Strawberry Shortcake Pudding (No Pudding Mix!)

Vanilla pudding:

1. Add the 1 ½ cup heavy cream, whole milk and vanilla to a saucepan and place on the stove on low heat
2. In the meanwhile, add the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt to a heat-safe bowl and whisk for ~60 seconds until a pale mixture forms (it will look too dry at first but just keep whisking!)
3. Once the cream and milk mixture starts to simmer, remove it from the stove. Slowly pour about a quarter of it into the egg yolk mixture, while whisking constantly. This will temper the egg yolks and prevent them from curdling. Now pour all of the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan
4. Return the saucepan to the stove. Cook on low heat and stir continuously for ~5 minutes, or until the mixture turns into a smooth, thick custard. It will thicken up quickly once it starts to boil due to the cornstarch, so it is important to keep an eye on it and keep stirring. It's done when it is thick enough to hold shape (if you run a whisk or spoon through it, it will leave behind an indentation that doesn't just dissolve right away)
5. Strain the hot custard into a large heat-safe bowl to remove any lumps, and add the cubed butter. Wait for 5 minutes to allow the butter to melt, then gently stir it in
6. The custard is ready (also called a crème pâtissière). Cover it with cling wrap so it touches the surface of the custard, and refrigerate for ~1-2 hours until the custard is fully cooled down and "set" (it should feel much thicker and semi-firm)
7. Once the custard has chilled and set, add the remaining 1 ½ cup cold heavy cream to a bowl, and whisk it using an electric mixer or a stand mixer until it reaches stiff peaks. It should be able to hold shape. Be careful not to over-mix as that can cause the cream to become grainy
8. Remove the custard from the fridge and slowly stir it with a spatula. Add the custard into the whipped cream in 2-3 batches, and fold very gently and slowly with a rubber spatula until just combined for each addition. The result will be a creamy, light and fluffy vanilla pudding (creme diplomat)

Assembly:

1. Add about a quarter of the vanilla pudding into a 9x13" oval casserole dish (or other serving dish of similar size) and spread it out. Cover with an even layer of closely packed Nilla wafers, and then an even layer of the strawberries
2. Repeat three times so you have 4 full layers of pudding, wafers and strawberries. For the last layer, instead of placing the wafers and strawberries in 2 separate layers, I like to arrange them in a decorative pattern (as shown in the photos above). I also like adding the last layer of strawberries 1-2 hours before serving so they still look fresh! 
3. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate the pudding overnight, or for at least 3 hours to allow it to set, and the wafers to absorb the moisture and become soft
4. Scoop, serve and enjoy!