This Strawberry Shortcake Fluff Salad is a delicious way to showcase fresh strawberries this summer in an easy new dessert. Delicious strawberry shortcake flavor you love now with more of the classic strawberry and cream topping enveloping each bite of cake.
Strawberry Shortcake Fluff Salad Origin
Strawberry shortcake fluff salad is a delightful dessert that originated in the United States. It combines the flavors of fresh strawberries, whipped cream, marshmallows, and sometimes cake or cookies. This sweet treat gained popularity in the mid-20th century and continues to be a beloved classic at picnics, and summer gatherings.
Creamy dessert salads are the perfect side dish and dessert to bring to potlucks. Similar to both a strawberry trifle and strawberry shortcake with its whipped cream topping, fresh strawberries, and chunks of cake, you’ll find this dessert popular during summer months.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE DESSERT SALAD
- Mix together whipped cream topping and sweetened condensed milk.
- Stir in mini marshmallows.
- Slice strawberries; add to bowl.
- Cut cake into 1½ inch cubes.
- Fold ingredients together until well combined.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
You may recognize this dessert by other names like a trash trifle, strawberry lush, strawberry sugar salad, strawberry angel salad, and strawberry cake salad.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE FLUFF SALAD INGREDIENTS
- CAKE: Classic pound cake or angel food cake hold up in this salad. Simply buy plain from the bakery or make using a box cake mix version. Of course, a homemade version works, too. I like to cut the edges off the cake before using it in the salad.
- STRAWBERRIES: Two pints of strawberries add a lot of fresh strawberry flavor. Can use frozen strawberries in syrup for any additional flavor. May substitute with strawberry pie filling.
- WHIPPED CREAM: Fresh or frozen whipped cream topping. Serves as a light, airy filling in the salad and is traditionally served with strawberry shortcake.
- SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK: Adds creaminess and moisture to the cake salad by binding the cake cubes and serving as a sweet dessert filling to bring all the ingredients together.
- MARSHMALLOWS: Mini marshmallows add more texture and sweetness to the dessert. Of course, they will melt and add excess moisture to the salad by day two. In this case, when I have leftovers that I’m eating, I stir the remaining cake or cheesecake/vanilla pudding.
RE PURPOSING CAKE: Leftover cake recipes do well in strawberry shortcake fluff salad, especially useful when it comes to stale cake. Similarly, a failed cake recipe is another useful way to use the cake in a delicious new dessert.
DESSERT SALAD QUESTIONS & TIPS
Will this work if I make strawberry shortcake fluff salad in advance?
Yes, but I do not recommend making it more than 8 hours ahead of time. If you are baking a box cake, that can be made in advance and the strawberries can be sliced ahead, too.
Does the cake in the strawberry fluff salad turn mushy?
No it should not if eaten within 1-2 days. I don’t recommend using a soft white or yellow cake but a sturdier pound cake or angel food cake.
How long is strawberry shortcake fluff salad good for?
Typically, I serve this within a few hours of making. It can remain covered in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.
I can’t find strawberries. What else can I use?
This recipe is super easy to substitute with other ingredients. First, to replace fresh strawberries, simply use 1-2 cans of strawberry pie filling. Frozen, thawed strawberries work, too.
Can I make this shortcake fluffy dessert salad with other fruit?
Yes. Fresh fruit like blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, apples, or grapes all works well. Additionally, one to two cans of fruit pie filling in place of fresh fruit may be substituted.
TIP: Best served the same day, the marshmallows soak in too much moisture, expand, then melt changing the texture, adding extra liquid, and ultimately turning the salad filling to “melted ice cream” texture. To fix, simply add more cake or stir in cheesecake or vanilla pudding.
Strawberry Shortcake Fluff Salad Variations
- Blueberry Pie Fluff Salad
- Cherry Fluff Salad
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Ambrosia Salad
- strawberry cheesecake salad
- strawberry banana fluff salad
- strawberry fluff salad with instant pudding
HOW TO SERVE DESSERT SALAD
MAIN DISH RECIPES TO SERVE: You’ll like this dump cake salad served with main dishes like this Crock Pot Glazed Ham, Classic Oven-Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey, Crock Pot Turkey, Honey Baked Ham.
SIDE DISH RECIPES TO PAIR with this salad, Crack Broccoli, Sweet Cornbread, Roasted Ranch Brussels Sprouts, and Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are classic recipes to make for any occasion.
Strawberry Shortcake Fluff Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
- ½ loaf pound cake or angle food cake premade or boxed mix
- 10.5 oz mini marshmallows
- 8 oz whipped cream topping
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Cut pound cake or angel food cake in half.Cut any dark edges off ½ loaf cake. Cut half the loaf cake into 1½ inch cubes.NOTE: Cake can be from a bakery or box mix. It should be plain without any frosting/filling. For box mixes, use a pound cake or angel food cake boxed cake mix and bake according to package instructions.
- Mix whipped cream topping and sweetened condensed milk together in a large bowl.
- Stir in mini marshmallows.
- Slice strawberries; add to bowl.
- Fold ingredients together until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve within 1-3 days.
- TIP: The sugar in the marshmallows will melt the longer it sits; usually by day 2. To fix texture, simply cut remaining cake into cubes or stir in 1-2 tbsp vanilla or cheesecake pudding.
Notes
- STRAWBERRIES: Use 2 pints of fresh strawberries. May substitute with 1-2 cans of strawberry pie filling. Can use frozen strawberries in syrup for any additional flavor.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate and it’s accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.
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19 Responses
Am I the only one that has no idea when to add the cake? Going to add it last and hope for the best.
Typically, for a fluff salad like this, you’d add the cake cubes when you mix in the other ingredients to ensure they get coated with the whipped cream mixture and blend well with the strawberries and marshmallows.
Adding the cake cubes last, after mixing the other ingredients, should work just fine. Once you fold them in, they’ll become integrated with the rest of the salad. It’s a forgiving type of recipe, so your approach should still yield a delicious result!
Great recipe. Everything came out perfectly.
Wow! This fluff salad is amazing! Such an incredible strawberry shortcake flavor!
Thank you!
Loved this cake salad!!! I have made it with and without the marshmallows (for say a slightly healthier version) and it’s always such a hit with the family. Perfect for summer!
I am so glad you and your family enjoyed it =)
What a great way of upscaling cake. My family loves this dessert.
So glad you and your family enjoyed it =)
Yum! I took this strawberry shortcake fluff to my sister’s for a BBQ. It was simple to put together and looked so appetizing on the lunch buffet. Best of all it tasted delicious. I am sure I will make this again – but first plan to try your blueberry pie fluff salad!
That blueberry pie fluff is getting a lot of attention lately. It certainly is a show stopper. I am so glad to hear you liked the Strawberry Shortcake Fluff and that it was a hit. Thank you for your comment =)
Has anyone tried this with homemade whipped cream? Just wondering if it would be stable enough with the condensed milk?
While the recipe calls for whipped cream topping, you can definitely substitute it with homemade whipped cream. However, keep in mind that the consistency may differ slightly. If you’re using homemade whipped cream, make sure to whip it until stiff peaks form to ensure it has enough stability to hold up in the salad. Once you’ve whipped the cream, fold in the sweetened condensed milk gently until well combined, then add the mini marshmallows and sliced strawberries as per the recipe. Remember that the sweetened condensed milk also helps to stabilize the whipped cream, so you shouldn’t have any issues with the salad being too runny or unstable. Enjoy!
can you use something besides condensed milk
Could skip the ingredient.
You could use a block of cream cheese
Everyone loved this at our 4th of July cook out. The only feedback I got as far as changing anything was that several people said that it would be even better if there was more cake and less marshmallows, so I may try to adjust those portions a little next time.
This was so easy and quick to put together. Very tasty, I cant stop eating it. It was a huge hit at the potluck. This
is my new go to potluck and weekend desert!
I can’t stop staring at this and I know all 3 of our boys would absolutely love this!