fresh strawberries
Prepare the angel food cake according to box directions. Allow to cool and then cut into one inch cubes. Set aside.
Wash fresh strawberries and set aside. When completely dry, slice berries.
Mix one box of instant pudding with 2 cups cold milk. Wisk for two minutes and then fold in one large tub (or two small) Cool Whip.
In a deep glass bowl (I inverted my glass cake plate to use the lid as my bowl and rested that in the inverted base), spread about a third of the pudding mixture in the bottom of the bowl. Sprinkle half of the angel food cubes over mixture. Layer half of the sliced strawberries on top. Repeat. Use remaining third of pudding mixture over top of trifle. I used three whole berries as garnishment on top.
Keep well chilled in refrigerator.
Notes: I was concerned that the angel food cake would get "soggy" if I assembled this way ahead of time. I put it together about 6 hours beforehand it was
perfectly fine.
You could add blueberries and raspberries to the strawberries if you wish.
The following two recipes use frozen, not fresh, strawberries so you would need to pick up a bag of them from the grocery. This cake is absolutely delicious! I made it for my husband's birthday a few years back. It is very moist and flavorful.
Strawberry Cake
white cake mix (I used a strawberry cake mix)
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
4 eggs
16 oz. bag frozen strawberries
Thaw strawberries overnight in the refrigerator and puree in the blender. Combine all ingredients in a bowl with mixer and pour batter into two round cake pans. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until done. After it's completely cooled, frost it with Cool Whip and store in the refrigerator.
A friend gave me this bread recipe years ago after she had brought it to a luncheon and I have made it for gatherings since then. Strawberry break is moist and tasty without being overly sweet. It does freeze well.
Strawberry Bread
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries, thawed
1 1/4 c. cooking oil
1 1/4 c. pecans
4 eggs, well beaten
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Mix strawberries with oil, pecans and eggs; pour into well. Slowly and thoroughly mix with flour mixture. Put in two well-greased loaf pans or 6 mini loaf pans. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until bread springs back when touched in center. (My baking time was less.)
If interested, you are able to print all three of these recipe here. Please note that when you are taken to the recipe from these links which appear in the blog, you can scroll to the bottom of that page and you will see "print page" in mouse print. By clicking that, only the recipes will print and not the list which appears along the left side.
Have a berry nice day! 🍓
