Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifle

5 from 1 vote

Fresh, juicy berries are layered with cake and cream cheese whipped topping in this festive berry trifle.

Prep Time30

Cook Time5

Chill Time1

Total Time1 35

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: British-Inspired

Servings: servings

Calories: 360kcal

¼ cup sugar
Juice and zest from one large lemon about 3 tablespoons juice and 2 teaspoons zest
¼ cup water
8 ounce cream cheese softened
⅔ cup powdered sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 premade 16-ounce vanilla pound cake or angel food cake cut into 1” cubes (about 8 cups worth of cubes)
4 cups fresh blueberries plus more for garnish if desired
4 cups hulled and sliced fresh strawberries

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine ¼ cup sugar, Juice and zest from one large lemon, and ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat together 8 ounce cream cheese and ⅔ cup powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl until well combined.
Add in 2 cups heavy whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and beat on medium-high speed until medium peaks form—about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In the bottom of an approximately 120-ounce trifle bowl or another large bowl, layer half the cake cubes (from 1 premade 16-ounce vanilla pound cake or angel food cake). Drizzle half of the lemon syrup over the cake cubes.
Top the cake with half of the blueberries. Spread a layer of half of the cream mixture over top of the blueberries, then top with half of the strawberry slices.
Layer in the remaining cake cubes, drizzling with the remaining lemon syrup. Top the cake with the remaining blueberries, the remaining cream mixture, and then the rest of the strawberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern if you desire (you can use a few more blueberries here to make a pretty patriotic design).
Cover the trifle and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Can be made 8-12 hours in advance.

Both pound cake and angel food cake work well for this trifle! The pound cake makes for a rich dessert, while the angel food cake is a lighter option perfect for those hot summer holidays!
Feel free to mix up the berries used! Blackberries and raspberries are also great additions. Fresh and in-season berries are the best, so use whatever you can get your hands on.