Can I make upside down mini-trifles and freeze them?

[csziggy]

Strawberries are on sale and so are angel food cakes. So trifles came to mind and I found this recipe that sounds good:

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

Servings 24

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1?2 teaspoon vanilla
1?4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup Cool Whip, thawed
4 tablespoons sugar
1 angel food cake, torn into bite-size pieces
2 quarts fresh strawberries, thinly sliced

Directions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy; add sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and the almond extract; set aside.
Fold the cool whip into the cream cheese mixture.
Gently stir in cake pieces; set aside.
Combine strawberries and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Layer in a large glass bowl, starting with 1/4 of the strawberries, then adding 1/3 of the cake mixture.
Continue layering; finish with strawberries.
Cover with plastic wrap; and chill several hours.

http://www.food.com/recipe/strawberry-cheesecake-trifle-48957

The first problem is the Cool Whip - I think I will omit that and replace with real whipped cream.

The biggest problem is how much this makes - 24 servings! There are only two of us and we can't eat this much!

Since most of the reviews indicate that unless it is made the day it is served the cake gets soggy, I am thinking of changing things around.

First, I will not mix the cake with the cream cheese mixture - I will mix the strawberries with it. Then I will put measured amounts of the cream cheese/strawberry mixture into storage containers and put a slice of angel food cake on top of each. Then I will freeze each container.

The containers I have will hold about two servings of this combo. When we want strawberries, I can thaw one, turn it upside down, cut it in half and we can have strawberry trifle, two servings at a time.

Does this sound as though it would work?

[stonecutter357]

1. I would use Amaretto/Disaronno and not use the almond extract .

[csziggy]

2. Well, I have the almond extract and not the Amaretto so that will stay

Right now strawberries are on sale here 3 pints for $6.00 and the angel food cake is only $5.

Last year at this time I made strawberry ice cream and finally finished it off last month. The texture was not as creamy as when fresh, but it still tasted great. I'm trying to take advantage of the fresh produce while in season - but if I can freeze it in some version that is even better!

[stonecutter357]

7. Do you have the recipe for the strawberry ice cream ?

And you are right, the Amaretto would make the Trifle way to wet to freeze .

[csziggy]

9. I think this is the one I used

Chef John's Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients

12 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tiny pinch salt
2 drops red food coloring (optional)

Directions

Place strawberries and sugar in a blender and pulse until pureed; steep for 10 minutes.
Pour cream, milk, vanilla extract, and salt into strawberry mixture; blend until smooth and slightly thickened, 10 to 15 seconds. Whisk red food color into cream mixture.
Pour strawberry mixture into the container of an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to a sealable container, cover the ice cream with plastic wrap, seal the container, and freeze, 2 hours to overnight.
Process in an ice cream maker until thick. Immediately transfer to a sealable container, cover with plastic wrap, cover the bowl with a lid and freeze for 2 hours to overnight.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/238034/chef-johns-strawberry-ice-cream/

It has a wonderful fresh strawberry flavor and held up very well. I think part of the reason the texture changed was that we lost our power for five days last year after Hurricane Hermine - we had a generator after the first 24 hours and everything stayed cold enough to be safe, but the ice cream was on the top shelf of the freezer.

[Warpy]

3. You'll want to stabilize the whipped cream with gelatine

Whipped cream freezes very nicely but it doesn't thaw that nicely.

Strawberries also freeze well but they do tend to weep when they thaw, so that everything adjacent will be coverecd by strawberry juice. The texture will also be different but will still go well with the creamy stuff. They might make the cake a bit soggy.

[csziggy]

4. Maybe I should stick with the Cool Whip?

That might be easier and more stable than the whipped cream. Frankly I have not used straight gelatin and am not prepared to start with this experiment.

I don't mind if the strawberries weep into the cream cheese mixture - though I could get some strawberry glaze to mix with the strawberries before folding them into the cream cheese. Or I could put the strawberries with glaze on the bottom, put the cream cheese mixture in the middle and the cake on top.

[Laffy Kat]

5. With the whipped cream and cream cheese...

I worry about the presentation following thaw. They'll probably taste fine, though. Just in case, you better ship them to me.

[csziggy]

6. LOL! I don't think they would travel well

Maybe I will keep it simply, mix up the cream cheese and sugar, beat until fluffy, put some strawberries in the containers, a dollop of Cool Whip, some cream cheese, then then a slice of angle food cake. The cream cheese should not make the cake soggy, the Cool Whip should hold up to being frozen and thawed and the strawberries can drizzle all over everything when I invert the container.

For one of the recipes I read while looking for ideas, the commenter said they sliced their Cool Whip because they forgot to thaw it out - that might work even better.

Of I could leave out Cool Whip or whipped cream and just add that when we serve the mini trifle. I keep a squirt can of whipped cream in the fridge just for stuff like this.

[Laffy Kat]

8. Oh, well, it was worth a try.

Sounds like you came up with a good plan.