For the love of dessert

I have to admit, I have a HUGE sweet tooth!  I love dessert!  My hubby....not so much.  There are a few desserts he will have a serving of.  Peach cobbler, banana pudding and my strawberry shortcake trifle.  Since we have yet to feel fall down here (it was 91 degrees yesterday), a strawberry treat sounded good.  So, strawberry shortcake trifle it was!  Hubs was home from the oilfield for the day, so I wanted to surprise him with something that he can't get off of a roach coach or at a corner store.  Sad to say, but that is the "gourmet food" a lot of the guys out there are treated to. 

Years ago, I came across a Paula Deen recipe for strawberry shortcake trifle.  It was 4th of July and the strawberries were picked fresh from Adam's Farm just down the road from Mama's house.  They have the best strawberries.  Don't ask me why...maybe it's the red Georgia clay, or maybe cause they are grown from my hometown!  Either way, they are wonderful!  This dessert has become my go-to 4th of July dessert.

I use Ms. Paula's recipe but tweaked it to our liking.  Either version is good...but I like mine best!  Ha!  Below is how I make it:

• 1 large angel food cake
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons strawberry gelatin
• 1 cup water
• 1 lb container fresh strawberries, cut in quarters (or you can use frozen strawberries, defrosted)

Directions:

Slice cake, using a serrated knife, horizontally into 3 equal layers.

Mix together cream cheese, condensed milk, and whipped topping in a bowl; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin; add water. Cook stirring over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Fold in strawberries.

Let's put it together:

Tear 1 layer of cake into big pieces and lay in a trifle bowl. Top with a layer of strawberry glaze, followed by a layer of cream cheese whipped topping mixture. Repeat layering in this order for remaining cake, glaze and creamy topping. Top cake with a few sliced strawberries.  Refrigerate for a couple hours to let it set. 

This is a picture of the one I made the other night.  It is not my prettiest version but tasted just as good.  I tore my cake pieces too small (I made them bite-sized) and they were weighed down by the custard.

Warning:  This dish is rich and will have you going for seconds.