Red White and Blue Trifle | Recipe for Berry Trifle

A Red White and Blue Trifle is perfect for summertime! This recipe for berry trifle is easy to make and it can feed a crowd! Good for barbecues, picnics and parties!

When it comes to dessert recipes in the summertime, I really like it when they’re simple. I love all the fresh berries that are available and will fully gorge myself on things like easy cobblers, berry salads and simple pies. I’m a berry girl through and through, and my recipe for berry trifle is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make.

This recipe is a fun bonus because it’s also a red white and blue trifle, which means it’s an easy dessert that no only works for summer, but also for summer holidays. I included blueberries, strawberries and black berries in my recipe for berry trifle and made this one using my white cake recipe {HERE}. However, you can use angel food cake or a store bought cake if you want to skip the baking and make it faster. But the one piece of this you don’t want to skip is the no-bake, cheesecake like filling that makes this dessert feel light and some how decadent at the same time.

What exactly is a trifle?

A trifle is actually a British dessert and is traditionally made with thin layers of sponge cake, fruit or jelly and custard. It’s customary to soak the sponge cake in sherry or even wine; however, I’ve skipped that in my recipe for berry trifle. I wanted this to be 100 percent kid appropriate since it is a summertime dessert for our family that they absolutely love.

Generally, you have several layers in a trifle. My recipe for berry trifle includes about six different layers that consist of my white cake, the berries and my cheesecake-like filling.

My recipe for berry trifle

As I’ve mentioned I use several berries in my recipe for berry trifle to make it a fun, summer dessert that’s perfect for the warm weather holidays. But this red white and blue trifle can really be made with any kind of berry you love. I had raspberries that I thought about tossing in but decided to add them to a fruit salad side dish.

If you decide not to use my white cake recipe, I recommend using an angel cake or you could even use a pound cake. You just want something that’s going to provide a good base for the the cheesecake layer and work well with your berries.

As for the cheesecake layer, that combines cream cheese, heavy cream, vanilla and confectioners sugar to give you a light, fluffy layer of creamy goodness. Admittedly, it’s my favorite part and it truly makes the dessert come alive. It compliments that berries and the cake so well and it will almost feel like you’re eating a berry shortcake.

Tips for making my recipe for berry trifle

• You can make this ahead of time making it the ultimate dessert for a party or holiday. I made this 24 hours in advance, covered it and put it in the refrigerator. My in-laws ate it the next two nights for dessert. However, I find the cake starts to dry out after 24 hour so I recommend just a day ahead of time.
• I don’t add any extra sugar to the berries I use. I slide them and then just add them in. But, if you want a little extra sweetness you can mix the berries with a tablespoon of sugar and let them sit in a bowl for 10 minutes before combining everything.
• If you’re making my white cake, you can make that up to 24 hours before you put the red white and blue trifle together.
• The cheesecake layer needs to be kept cold so after you make it, either assemble the berry trifle right away or stick the cheesecake-like layer in the refrigerator after mixing.
• If you need a good trifle bowl, I like this option {HERE} and this one {HERE}.

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope that you love my recipe for berry trifle and that you comeback and visit again! You can find the full, printable recipe below. For more summer recipes, click {HERE}.

Recipe for Berry Trifle | Red White and Blue Trifle

This recipe for berry trifle is a delicious way to celebrate summer and have dessert! Make sure to save it today!

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British

Keyword: berry trifle, recipe for berry trifle, red white and blue trifle

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Assembly time: 10 minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• Trifle bowl

Ingredients

Cake layer

• 1 white cake, pound cake or angel food cake Cut into 2-inch squares

Berries

• 4 cups blueberries
• 3 cups strawberries, sliced in half
• 1 1/2 cup blackberries

Cheesecake layer

• 32 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

• Start by lining the bottom of the trifle dish stand with squares of the white cake.
• Next add in a layer of the cheesecake filling. Use a spatula to smooth it out.
• Layer in about half the berries.
• Add in another layer of cake. For this layer, I cut make cake pieces in half to make them a little smaller.
• Add in another layer of cheesecake-like filling.
• Top with berries.
• Refrigerate until needed or serve immediately .