Mixed Berry Trifle

Our Mixed Berry Trifle is made with layers of fresh berries, chunks of sweet pound cake smeared with a little strawberry jam and a luscious vanilla cream custard. This lovely dessert is great for any occasion, it’s easy to make and it serves a crowd!

Trifles are like cookies; there are endless variations and flavor combinations limited only by our imagination. No matter what you put in a trifle it feels like a celebration dessert and perfect for holidays. Our Mixed Berry Trifle is great for patriotic holidays and is best made ahead so the flavors blend together and meld into this nice fluffy dessert.

Many trifle recipes include pudding as the creamy layer and while I don’t have anything against pudding, I prefer this eggy vanilla cream custard. It’s thicker than pudding, doesn’t sink to the bottom of the bowl and is light and fluffy too. You can use any kind of cake in this recipe but I wanted something that would hold together well because I was serving the trifle the next day. I used half my favorite Pound Cake recipe and was thrilled with the results. Each piece of cake is smeared with a little strawberry or raspberry jam before being layered into the trifle. That little touch of jam really adds tons of flavor and a nice jammy tang to each bite.

I love the red, white and blue theme and could serve this for any or all of the patriotic holidays in the United States.

All you need is a 4 quart trifle bowl, or make mini-trifles by using a bunch of small clear bowls or jars. I love being able to see the layers but this trifle will be just as good in a regular large mixing bowl too.

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Mixed Berry Trifle Recipe

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

With layers of fresh berries, chunks of sweet pound cake, a little strawberry jam and a luscious vanilla cream custard. This lovely dessert is great for any occasion and it serves a crowd!

Course: Dessert

Servings: 12

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the fruit:

• 3 cups strawberries, sliced in half or quartered, plus more for top garnish
• 3 cups blueberries, plus 1/2 cup for top garnish

For the cake layer:

• 1 prepared pound cake large loaf size - or two small store-bought cut into cubes (trimmed of dark edges if preferred)
• 1 cup strawberry or raspberry jam

For the vanilla custard:

• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature, cut into small pieces
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions

To prepare the vanilla custard:

1. Fill a medium saucepan half-full with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.

2. In a large heat-proof mixing bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. This mixture will be super thick but once warmed the sugar will melt. Set the bowl with the egg mixture on top of the hot water creating a double boiler (the bowl should not touch the water.) Cook, whisking constantly for 8-10 minutes or until the eggs thicken and the sugar is no longer grainy. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. This is your sabayon.

3. Add the cream cheese to the sabayon in pieces, and blend with a rubber spatula until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. The cream cheese will mix-in easier if it’s room temperature or slightly warm.

4. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream to stiff (but not dry) peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold about 1/3 of the custard into the whipped cream taking care not to deflate the mixture. Add the remaining custard and blend until smooth. The vanilla custard should be light and fluffy.

To assemble the trifle:

1. Spread a small amount of jam on one side of each piece of pound cake. This can be done as you add them to the bowl if desired.

2. - Line the bottom (around the outside edge) of a 4-quart trifle bowl with sliced strawberries in a decorative pattern if desired. Fill-in the bottom of the bowl with 1/3 of the cake slices, jam side up.

   - Top the cake layer with 1/3 of the vanilla custard. Spread evenly.

   - Add the blueberries on top of the custard.

   - Add half the remaining cake cubes on top of the blueberries, jam side up.

   - Add half the remaining vanilla custard.

   - Layer the strawberries over the custard, reserving those set aside for garnish.

   - Top with the remaining cake cubes, jam side up.

   - Spread the remaining vanilla custard on top.

   - Garnish with sliced strawberries and blueberries in a decorative pattern.

3. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. May be made a day in advance.

Recipe Notes

We use half our favorite Pound Cake Recipe found HERE

 

You can substitute 1 prepared angel food cake for the pound cake if desired.

 

The layers go like this, top to bottom:

• Strawberry and blueberry garnish
• 1/3 vanilla cream
• 1/3 cake with jam
• strawberries
• 1/3 vanilla cream
• 1/3 cake with jam
• blueberries
• 1/3 vanilla cream
• 1/3 cake with jam and outside edge lined with strawberries

Here is a link to a pretty trifle bowl perfect for making this dessert – click on the photo for more information:

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You might also like this patriotic themed holiday dessert for Star-Studded Berry Tarts with Vanilla Pastry Cream. All it takes is a little red, white, and blue and a star or two and you’re ready to celebrate!

How about this Nectarine Blueberry Pie for a little holiday themed dessert? Complete with how-to video … check it out!

You gotta check out this easy and absolutely perfect Flag Cupcake Cake from I Am Baker. It’s such a wonderful patriotic dessert and so pretty too. Another crowd favorite and fun celebration treat is this Patriotic Party Mix from The Baker Mama. Also loving this beautiful Patriotic Stars and Stripes Berry Pie from That Skinny Chick Can Bake, so creative!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia