Sweet Strawberry Bruschetta with Almond Pudding and Lemon Curd
Celebrate the summertime with Sweet Strawberry Bruschetta. This angel food cake dessert features homemade almond pudding with fresh berries and lemon curd. Red, white and blue, these individual desserts are perfect for entertaining, whether you’re celebrating Memorial Day weekend, July 4th or even Labor Day. Makes 14 portions.
Love a colorful, fruit-forward dessert? Check out Blueberry Strawberry Pound Cake and Blackberry Peach Hand Pies!
The inspiration behind this recipe goes to my mother-in-law, who made the most delightful berry trifle for Easter when we visited Louisiana.
She combined a few recipes to make the wonderful dish—which featured angel food cake, homemade almond pudding, lemon curd and berries galore.
The combination was out-of-this-world, and when I mentioned that to her (and how I, not-so-surprisingly would like to eat the entire trifle dish of dessert), she sent me home with her recipe card.
Today’s recipe was supposed to be individual-sized trifles, but my bruschetta brain got the best of me.
Before you mention it: Yes, I know this isn’t actually bruschetta. It’s a nod to a favorite of mine, but it’s certainly not something you’re going to find in classic Italian restaurants. It’s a dessert bruschetta, similar to a dessert pizza.
No, before you ask, you won’t need a baguette or bread slices. We’re using a cake-based treat for the base of this.
Why I love this recipe:
This colorful Strawberry Bruschetta was encouraged by that simple question… and the end result was better than I could have even imagined.
It shares striking similarities with my mother-in-law’s Easter trifle while becoming a single serving dessert that’s perfect for a party.
Like a trifle, you can make parts of this dessert in advance, like the homemade almond pudding. But you can also make it the day-of, and it’ll be delicious. (We tried it both ways and couldn’t decide which was better.)
You can double or triple the recipe for a crowd if you’re feeding a crowd. You can leave it at the original serving if not.
Again, it stores well in the fridge, so if you and yours don’t eat all of it in one round, you won’t have to toss it. It won’t get soggy in the fridge.
Other desserts meant for sharing: Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars | Strawberry and Blueberry Hand Pies | Dairy Free Blackberry Cobbler | Blueberry Cheesecake Popsicles | Chocolate Cheesecake Dip | Butterscotch Pudding
Need some dessert inspiration? Head on over to my Dessert Recipe Index for ideas!
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Glass bowls to create various facets of the dish, as well as macerate the strawberries.
- Liquid measuring cup for all the liquid ingredients required in the pudding.
- Measuring spoons for everything else. 😉
- A whisk for the pudding-making portion of this recipe.
- A sturdy saucepan for the almond pudding.
- A fine mesh strainer so your pudding doesn’t have lumps in it.
- Silicone Basting & Pastry Brush to brush the pound cake slices with butter.
- Cast iron grill/griddle (or an actual grill) to grill the pound cake slices.
- Long Porcelain Serving Platter or another platter where the bruschetta can be displayed.
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you need:
- Powdered sugar — also known as confectioner’s sugar, this sweetens our homemade pudding.
- Cornstarch — this thickens our homemade almond pudding. There is no substitute.
- Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt is my go-to for any recipes these days. You can use a similarly sized sea salt.
- Whole milk — we absolutely need whole milk and the fat and flavor it brings to the table to make the most decadent pudding.
- Heavy whipping cream — similar to the whole milk, the fat in this whipping cream is necessary. This sometimes goes by double cream or heavy cream. There is no substitute.
- Egg yolks — from large eggs. Separate them from the whites, and set those aside for later. You can scramble them or use them in an omelet.
- Unsalted butter — we need this in a few spots of the recipe. If you prefer to use vegan butter, feel free. You could also substitute salted butter for this, though you’ll probably need to use less salt overall in the recipe.
- Pure almond extract — this gives us the luscious almond flavor in our pudding. There is no substitute. Also, please do not measure with your heart because almond extract is STRONG.
- Fresh berries — we used a combination of fresh sliced strawberries and blueberries for this recipe.
- Lemon curd — you can use the homemade variety (like this Small Batch Lemon Curd) or simply use the store-bought stuff.
- Slivered almonds — these are a lovely garnish and I highly recommend toasting them.
- Angel food cake — instead of toasted bread, we’re toasting slices of angel food cake to serve as the base of this sweet bruschetta. Trust me when I say this is SO GOOD.
Variations and substitutions on this recipe:
Not into lemon? Add a drizzle of Nutella or hot fudge sauce over the pudding.
Replace the angel food cake with grilled pound cake for a different, but delicious flavor and texture.
Swap out the berries. I love strawberries and blueberries here, but you could also throw in raspberries, fresh cherries and blackberries.
Add garnish. While the toasted almond slivers add an awesome garnish, you can add a pop of green with some sprigs of fresh mint on top of the sweet berries.
How to make Strawberry Bruschetta with Almond Pudding and Lemon Curd
How to make Homemade Almond Pudding
In a medium saucepan, whisk together powdered sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, heavy whipping cream and egg yolks.
Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling. Should take around 6 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue whisking while the mixture cooks.
When finished cooking, pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in butter and almond extract, too.
Press plastic wrap against surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (and up to 3 days.)
Prepare the Rest of the Bruschetta Toppings
When the pudding has refrigerated for the allotted time, prepare the rest of the toppings.
Slice the fresh strawberries, and toss with sugar. Set aside and let macerate for at least 20 minutes so they can get nice and juicy.
Toast the almond slivers in a small skillet over medium-low heat. When golden brown, remove from the heat and let cool.
Prepare and toast the angel food cake. Slice the cake into 14 pieces, and brush both sides with melted butter.
Grill the cake on both sides in a grill pan, letting it cook for long enough to where grill marks become apparent on the cake before flipping and repeating.
You can also place the angel food cake slices on a baking sheet and pop them beneath the broiler to get a little color on them if you do not have a grill or a grill pan.
Let the angel food cake piece cool.
Make the Angel Food Cake Dessert
Place the cooled angel food cake slices on a serving platter, and dollop on the chilled almond pudding, spreading with a knife.
Next, add the lemon curd, then top with strawberries and their juice.
Finish with the blueberries, pressing just a few into the pudding, and a sprinkling of toasted almond slivers.
Serve the Sweet Berry Bruschetta immediately, or let stand in the refrigerator for up to two days!
Frequently Asked Questions
You know how dessert pizza is a thing? This is in the same vein. I know it’s not traditional, but my goodness, is it good!
We change it up here by using a loaf of angel food cake as our “bread,” grilling it to get some crispness before layering on a homemade almond pudding, macerated strawberries, blueberries and topping with toasted almond slivers.
Yes! Our grill is currently defunct, so I used our grill pan to get the beautiful char marks on the angel food cake slices.
If you don’t have a grill pan, toast the angel food cake slices in a toaster oven or a toaster. If you don’t have either of those, toast the slices in the oven.
What can I pair with this Patriotic Strawberry Bruschetta?
If you’re looking for a drink, check out this delicious Strawberry Champagne or a Patriotic Triple Berry Spritzer, which is perfect for a crowd.
Want to lean in to the fresh fruits of summer? Make a Patriotic Red White Blue Salad!
Want another festive and colorful dessert? Try out Mixed Berry Vanilla Bean Cake or fizzy Prosecco Popsicles.
Ready to make this recipe?
Scroll down to learn how you can make this goodness at home…
Patriotic Strawberry Bruschetta
Ingredients
Almond Pudding
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
Other Toppings
- 2 cups strawberries sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 pint blueberries
- 14 teaspoons lemon curd
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- 11 oz. angel food cake sliced into 14 pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Equipment
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Instructions
Make the Pudding
- Whisk together powdered sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, heavy whipping cream and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling. This should take around 6 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue whisking while the mixture cooks.
- Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
- Stir in butter and almond extract.
- Press plastic wrap against surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (and up to 3 days.)
Prepare the Rest of the Toppings
- When the pudding has refrigerated for the allotted time, prepare the rest of the toppings.
- Slice the strawberries (if they haven’t been sliced already), and toss with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside and let macerate for at least 20 minutes.
- Using a small skillet, toast the almond slivers over medium-low heat until a golden brown.
- When golden brown, remove from the heat and let cool.
- Slice the angel food cake into 14 pieces.
- Brush the cake on both sides with melted butter.
- On a preheated grill or grill pan, toast the cake on both sides, letting it sit for long enough to where grill marks become apparent on the cake. Flip and repeat.
- Remove the angel food slices from the grill/grill pan when both sides have grill marks, and allow time to cool.
Assemble the Bruschetta
- Place the cooled angel food cake slices on a serving platter.
- Dollop 1.5-2 tablespoons of chilled pudding onto the angel food cake slices.
- Drizzle 1 teaspoon of lemon curd on top of the pudding.
- Top that with a tablespoon of strawberries and their juice.
- Add blueberries. (I simply pressed a few into the pudding so they would stay put.)
- Finish by topping with toasted almond slivers.
- Serve immediately, or let stand in the refrigerator for up to two days!
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
We put this recipe together, and the pudding was amazing. Topped with the strawberry-blueberry just took it over the top. We’re making them again this weekend!