An easy recipe for individual strawberry shortcake parfaits (also known as trifles) layered with bright lemon curd, macerated strawberries, buttery scone, and pillowy whipped cream. This dessert is absolute BLISS in every bite and it's beautiful, as well!
Want an easy dessert that'll leave you fighting over the leftovers? Look no further than these strawberry shortcake & lemon curd parfaits a.k.a. blissful bursts of sunshine and sweetness in a glass.
I made a pared-down version of this recipe right as strawberries were coming into season three months ago with whipped cream, broken up pieces of buttery scone, and juicy sliced organic strawberries (see it here on Instagram) and I've been daydreaming about it ever since.
That is, until yesterday, when I concluded I could make an even better version without a ton of work. So I ran to the grocery store to grab the simple ingredients for the parfaits. And to the thrift store to pick up tall clear glasses for parfaits. There were tons to choose from, so I snagged these four for 99 cents a piece.
This was my first time making lemon curd and it was everything I could have ever hoped for. Seriously...absolute BLISS in every bite! All the flavors (sweetness, tangy citrus & creaminess) were evenly balanced. I started eating it straight away warm off the stove, then had to stop myself so I had some leftover for these strawberry shortcake parfaits.
I'm kicking myself for waiting this long to fix it at home so don't make the same mistake as me. You could totally use store-bought lemon curd if that's your jam, but making it at home on the stove-top is 100,000% worth it. Trust me!
The first thing I did when I got home from the store was prep the strawberries and begin the macerating process. You might be wondering, what the heck is macerating?
Well, it's just a fancy word for softening food by soaking it in a liquid.
It's usually used to describe the process of bringing out the natural juices in fresh fruits by soaking them in a liquid (like vinegar, liqueur, or citrus juice) OR sprinkling them with sugar.
The latter is probably the most popular option since it's so fast and easy.
However, I wanted to bring out the natural flavors of the strawberries without overpowering them while also avoiding refined sugar (if possible).
So, I mixed raw honey and fresh lemon juice into my sliced strawberries and let them sit for about an hour while I quickly made the lemon curd, stuck it in the freezer to cool (I was battling dwindling daylight for photos), and prepped the rest of the food.
If you have any extra strawberries (or several containers while they're on sale), save a cup or so for making Strawberry Chicken Salad (only 15-minute prep), chocolate covered strawberries, or Lemony Strawberry Shortcake Milkshakes.
Turns out shortcakes are not even called that by themselves, but shortcake biscuits. And even more surprising "shortcakes may be made with split biscuits or scones or with layers of sponge cake" (733). It's actually quite a flexible recipe!
The big difference between fluffy biscuit shortcakes, cream biscuit shortcakes, classic scones, and cream scones (four of the main options) are the amount and type of milk added (milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream) and whether or not sugar or butter is added (instead of using all cream for the fat).
So I decided to stick with classic plain scones for this recipe because 1) they're buttery & slightly sweet and 2) one of my local grocery stores bakes them fresh every day. Eventually, I'd like to make these parfaits with homemade scones or shortcake biscuits, but until then...I'll enjoy the ease of buying them down the street.
From here all you have to do is layer the ingredients evenly (or not -- I was a bit generous with the lemon curd) until each glass is full OR you run out of food. This will depend on the size of the glasses you're using and how many portions you're trying to make.
For a bigger, more filling dessert, I use 8-oz glasses, which gives you enough filling to serve about 4 folks. If you're wanting a lighter dessert, portion the ingredients into 4 oz or smaller glasses (this will make at least 8 servings).
Buuuuuut, if you happen to have leftover whipped cream, you can always repurpose it into a Leftover Pumpkin Pie Milkshake. Or whatever type of pie-based milkshake your heart desires.
Strawberry pie? Blueberry Pie? Cherry pie with homemade cherry pie filling? Mulberry Pie? Pecan pie? There's no wrong answer. Friends don't let friends waste good whipped cream.
Also...if you have any leftover strawberries, make a batch of my easy strawberry banana bread muffins!
Note: The video will appear to your right if you're seeing this on a desktop computer. :)
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PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. However, I ONLY recommend helpful products that I myself wouldI made a pared-down version of this recipe right as strawberries were coming into season three months ago with whipped cream, broken up pieces of buttery scone, and juicy sliced organic strawberries (see it here on Instagram) and I've been daydreaming about it ever since.
That is, until yesterday, when I concluded I could make an even better version without a ton of work. So I ran to the grocery store to grab the simple ingredients for the parfaits. And to the thrift store to pick up tall clear glasses for parfaits. There were tons to choose from, so I snagged these four for 99 cents a piece.
Strawberry Shortcake + Lemon Curd = The Best Parfaits Ever
Then, on a whim, I decided to fix homemade lemon curd, too. Best decision ever! I used a honey-sweetened lemon curd recipe from my friend Emily, which was super duper easy (took less than 20 minutes for the whole process minus the chilling).
This was my first time making lemon curd and it was everything I could have ever hoped for. Seriously...absolute BLISS in every bite! All the flavors (sweetness, tangy citrus & creaminess) were evenly balanced. I started eating it straight away warm off the stove, then had to stop myself so I had some leftover for these strawberry shortcake parfaits.
I'm kicking myself for waiting this long to fix it at home so don't make the same mistake as me. You could totally use store-bought lemon curd if that's your jam, but making it at home on the stove-top is 100,000% worth it. Trust me!
What Are Mascerated Strawberries?
The first thing I did when I got home from the store was prep the strawberries and begin the macerating process. You might be wondering, what the heck is macerating?Well, it's just a fancy word for softening food by soaking it in a liquid.
It's usually used to describe the process of bringing out the natural juices in fresh fruits by soaking them in a liquid (like vinegar, liqueur, or citrus juice) OR sprinkling them with sugar.
The latter is probably the most popular option since it's so fast and easy.
However, I wanted to bring out the natural flavors of the strawberries without overpowering them while also avoiding refined sugar (if possible).
So, I mixed raw honey and fresh lemon juice into my sliced strawberries and let them sit for about an hour while I quickly made the lemon curd, stuck it in the freezer to cool (I was battling dwindling daylight for photos), and prepped the rest of the food.
If you have any extra strawberries (or several containers while they're on sale), save a cup or so for making Strawberry Chicken Salad (only 15-minute prep), chocolate covered strawberries, or Lemony Strawberry Shortcake Milkshakes.
Using Scones for Strawberry Shortcake
Before I endeavored to make a strawberry shortcake dessert, I decided to consult my handy-dandy Joy of Cooking book. I wanted to know what differentiated a shortcake from a scone or a biscuit, and if I could swap out either one instead of making a shortcake from scratch (something I've never done).Turns out shortcakes are not even called that by themselves, but shortcake biscuits. And even more surprising "shortcakes may be made with split biscuits or scones or with layers of sponge cake" (733). It's actually quite a flexible recipe!
The big difference between fluffy biscuit shortcakes, cream biscuit shortcakes, classic scones, and cream scones (four of the main options) are the amount and type of milk added (milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream) and whether or not sugar or butter is added (instead of using all cream for the fat).
So I decided to stick with classic plain scones for this recipe because 1) they're buttery & slightly sweet and 2) one of my local grocery stores bakes them fresh every day. Eventually, I'd like to make these parfaits with homemade scones or shortcake biscuits, but until then...I'll enjoy the ease of buying them down the street.
How to Make Individual Strawberry Shortcake Trifles (Called Parfaits Here In The U.S.)
Once you have all the components ready: scones, fresh whipped cream (store-bought or homemade), macerated strawberries (you can do this in as little as 30 minutes or skip it and they'll just be less juicy), and lemon curd, the parfaits come together in minutes.From here all you have to do is layer the ingredients evenly (or not -- I was a bit generous with the lemon curd) until each glass is full OR you run out of food. This will depend on the size of the glasses you're using and how many portions you're trying to make.
For a bigger, more filling dessert, I use 8-oz glasses, which gives you enough filling to serve about 4 folks. If you're wanting a lighter dessert, portion the ingredients into 4 oz or smaller glasses (this will make at least 8 servings).
Buuuuuut, if you happen to have leftover whipped cream, you can always repurpose it into a Leftover Pumpkin Pie Milkshake. Or whatever type of pie-based milkshake your heart desires.
Strawberry pie? Blueberry Pie? Cherry pie with homemade cherry pie filling? Mulberry Pie? Pecan pie? There's no wrong answer. Friends don't let friends waste good whipped cream.
Also...if you have any leftover strawberries, make a batch of my easy strawberry banana bread muffins!
Watch The Recipe Video
Before you jump into the instructions, make sure to watch my short recipe video by clicking below. It illustrates the super easy process of making these strawberry shortcake & lemon curd parfaits!Note: The video will appear to your right if you're seeing this on a desktop computer. :)
strawberry shortcake parfaits, strawberry shortcake trifles, lemon curd parfait
dessert
American, British
Yield: 4 large individual servings (8 ounces each) or 8 small individual servings (4 ounces each)
Strawberry Shortcake & Lemon Curd Parfaits (a.k.a. Trifles)
prep time: 40 minscook time: total time: 40 mins
An easy recipe for individual strawberry shortcake parfaits layered with bright lemon curd, macerated strawberries, buttery scone, and pillowy whipped cream. This dessert is absolute BLISS in every bite and it's beautiful, as well!
ingredients:
- 1 lb of organic strawberries (2 cups), hulled & sliced
- 1 tablespoon of raw honey
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 cups of whipped cream (get my homemade recipe here) or coconut whipped cream
- 1 1/2 cups of lemon curd (I used this homemade recipe but store-bought works too)
- 1-2 scones*, broken up into small chunks
- *See notes section below for more suggestions on dairy-free & grain-free options.
Recommended Equipment
- individual parfait, trifle or soda fountain glasses or 8 oz mason jars
instructions:
For The Macerated Strawberries:
- If using fresh strawberries, wash, hull, and slice the berries and place them in a bowl. If using frozen strawberries, simply dump them into a bowl and move onto the next step. Pour the honey and fresh lemon juice over the strawberries, stir well, and let the strawberries sit on the counter to draw out the juices.
- If you're going to be gone a few hours while they're macerating, stick them in the fridge until you're back. And if you're working with frozen strawberries, leave them on the counter so they can come up to room temperature before making the parfaits.
For The Strawberry Shortcake Parfaits:
- When everything is ready, break the scones up into chunks and then layer each ingredient (scones, strawberries, lemon curd, and whipped cream) into the parfait glass until filled up. If desired, pour some of the juices that accumulate from the strawberries onto the scones as you build each layer.
- Top with a strawberry (if you have any left over) and enjoy! These should last a few days in the fridge if you want to make them ahead of them, although the texture of the scone may soften considerably.
NOTES:
If strawberries aren't in season, you can easily substitute frozen organic strawberries instead. You can macerate them with the lemon juice while they thaw on the counter. Make sure to bring them to room temperature before assembling the parfait. If you're going the homemade route, fix the lemon curd and/or whipped cream while the strawberries are macerating. You can also prep them both the day before! If you make the lemon curd the same day as you plan on assembling the parfaits and need to cool it down quickly, stick it in the freezer and check on it (giving it a stir) every 30 minutes until chilled. To make these parfaits dairy-free, substitute coconut whipped cream (here is an easy recipe to try) and find a paleo lemon curd recipe (like this) or brand that uses ghee and/or coconut oil instead of butter. To make this recipe gluten-free and grain-free, you'll probably have to make the scones at home (unless you're lucky and have a local place that sells GF scones). In that case, try this orange scone recipe that uses almond, coconut & tapioca flour instead.
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Looking for more Strawberry Recipes? Check out these awesome posts from my fellow Ultimate Recipe Challenge Blogger Friends:
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