Name: No Bake Strawberry Shortcake
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake, 16 oz.; 1 pint of strawberries, sliced + 1 whole strawberry; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup strawberry preserves, heated 30 seconds; 1 container of whipped topping

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Every time I’ve made this No Bake Strawberry Shortcake using a frozen Sara Lee pound cake, it always brings back such nostalgia from when I was a kid. My great aunts, Virgie and Ruby, would always have a frozen cake in the “icebox.” And, they’d always have “ice milk.” Does anyone remember ice milk?

Side view of the no bake strawberry shortcake with frozen pound cake, strawberries, and covered in whipped cream.

This Strawberry Shortcake is one of those easy desserts you can make the night before a get together and just keepit in the fridge. You should make it at least a couple hours or so before serving, so you can pop it in the fridge before dessert time.

You can make this with homemade whipped cream or, even easier, with whipped topping like Cool Whip. I chose Cool Whip for time’s sake.

Table of Contents

Don’t forget to defrost the Cool Whip!

I would like to remind you, however, that if you choose to use Cool Whip, put it in the fridge the day before you’re going to use it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten that step and had frozen Cool Whip that wouldn’t spread on anything.

If you’re like me and totally forgot that step, that’s when making whipped cream is the best choice. It will take about a pint of whipping cream to make this delicious strawberry shortcake.

How do you make a No Bake Strawberry Shortcake?

First, you need a ready made cake! My personal preference is the Sara Lee frozen pound cake! Or, you can use a store bought one from the bakery department.

The package of the Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake

If you get the Sara Lee one, keep it in the freezer until you’re ready to use it. If you get one from the store bakery, I recommend putting it in the fridge or freezer, so it will be easy to slide it midway in half and decorate it without it getting all crumby.

A bowl of sliced strawberries mixed with strawberry preserves.

Next, slice up about a pint of strawberries. Mix them with 1/2 cup of sugar. Set them aside for about 30 minutes to an hour. The longer you can let them sit, the more the sugar pulls the juices out of the strawberries. When they’re ready, heat up about a 1/2 cup of strawberry preserves for just 30 seconds in the microwave. Then, mix it into the strawberries.

A collage of two photos showing how to slice the Sara Lee pound cake lengthwise to create two layers.

Now take the pound cake out of the freezer and slice it in half.

THe bottom layer of pound cake covered in beautiful sliced strawberries and sauce.

Add the strawberries to the bottom half of the pound cake.

The bottom layer of pound cake slathered in strawberries and whipped cream.

Next, add half the whipped topping over the strawberries.

The pound cake sandwich layers with layers of strawberries and whipped cream between them.

Add the top of the pound cake and slather with the rest of the whipped topping and maybe a strawberry or two. The whipped topping will run down the sides a bit.

The finished view of the No Bake Strawberry Shortcake with a giant strawberry sliced on top and whipped cream running down the sides.

Pop it in the fridge to let the strawberries soak into the pound cake for at least 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Then, we’re ready to eat! This is perfect for brunch or any time that’s dessert time.

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8 servings