Fresh Berry Trifle

This fresh berry trifle uses lemon whipped cream, angel food cake, and raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. It’s a must for summer!

This is the easiest fresh berry trifle, no cooking required! Angel food cake layered with lemony whipped cream and an abundance of fresh berries.

A must make for any summer get together and the perfect patriotic dessert for any red, white and blue gathering. Hello, Fourth of July!

Why I love this recipe

Growing up, my mom made a berry trifle for July 4th and Memorial Day almost every year. It’s a patriotic red, white, and blue recipe, and it also felt like the official dessert for the start of summer.

I took her simple berry trifle and added one of my favorite dessert ingredients: lemon curd! It’s no secret that I love lemons and use them heavily in my dessert recipes (like my lemon crinkle cookies and citrus almond cookies!)

A little lemon curd along with fresh whipped cream is so luscious and sweet– the perfect addition to light and airy angel food cake and plenty of berries.

Ingredient Notes

• Lemon Curd: I buy the lemon curd from Trader Joe’s as I think it’s affordable and delicious. You can also make your own or use another brand. Lemon curd is very tart and sweet, so I only use a cup for this recipe, but feel free to use less or more depending on your taste preference.
• Fresh Berries: Make this fresh berry trifle when berries are at their peak! As they provide so much of the flavor and sweetness in this recipe, the quality and taste of your berries will matter. You can use an assortment of whatever berries you like. I used raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries as I had them on hand, but any works.
• Angel Food Cake: I prefer angel food cake as its light and airy taste balances well with the cream and berries; however, for a richer dessert, you can substitute pound cake.
• Whipping Cream: I use a heavy whipping cream as I find that making my own is much better than using prepared whipped cream. Once you try homemade whipped cream you’ll never touch Cool Whip again! If you want a dairy-free version of this cake, then I’d recommend using coconut whipped cream like I do in my coconut cream parfaits.

Variations for using frozen berries

If you don’t have fresh berries or want to make this in the fall or winter, then you can use frozen berries instead! If you want to use frozen berries instead of the fresh, you’ll need:

• 16 oz (about 3 cups) frozen mixed berries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (adjust to taste based on sweetness of berries and preference)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water

In a medium saucepan, combine the frozen mixed berries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries release their juices, about 5-7 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the simmering berry mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to your desired consistency. Remove from heat and let cool completely before layering into the trifle.

How to Make this Berry Trifle

Make the Cream

Place the heavy cream in the base of a stand mixer and whip until soft peaks form. This will take about 6-8 minutes on medium-low speed. You can make this using a hand mixer in a large mixing bowl, but it’s so much easier if you use a stand mixer!

Add in the lemon curd

In a small bowl, add the lemon curd along with about 1/2 cup or so of the whipped cream to help to loosen it. This helps make the lemon curd easier to add to the whipped cream without losing the peaks that you just made!

Fold the lemon curd with the whipped cream back into the whipped cream bowl and mix together 1-2 times.

Assemble

Place a layer of the lemon whipped cream at the bottom of a trifle dish or a large bowl. A trifle dish is best as it allows you to see al the layers and makes for a gorgeous berry trifle, but a large glass bowl works too. Add a layer of the cubed or sliced angel food cake, pressing the cake into the cream layer.

Add a layer of the fruit. You can combine all of the fruit together in a large bowl first, but to save washing another bowl, I just add the berries right onto the cake, taking care to distribute the berries on the cake.

Add a layer of the lemon whipped cream.

Continue, adding another layer of cake, fruit, cream, and then finishing with fruit to garnish. Depending on the size of your trifle bowl, you may have another layer in there.

Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, then serve. I like to garnish with fresh mint for a nice pop of color on top!

Storage

To store this fresh berry trifle, cover tightly with plastic wrap to create an airtight seal. This helps to prevent the trifle from drying out and absorbing any other odors from the fridge.

While this berry trifle is often best enjoyed the day it’s made, you can store the trifle for 2-3 days, though the cake layers may soften over time as they absorb moisture from the berries and cream.

Helpful Tips for Success

I like to assemble this fresh berry trifle a few hours to up to a day in advance to allow the flavors to meld, but avoid making it too far ahead, as the cake can eventually soften.

I don’t macerate the berries first as I find that they can become too mushy over time, but if you are serving this right away, then you can. To do this, sprinkle a little sugar and lemon juice over the berries and let them sit for 10 minutes, then layer them as directed here.

More Summer Desserts

• Creamy Acai Popsicles
• Vegan Peach Cobbler
• Sunset Orange Popsicles
• Easy Peach Crisp for Two
• Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
• Peach Pie Bars
• Vegan Cherry Cobbler

If you try this fresh berry trifle, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!