Strawberry Shortcake Cups
Strawberry shortcake cups are fruity, fun, and perfect for summertime! You only need three simple and affordable ingredients to assemble these adorable pound cake cups: Sara Lee® All Butter Pound Cake, strawberries, and Cool Whip!
This mini strawberry shortcake recipe is great to serve at backyard barbecues, pool parties, and everything else that’s fun under the sun! When strawberries are in season by the basketful, I love making my Strawberry Lemonade or Frozen Strawberry Margarita as a refreshing drink to sip alongside this strawberry trifle recipe with pound cake.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Cool Whip Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
- No-Bake. Strawberry shortcake dessert cups are the perfect no-bake dessert to keep you, and your kitchen, cool all summer.
- Three Ingredients. You only need three store-bought ingredients to make these cute trifle cups! Hello, budget-friendly!
- Individual Servings. Who doesn’t love their own individual strawberry shortcake in an adorable cup? Make this strawberry shortcake for a crowd in any sized cup or jar.
- Easy Clean-up. No baking or mixing means more summertime sun and fewer dishes.
Strawberry Shortcake in a Cup Ingredients
Strawberry shortcake with pound cake uses just three ingredients:
- Sara Lee® All Butter Pound Cake: Found in the frozen section of your local grocery store. A store-bought base keeps these cake cups no-bake.
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries, chopped.
- Cool Whip: The perfect fluffy and sweet layer. Usually found in the frozen section near pound cake or pie crusts.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Cake: You can swap the pound cake for angel food cake or any other white or yellow cake if you’d like. However, I like the soft, buttery, yet sturdy consistency of the pound cake the best for these strawberry dessert cups.
- Whipped Cream: If you have heavy whipping cream on hand, beat with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Whipped cream won’t be sweet like Cool Whip, but can be sweetened with powdered sugar before whipping.
- Blueberries: When blueberries are in season, these are a fun swap to make blueberry shortcake cups.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Cups
Strawberry shortcake dessert comes together quickly and it’s easy to involve the family in assembly! Little hands love dolloping Cool Whip into cake parfait cups.
Here’s how to make it:
- Prepare. Slice the pound cake and place it on a microwaveable plate. Microwave the slices for about 30 seconds.
- Cut. Chop or slice your fresh strawberries and cut the pound cake slices into cubes.
- Layer. Layer the cups with pound cake, Cool Whip, and strawberries, then repeat! I like to make two layers and top with a final swirl of Cool Whip.
- Enjoy. Serve this colorful dessert for a celebration or just because it’s summer!
Expert Tips
- Use Fresh Strawberries. Use fresh, not frozen strawberries! Even when they’re thawed, frozen strawberries won’t have the same juicy, fresh consistency that berries straight from the carton do.
- Adjust Fruit Prep. Cut, slice, or dice strawberries to fit best in your serving container. Dice small for strawberry shortcake mini cups or cut thick slices for large strawberry shortcake jars or to assemble in a large trifle dish.
- Start with a Cake Layer. You can layer Sara Lee® pound cake trifle however you’d like, but I recommend keeping the pound cake on the bottom layer! That way, it can absorb any of the strawberry juices that gather at the bottom of the cup.
- Pipe Cool Whip. Put Cool Whip in a ziploc bag and cut one corner off to easily fill jars with Cool Whip. This keeps the sides of the glass clean. If you’re feeling extra fancy, use a piping bag with or without a decorating tip.
- Make and the Serve Same Day. Strawberry shortcake cups are best enjoyed within the first 12 hours of making them but will stay good for up to 24 hours. Make sure to keep them in the fridge and cover them tightly with plastic wrap.
Recipe Variations
Change things up with one of these variations:
- Chocolate: Drizzle the top with chocolate syrup or sprinkle in mini white chocolate chips between layers.
- Fruit: Add in blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or whatever is in season! I love including blueberries to make red, white, and blue cups!
- Colorful Cream: Stir a few drops of food coloring into Cool Whip topping to make colorful cups to match any sports team’s colors or party theme.
- Sprinkles: Like food coloring, sprinkles add in festive color to match any party or tie together multiple desserts on a dessert bar.
What to Serve with Strawberry Cake Cups
This strawberry shortcake cup recipe is just fancy enough to serve at your summertime gatherings, and everyone always loves them! Kids, grandparents, and friends of all ages can’t ever seem to get enough of strawberry trifle with pound cake. Serve on a hot afternoon by the pool or as a refreshing dessert after a dinner of Easy Sloppy Joes and Waffle Fries in the Air Fryer.
There are so many ways you can assemble these dessert cups for strawberry shortcake. Make strawberry shortcake parfaits in glass, plastic, or disposable containers of any size. I love using 8-ounce glass jars or stemless wine glasses. Mini strawberry shortcake pairs beautifully alongside No-Bake Cake Batter Truffles or No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars for a dessert spread that’s 100% no-bake.
Storage Directions
- Store. Leftovers keep covered in plastic wrap for 12-24 hours in the refrigerator. Strawberry shortcake in a jar stores easily by just adding the lid.
- Freeze. This recipe is best made and served on the same day. Freezing assembled cups will change the consistency of the berries and cake.
Recipe FAQ
Strawberry shortcake bread cups are made of layers of three simple ingredients: pound cake, Cool Whip, and strawberries. Cake cups for strawberry shortcake can have additional fruits added or be topped with a chocolate drizzle.
Strawberry shortcake is best served the same day it is layered together. Pound cake and Cool Whip store in the freezer for up to 6 months, so you can keep these ingredients on hand to enjoy strawberry shortcake anytime. Bonus, make just one or two servings by pulling out just what you need and then freezing the remaining cake and Cool Whip.
The name “shortcake” comes from “short” which is a cooking term meaning made crumbly with fat or shortening or referring to a baked good with fat cut into the flour. Pound cake gets its delicious melt-in-your-mouth flavor from butter, a type of shortening. While some may think strawberry shortcake gets its name because of its height, “short” is really about the rich buttery flavor.
More Strawberry Recipes
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Strawberry Shortcake Trifle Cups
Ingredients
- 1 Sara Lee® All Butter Pound Cake
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
- 2 tubs Cool Whip topping
Instructions
- Slice pound cake and place on a microwavable plate. Microwave slices for 30 seconds.
- Chop fresh strawberries.
- Cut pound cake slices into cubes.
- Layer with pound cake, cool whip, strawberries, pound cake and top with more cool whip topped with some chopped strawberries.
Notes
- Use Fresh Strawberries. Use fresh, not frozen strawberries! Even when they’re thawed, frozen strawberries won’t have the same juicy, fresh consistency that berries straight from the carton do.
- Adjust Fruit Prep. Cut, slice, or dice strawberries to fit best in your serving container. Dice small for strawberry shortcake mini cups or cut thick slices for large strawberry shortcake jars or to assemble in a large trifle dish.
- Start with a Cake Layer. You can layer Sara Lee® pound cake trifle however you’d like, but I recommend keeping the pound cake on the bottom layer! That way, it can absorb any of the strawberry juices that gather at the bottom of the cup.
- Pipe Cool Whip. Put Cool Whip in a ziploc bag and cut one corner off to easily fill jars with Cool Whip. This keeps the sides of the glass clean. If you’re feeling extra fancy, use a piping bag with or without a decorating tip.
- Make and the Serve Same Day. Strawberry shortcake cups are best enjoyed within the first 12 hours of making them but will stay good for up to 24 hours. Make sure to keep them in the fridge and cover them tightly with plastic wrap.
- Store. Leftovers keep covered in plastic wrap for 12-24 hours in the refrigerator. Strawberry shortcake in a jar stores easily by just adding the lid.
- Freeze. This recipe is best made and served on the same day. Freezing assembled cups will change the consistency of the berries and cake.
More No Bake Desserts
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