Mini Strawberry Shortcake Trifles from Scratch

Have you ever visited a local farm to pick your own produce? Our family made a trip to a local strawberry farm last weekend to do just that. The boys faces said it all – they couldn’t be more excited! Needless to say, we came home with a huge bundle of strawberries. So, I decided to whip up these fun mini trifles with homemade donut cakes that I found on kevinandamanda.com.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Donut Cake Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (not to be mistaken for baking soda)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Start by beating 1.5 sticks softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar for 3-5 minutes. You want it to be light in color and very fluffy.
2. Add two eggs, one at a time, until well mixed in.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.
4. Next, you’ll want to alternate mixing in wet and dry ingredients….Start by adding a little less than a cup of the flour mixture and stir on low speed until just combined.
5. Pour in 1/3 of the milk and stir again. Continue alternating mixing wet and dry ingredients, ending with the dry.
6. Spray a muffin tin (this batch will make 12) with a generous amount of cooking spray. Then scoop the batter into each muffin tin.
7. Bake at 350 for 14-15 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

They will come out a beautiful light color and then we’re onto the fun part! Browning the butter then dipping the donut cakes in. Oh yea! 

Brown butter delivers and even more buttery taste – it’s simply delicious. Grab an additional stick of softened butter and melt in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s melted it will start to bubble. Wait for it to foam then begin whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes. Eventually you will see some brown flecks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl, stir together a cup of sugar and tablespoon of cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar.

Dunk each donut cake into the brown butter then roll it around in the cinnamon sugar. Yummm!

How to make Strawberry Shortcake Trifles

Place each donut cake back on the cooling rack. Now we’re ready to combine these with the strawberries and homemade whipped cream to create the most delicious strawberry shortcake trifles ever!

First, let me share a quick trick with you on how to remove the strawberry stems….Using any straw you have handy, push it through the end of the strawberry, lining it up perfectly with the green stem and push through. Now you’re ready to cut the strawberries lengthwise into 4-5 slices.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, place 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 3 tablespoons of the sugar and the 1 tsp vanilla, and beat until stiff peaks form.

Assembling the Trifles

1. Beginning with the donut cakes, cut the cake into equal pieces (approx 8-10 pieces) and place 4 pieces at the bottom of the mini trifle dish.
2. Next, add slices of strawberries and a few tablespoons of whipped cream.
3. Repeat layers; top each with a single cut strawberry and crumbled donut cakes pieces.
4. Store trifles in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

These are the most amazing strawberry shortcake trifles my family has ever had! Trust me – this recipe is the bomb! Don’t forget strawberry season is from April to August so dig in now!

And let me know how you like the recipe! 🙂