Strawberry Shortcake Trifle- Two Ways

I've been seeing this tasty looking Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake Parfait pin crop up recently, and decided to give it a try this weekend.  While the flavors all seemed spot on, it didn't really look like an appealing dessert.  I decided to try two approaches- a traditional trifle with the components layered, and the mashed up style of the original recipe.  The "pudding" style (as I've dubbed it) does have the benefit of fixing the one thing I don't like about trifles- that you have to get a perfect spoonful through all the layers to get the flavors together.  After having tried both, I have to say that I like the pudding better!  I'll leave it to you to judge for yourself.  :)

The Odd Couple: The Neat and Tidy Trifle and the Wonderful Mess Pudding

[Note: The ingredients are the same for both approaches; the only difference is in whether you layer these ingredients or mix em all up.]

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup lemon curd (or lemon pudding, or lemon meringue pie filling if you can't find/don't want to make lemon curd; the trade off is that these have milder flavors)
• 1 pound or more strawberries, chopped
• 1 whole angel food cake (store bought is JUST FINE here), cut into bite-size pieces

Directions

1. Whip the whipping cream on high speed ~1 minute, using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer.  Reduce speed to medium and gradually add powdered sugar, then vanilla.  Return speed to high and beat another minute or more until whipped cream is fluffy and reaches appropriate consistency.  Turn off mixer.  If using a stand mixer, switch to beater attachment.
2. Add mascarpone cheese to whipped cream, and mix on medium speed until incorporated.
3. Fold in lemon curd by hand.
4. For the Trifle: Layer a large bowl or trifle dish first with angel food cake pieces, then whipped cream mixture, then strawberries.  Repeat layers, finishing with strawberries on top.
5. For the Pudding: Fold strawberries and angel food cake into the whipped cream mixture.  Serve in small cups and top with strawberry garnish.