This strawberry pudding has layers of cookies, homemade vanilla bean custard, strawberry rhubarb compote, and whipped cream. Think of this dessert as the strawberry version of a classic banana pudding!
You might also love these recipes for strawberry chiffon sheet cake, strawberry spoon cake, and strawberry cupcakes.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Cool and Creamy for Summer. This dessert is best served cold, right from the refrigerator.
Great Leftover. Strawberry pudding is even better after it’s been refrigerated for a while, and the cookies have a chance to soften. And since it’s made with the cooked strawberry rhubarb compote and not fresh sliced fruit, it doesn’t get watery or soggy.
Customizable. You can double the recipe to layer inside a large, glass trifle dish. Instead of cookies, use cake. And instead of the strawberry rhubarb layer, you could make any flavor of fruit compote. Blueberry would be fantastic.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Strawberries + Rhubarb. Fresh or frozen fruit works equally well – I usually buy bags of chopped frozen rhubarb at my local Sprouts, when I can’t find fresh rhubarb. This is the same compote I made to fill my strawberry chamomile cake. You can also make the compote with just strawberries and half the amount of sugar.
- Vanilla Custard. The pudding layer is based on my recipe for homemade vanilla bean custard. It’s creamy, rich, and just perfect for soaking into the cookies.
- Whipped Cream. Homemade whipped cream is a simple combination of cold heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar.
- Cookies. For banana pudding, the typical cookies to use are vanilla wafer cookies, so that’s what I used for my strawberry pudding. The cookies are crisp, but easily soak up the moisture from the pudding, and become soft like cake. You could also use leftover angel food cake or pound cake.
Instructions
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
- In a saucepan, combine the chopped strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and vanilla.
- Over medium heat, bring the fruit to a boil. Let it simmer, stirring frequently, to evaporate the excess liquid. As it gets thicker, you may need to reduce the heat to medium low, so it doesn’t splatter too much. The fruit will break down as it cooks – no need to mash it. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the water has evaporated, the compote is thick and jammy, and you have about 1 – 1 1/8 cups of compote. This process of reducing the compote may take 30 minutes, or longer.
- Refrigerate until completely cooled, before assembling the cake. You can make the compote the day before, or several days in advance, keeping it refrigerated until needed.
Vanilla Custard
- In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, corn starch and salt.
- Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth, then gradually whisk in the milk, cream, and vanilla bean paste.
- Cook the custard over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the custard begins to thicken and bubble – this should take about 8-10 minutes. Once it begins to bubble, continue to cook for 1 full minute while whisking.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
- Lastly, strain the custard to remove any bits of cooked egg. Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and press the custard through the strainer.
- Cover the custard, with plastic wrap resting right against the surface of the custard, and refrigerate for one hour, before assembling the pudding.
Whipped Cream
- With an electric mixer (either stand or hand held), whip the cold heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until fluffy peaks form that hold their shape.
- Assemble immediately after making the whipped cream.
Assembly
- You’ll need a serving dish with a 6-8 cup capacity. My 9-inch ceramic ruffled pie plate was exactly the right size.
- Arrange a layer of cookies on the bottom of the dish. Spread half the custard over the cookies. Dollop a third of the strawberry rhubarb compote over the custard. Spread half the whipped cream over the compote.
- Repeat again, with layers of cookies, custard, compote, and whipped cream.
- Finish by swirling the remaining compote into the whipped cream on top.
- Before serving, refrigerate the pudding for at least 4 hours, until the cookies have started to soften.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
To fill a large trifle dish with a 4-quart capacity, you can double this recipe.
To make the compote without the rhubarb, you can replace the rhubarb with the same amount of strawberries, and cut the sugar in half.
Keep the leftover pudding covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
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Layered Strawberry Pudding
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
- 9 Inch Pie Pan
Ingredients
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
- 8 oz fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 6 oz fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Custard
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp corn starch
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 3 large egg yolks (save the whites for another use)
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Whipped Cream
- 1 ¼ cups cold heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Cookies
- 1 package (11 oz) vanilla wafer cookies (see notes)
Instructions
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
- In a saucepan, combine the chopped strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and vanilla.
- Over medium heat, bring the fruit to a boil. Let it simmer, stirring frequently, to evaporate the excess liquid. As it gets thicker, you may need to reduce the heat to medium low, so it doesn't splatter too much. The fruit will break down as it cooks – no need to mash it. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the water has evaporated, the compote is thick and jammy, and you have about 1 – 1 1/8 cups of compote. This process of reducing the compote may take 30 minutes, or longer.
- Refrigerate until completely cooled, before assembling the cake. You can make the compote the day before, or several days in advance, keeping it refrigerated until needed.
Vanilla Custard
- In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, corn starch and salt.
- Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth, then gradually whisk in the milk, cream, and vanilla bean paste.
- Cook the custard over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the custard begins to thicken and bubble – this should take about 8-10 minutes. Once it begins to bubble, continue to cook for 1 full minute while whisking.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
- Lastly, strain the custard to remove any bits of cooked egg. Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and press the custard through the strainer.
- Cover the custard, with plastic wrap resting right against the surface of the custard, and refrigerate for one hour, before assembling the pudding.
Whipped Cream
- With an electric mixer (either stand or hand held), whip the cold heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until fluffy peaks form that hold their shape.
- Assemble immediately after making the whipped cream.
Assembly
- You'll need a serving dish with a 6-8 cup capacity. My 9-inch ceramic ruffled pie plate was exactly the right size.
- Arrange a layer of cookies on the bottom of the dish. Spread half the custard over the cookies. Dollop a third of the strawberry rhubarb compote over the custard. Spread half the whipped cream over the compote.
- Repeat again, with layers of cookies, custard, compote, and whipped cream.
- Finish by swirling the remaining compote into the whipped cream on top.
- Before serving, refrigerate the pudding for at least 4 hours, until the cookies have started to soften.
Notes
- You’ll only need half of an 11-ounce package of wafer cookies (about 20 cookies per layer). If you double the recipe, you’ll use the whole package of cookies.
- Instead of cookies, leftover pieces of angel food cake or pound cake would be fantastic.
- To fill a large trifle dish with a 4-quart capacity, you can double this recipe.
- To make the compote without the rhubarb, you can replace the rhubarb with the same amount of strawberries, and cut the sugar in half.
- Keep the leftover pudding covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
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