Making this again is like a walk down memory lane for me. Years ago, my husband and children couldn’t get enough of this. Nowdays I look at this as a “cheater’s dessert” - I would probably rate it a “2” on a scale of 1 to 10 (with “1” being easy, and “10” difficult) For summer, you can’t go wrong serving this old-time dessert.
My family is very sentimental when it comes to Sunday Dinner, and recipes from their childhood. They read my blog - and give me input, and they often ask me to post the recipes they loved as children. (So - hey guys - this is for YOU!) There is probably a version of this same dessert in every ward cookbook that was ever circulated about 20-30 years ago. Recipes back then used frozen strawberries in syrup because it would have broken the bank to buy fresh - except when they were in season. Now you can find them all year round - times are a changin’.
The Petersen side of the family loves desserts made with (what I would describe as) “soggy” ingredients. Think Banana Pudding (it has to be cook-and-serve pudding here - so the vanilla wafers get SOFT and mushy). It took me years to adjust to this mentality - why should I take something that I keep well wrapped to stay crisp - and then make it limp and moist?
But, I have to admit - this has grown on me. It’s especially good in the winter months when fresh strawberries are rare. If you’ve ever tried frozen strawberries in syrup - they are a far cry from the real thing. But that hint of fresh flavor is fantastic in January.
Since strawberries are everywhere right now - I opted to use fresh in place of frozen when I made this at the request of my daughter for Sunday Dinner yesterday. We all agreed that it really is more authentic (living up to our memory anyhow) when you use frozen strawberries in syrup. The strawberry cream mixture really seeps in better that way.
Have you ever googled “Strawberry Delight”? Well - you won’t find this one that way. Strawberry Delight is an old-fashioned recipe title that could be anything on earth (kind of like “Congo Bars” - if you know what I mean?) But I kept the title so my kids know it’s from their growing-up years.
I halved the recipe to make single size portions - and it still made more than enough for five. It’s also impressive when assembled in a large clear glass bowl or punchbowl. These mini-trifle dishes were fun as well.
For the full (and half-size) recipe - go to:
Thank you mom!!
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