This refreshing Berry Trifle is full of layers of fresh berries, fresh whipped cream, and homemade pound cake. It’s the perfect summer dessert and makes a festive treat for patriotic holidays too!
While I often post recipes using shortcuts, this red, white, and blue trifle is amazing with homemade ingredients. We’ll use three of my recipes to make this delicious trifle: Strawberries Lenox, Homemade Pound Cake, and 3-Ingredient Whipped Cream. I can’t tell you enough how much we enjoyed eating this! It just screams summer and I could easily eat at least half the trifle bowl all. by. myself. every time I make it.
I know time is of the essence when preparing meals and desserts, especially if you’re going to be having company, but really, do yourself and everyone a favor and make the ingredients from scratch! You can make it all ahead of time and assemble the trifle when you’re ready to serve it.
SAVE THIS BERRY TRIFLE RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
What is a Trifle?
According to Southern Living, trifles are a light dessert designed to use up leftovers and stale cake. The British who settled the coastal south brought trifles with them, and the dessert became quite popular with Southern planters.
Today, trifles are made with layers of cake, custard or pudding, and fruit, topped with fresh whipped cream. Trifles are made in a large glass bowl to showcase the beautiful layers and are considered a staple in Southern holiday cooking!
Ingredients for Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle
This beautiful trifle consists of layers to mimic the colors of the American flag, making it perfect for Memorial Day or a Fourth of July barbecue! Don’t be scared by the extensive list of ingredients and directions. It comes together quite quickly and it is SO worth it! You can save time and make this a no-bake dessert recipe by using a store-bought pound cake or Angel food cake from the grocery store.
Here’s what you need to make it:
Pound Cake Layer
- Unsalted butter (you can use salted butter, but then omit the salt below)
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Cake flour
- Kosher salt
- Pure Vanilla extract
Strawberries Lenox
- 32 ounces of strawberries, washed, cored and quartered
- Orange juice
- Granulated sugar
- Cointreau or Grand Marnier liqueur- optional
Pudding Layer
- Instant vanilla pudding (or you could use white chocolate or cheesecake flavors)
- Milk
Whipped Cream
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
Additional ingredients
- Fresh fruit (blueberries and strawberries) and mint for serving
Recipe Notes
- Be sure to prepare the strawberries first or the night before because they’ll need a couple of hours to soak up that goodness in the fridge. They can do that while you prepare and bake the cake.
- Use a 13-14 cup trifle bowl. I used one that was 12 cups and had leftover ingredients that wouldn’t fit in the bowl. It’s not a big deal if it happens. Just serve the leftovers in an additional trifle dish, make smaller individual trifles in mason jars, or serve ingredients separately like a dessert bar so people can assemble their own.
- Depending on how large your trifle bowl is, you can adjust the amount of ingredients according to how many layers you’ll have. For example, I only used half of the vanilla pudding for just one layer in the bowl and used the rest to make a smaller trifle.
How to Make a Patriotic Berry Trifle
Follow the instructions for the individual layers by clicking on the recipes below:
Directions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Assembling the Trifle
Once your layers are ready to go, it’s time to put the trifle together!
- Place an even layer of pound cake cubes on the bottom of a trifle dish.
- Then cover the cake with 1/3 of the blueberries. Drizzle a little of the juice from the Strawberries Lenox over them.
- Gently spread half of the vanilla pudding mixture over the cake and blueberries.
- Next, evenly spread one-third of the whipped cream to cover the bottom layer.
- Top the whipped cream with 1/3 of the Strawberries Lenox. You can add some juice, but I like to reserve most of it to drizzle over each layer of pound cake and add the rest to the top.
- Repeat the process until you reach the top of the bowl. Also, you can adjust or alternate your layers according to how you want it to look. The way I did it isn’t set in stone.
- Finally, top with remaining whipped cream, sprinkle with a few blueberries, and seal the deal with a few whole, fresh strawberries. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve!
FAQs
How far in advance can I assemble the trifle?
You can make your trifle 4-24 hours in advance; however, I recommend adding the top whipped cream layer and fruit right before serving.
How do I store leftover Berry Trifle?
Store this 4th of July trifle tightly covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the fridge for up to 3 days. The liquids will soften the cake layer, but it shouldn’t get soggy.
Can you freeze a trifle dessert?
Technically you can freeze it and thaw it to serve later, but because some of the layers are dairy-based, they may separate, affecting the taste and texture. I don’t recommend freezing this delicious dessert.
More Fun Patriotic Desserts
I love making themed desserts for the holidays! These fun recipes are perfect for celebrating the patriotic holidays this summer:
- Patriotic Poke Cake
- Patriotic Jello Dessert
- 4th of July Strawberries
- Red, White, and Blue Dream Bars
- Patriotic Star Rice Krispie Treats
Don’t forget the Berries!
These delicious recipes are filled with berries too:
- Baked Berry Oatmeal
- Mixed Berry Scones
- Almond Berry French Toast Casserole
- Berry Blast Green Smoothie
Way back when, I rated everything I made on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifle earned 4 rolling pins. Yuppers. You need to add this puppy to your MUST-MAKE list.
Promise.
It was devoured by our family. The first time I made it, I brought it over to Mr. 365’s aunt and uncle’s house for dinner. They loved it as well.
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Berry Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Cake Recipe Recipe below, but can also use a store bought pound cake or Angel Cake
- 1 Strawberries Lenox Recipe Recipe below.
- (1) recipe of my 3 Ingredient Whipped Cream Recipe below, or my Stabilized Whipped Cream Recipe
- 16 ounces fresh blueberries with a few set aside for garnish
Vanilla Pudding
- 5.1 ounces instant vanilla pudding You can use a different flavor. If you want a whiter pudding, use White Chocolate or Cheesecake pudding.
- 3 cups milk
Strawberries Lenox
- 32 ounces strawberries rinsed, cored and quartered (set two whole berries aside for top decoration)
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau or Grand Marnier liquor can be omitted as it will just as delicious without either.
Pound Cake
- ½ lb. unsalted butter
- 1 ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups cake flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 16 ounces heavy cream read the section in the Whipped Cream post about substituting for whipping cream, if desired.
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- additional blueberries, strawberries and fresh mint for serrving
Instructions
Strawberries Lenox
- Place cut strawberries into a medium bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together the orange juice, sugar and Blue Curaçao, if using. Pour over the strawberries and gently toss to completely coat.
- Cover and refrigerate at least two hours before using. I like to put them into a resealable bag to save some room if I know I'm tight on fridge space.
Pound Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan by buttering the pan halfway up the sides and lightly coating it with flour.
- Cream the butter, and slowly add the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until well incorporated. Add the vanilla, and mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before gently running a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen. Turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cooled, cut the loaf into one inch cubes.
Vanilla Pudding
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and vanilla pudding mix. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Whipped Cream
- Pour the heavy cream into a mixer and beat at medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until soft to medium peaks form. Gradually add sugar and vanilla while beating, turning the mixer down to low to do so before increasing the speed to finish.
Assembly
- In a 13 or 14-cup trifle bowl (see note), place a single layer of pound cake cubes on the bottom.
- Cover with 1/3 of the blueberries. Drizzle a little of the juice from the Strawberries Lenox over them.
- Gently spread half of the vanilla pudding over the cake and blueberries.
- Evenly spread 1/3 of the whipped cream to cover the bottom layer.
- Top the whipped cream with 1/3 of the Strawberries Lenox. You can add some juice, but I like to reserve most of it to drizzle over each layer of pound cake and add the rest to the top.
- Repeat process until reaching the top of the bowl. Also, you can adjust or alternate your layers according to how you want it to look. The way I didn't isn't set in stone.
- Top with remaining whipped cream, sprinkle with a few blueberries and seal the deal with those whole strawberries. Refrigerate until serving.
Notes
- Don’t be scared by the extensive list of ingredients and directions. It comes together quite quickly and it is SO worth it! You can save time if you use a store bought pound cake or Angel food cake.
- Be sure to prepare the strawberries first or the night before because they’ll need a couple hours to soak up that goodness in the fridge and can do that while you prepare and bake the cake.
- Use a 13-14 cup trifle bowl. I used one that was 12 cups and had leftover ingredients that wouldn’t fit in the bowl. Not a big deal if it happens. Just serve the leftovers in an additional trifle dish, smaller individual trifles, or separately like a dessert bar, so people can assemble their own.
- Depending on how large your trifle bowl is, you can adjust the amounts of ingredients according to how many layers you’ll have. for example, I only used half of the vanilla pudding for just one layer in the bowl, and used the rest to make a smaller trifle.
Nutrition
This post was originally published June 19, 2014. It has been updated in format and with pictures on May 24, 2024.
Comments & Reviews
This sounds delish
Have a friend that .makes one something like this. she does use a pudding in hers
Thanks so much, Pat!
I liked the airiness of the whipped cream, but I do think next time I’ll try a pudding with it just to see how it tastes.
I’m definitely going to try this. For a nonalcoholic substitute for the blue curacao I’m going to make an orange simple syrup.
Great idea, Jean!
I’m sure it will taste just as good!