Strawberry Shortcake Cups are as beautiful as they are delicious. These tiny trifles are such a fun and tasty way to enjoy summer! With a delicious mix of fresh strawberries, chocolate, cream, and pound cake, they’re pint-sized perfection!
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Deconstructed Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberries are my very favorite warm-weather treat. Strawberries on their own, strawberries in chocolate, strawberry bruschetta, strawberry basil cocktails… the list is endless! And strawberry shortcake is at the very top of my list.
Strawberry Shortcake Cups are individual trifles that make everyone at the party feel special, and they’re the perfect amount of dessert.
Why You’ll Love these Individual Strawberry Shortcake Cups:
- INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS: They’re served in cups, perfect to dish out at summer parties, and BBQs. It’s one of my favorite 4th of July recipes too!
- PORTION CONTROL: Strawberry Shortcake Cups are perfect for times when you don’t want a lot.
- DELICIOUS: Who wouldn’t love a delicious mix of strawberries, cream, and chocolate, with a creamy chocolate ganache, all topped with sweet, glazed strawberries?
If you’re looking for more strawberry desserts, try these Strawberry Cupcakes and this beautiful Strawberry Shortcake Pie.
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The Secret Ingredient
The secret ingredient? White chocolate. Each piece of shortcake is dipped in white chocolate ganache, and the whipped cream filling is mixed with melted white chocolate. Decadent. Sinful. Made for spring and summer BBQs!
Ingredients
- Pound cake – Cubed into bite-sized chunks–buy a pre-packaged cake for effortless serving.
- Cream cheese – Low-fat works great, especially if you’re paying attention to calories.
- White chocolate – It’s that secret ingredient mentioned above, and we use it for melting and dipping!
- Strawberries – Fresh, washed, and cut into pieces. Strawberries come into season in early June but are often available year-round at grocery stores.
- Sugar – You’ll need both powdered and granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract – You can substitute vanilla bean paste if you like.
- Strawberry glaze – Go for regular or sugar-free glaze.
- Heavy cream— For the ganache
- Whipped topping – You can whip cream into medium/firm peaks if you prefer.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Cups
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- For the filling, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, melted chocolate, and vanilla. Fold in whipped topping.
- For the glaze, macerate the berries with sugar, let stand a few minutes and mix in the glaze.
- For the ganache, heat the cream and mix in chopped chocolate until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- To assemble, place the filling in the bottom of small glasses, followed by glazed berries and then the diced shortcake (dipped in ganache). Add the berries, another layer of filling, and a spoonful of glaze.
Can You Use Frozen Strawberries?
No. Frozen berries are too soggy for this recipe and the flavor isn’t nearly as good.
This recipe calls for macerating the strawberries. That simply means to slice the berries and let stand a few minutes for the juices to form a light sauce.
What Size of Cup Should You Use?
For these individual strawberry shortcake cups, you can use 8-oz glass jars. But you can use any size jar you have on hand!
You can also layer this dessert in wine glasses for an elegant touch. If you’re serving a crowd, look for disposable plastic cups in grocery and party supply stores. There are often multiple sizes available, so you can get exactly what you need.
Can You Use a Different Type of Cake?
Yes! Most trifles use pound cake, but you can also use Angel food cake, yellow cake, or even shortbread cookies.
A Great Party Dessert
Creating this delicious dessert makes me so excited for summer. Sunshine, BBQs, and Memorial Day parties will be here before we know it!
These Strawberry Shortcake Cups look so colorful and fresh, especially in their individual cups. These single servings are great for backyard dinners and BBQs.
Check Out These Other Delicious Desserts
- French Silk Pie
- Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie
- Chocolate Sheet Cake Skillet
- Easy Angel Food Cake
- Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Strawberry Lemonade Pie
- Easy Summer Dessert Recipes
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Strawberry Shortcake Cups
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Ingredients
- 6 ounces low-fat cream cheese 170 grams, room temperature (¾ brick)
- 1½ cups powdered sugar 170 grams
- 4 ounces white chocolate 113 grams, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams (or 1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste)
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping 227 grams (1 tub), thawed, such as Cool Whip
- 2 pints fresh strawberries 907 grams, washed and sliced into small pieces
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- 4 ounces strawberry glaze 113 grams, sugar-free or regular, such as Marzetti
- 2 ounces heavy cream 57 grams
- 4 ounces white chocolate 113 grams, cut into small pieces
- 32 ounces pound cake 907 grams, cubed (from 2 16-ounce loaves)
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
For the Filling
- Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and smooth, about 2 minutes.6 ounces low-fat cream cheese
- Add the powdered sugar, melted chocolate, and vanilla, and mix until combined.1½ cups powdered sugar, 4 ounces white chocolate, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Fold in the whipped topping and set aside.8 ounces frozen whipped topping
- For the Glaze
- Macerate the strawberries by adding granulated sugar, stirring, and letting stand for at least 3-4 minutes.2 pints fresh strawberries, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add the strawberry glaze and mix well; set aside.4 ounces strawberry glaze
For the Ganache
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan set over medium heat until simmering, about 5 minutes.2 ounces heavy cream
- Remove from the heat and pour over the chopped white chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted, about 1 minute.4 ounces white chocolate
- Allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Make sure it is cooled to room temperature before proceeding. If the mixture is too hot it will soak into the cake layer.
For Assembly
- Place a large spoonful of the filling into the bottom of a cup.
- Using a slotted spoon, top with a large spoonful of the strawberry glaze mixture.
- Dip 6-8 cubes of pound cake into the ganache and place on top of the strawberries. The ganache will keep the cake from getting soggy from the glaze mixture.32 ounces pound cake
- Top with another large spoonful of the filling.
- Finish the trifle with another heaping spoonful of the strawberry glaze mixture.
- Repeat with the remaining cups. Makes about 6 individual cups
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Don’t use frozen strawberries in this recipe. They’re too soggy and the flavor isn’t as good!
- Make sure to let the ganache cool to room temp before using.
- You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Get creative with the cups you use for this recipe. Use small mason jars, juice glasses, wine glasses, or disposable clear plastic cups.
- The pound cake will begin to turn soggy after just a few hours, so I recommend enjoying these on the day they are made.
Nutrition Information
This recipe is soooo good its addicting. I’ve made it several times already. It’s a go to dessert in our house 😊 thanks for sharing!
Love to hear it!
Can you use dark chocolate instead of the white?
Absolutely!
Hi – I will be making this for a graduation party for my daughter. I plan to have all of the ingredients ‘ready’ and assemble them a few hours before the party. My question is, can I dip the cake in the ganache and let it dry on a baking sheet (hen cover after dried) a day before – then assemble everything the day of? Or do you recommend doing this part the day of?
Best with those ingredients to do it day of!
These were delicious & gone in no time! I made twelve 8 oz jars. The only real trouble I had was keeping the ganache at the perfect consistency for dipping my poundcake cubes. No matter the trouble … I’d make these again in the future! TY for sharing!
Looks amazing!!
Would you recommend this being in a larger trifle?
If needed!
Can you freeze the leftover filling for use later???
I have not tried that, but let us know how it goes!
Hi! What size jars do you use for your above recipe? I have 8 oz. TY!
That should work!
I only had 4 oz jars so I had to cut the recipe in half. But overall, I think it turned out pretty good 👍. A little time consuming though but worth it.
Those look perfect!
Hey how long can u leave it in the fridge for a dinner part
A couple of hours at most!
We’ve eaten “leftovers” the next day after dinner. Still delicious. Maybe a bit soggy on the cake but I still loved it. Note that I do not use the ganache or the glaze. I just macerate the strawberries with a little lemon juice and sugar.
Can you refrigerate for a few hours before serving?
Yes, you can!
This is a total winner all around! I’m a huge snacker so these are perfect for me. And that lemonade? I love that it comes in a glass bottle!