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Easy Homemade Trifle

This trifle recipe is the perfect summer dessert! It’s light, no-bake and filled with layers of angel food cake, pudding and fresh berries.

The fruit and angel food cake in this dessert are super light, making this dessert perfect for warm summer days when you want something fresh and simple! Plus, trifles are typically great for making ahead. And if you happen to have a cake disaster, they are a great way to use up that cake. Just layer it in pieces with fruit and whipped cream, and you’ve got a great treat!

What You’ll Need

This trifle is made with layers of fresh berries, angel food cake, cheesecake flavored pudding and whipped cream. Although the finished dessert may look fancy, you only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe.

  • Instant cheesecake flavored pudding mix – You could also use vanilla pudding!
  • Milk
  • Angel food cake cut into pieces – You can use homemade angel food cake, or store bought. Pound cake or regular vanilla cake works too.
  • Mixed berries – Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries
  • Use different fruits: Like diced peaches, mangos and nectarines. Those would all go wonderfully with the berries too!
  • Whipped Cream – We prefer homemade whipped cream, but you could also use Cool Whip or even this strawberry whipped cream!

Ingredients

  • two 3.4 oz packages instant cheesecake flavored pudding mix*
  • 4 cups (960ml) milk
  • 1 1/2 cups (360ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
  • 3/4 cup (86g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Angel food cake (about 12 oz), cut into pieces
  • 1 cup (156g) chopped strawberries*
  • 1 cup (130g) blueberries*
  • 1 cup (128g) raspberries*
  • Additional berries for decorating

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How to Make a Trifle

One of the best things about trifles is that putting them together doesn’t require that much work. In fact, if you have kids around the house this is the perfect kind of recipe for them to help with! They can mix the pudding and help layer the berries, pudding, cake and whipped cream into your serving bowl.

Here’s how to do it:

Prepare your ingredients

  • Make the pudding according to the package instructions
  • Cut your angel food cake into cubes
  • Gather your berries.
  • Make your whipped cream if using homemade, or get your Cool Whip ready.

Assemble the trifle and chill

  • In a trifle dish or serving bowl, layer about half of the angel food cake pieces.
  • Top the cake pieces with about half of the pudding.

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  • Add a layer of berries, about 1/2 a cup of each kind of berry.
  • Top the berries with whipped cream or Cool Whip.

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  • Repeat with one more layer of each layer, finishing with more berries on top.

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  • Decorate the top of your trifle as desired. I added some additional piped whipped cream and more berries.
  • Refrigerate your trifle until you’re ready to serve. It should chill for at least one hour.

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Can I Make a Trifle in Advance?

Definitely! Trifles do store well, but we wouldn’t make it more than a day ahead simply because the cake layers can start to get too soft and the fruit might not stay fresh.

Can I Freeze It?

we would not recommend freezing a trifle. The texture would change too much during the initial freezing process, and then again when you defrost it.

Instructions

  1. Add pudding mix and milk to a large bowl and whisk together for about 2 minutes. Set aside.
  2. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until it reaches stiff peaks. Set aside.
  3. Add about half of the angel food cake pieces to the trifle dish in an even layer. Place pieces around the edge first so that they look nice, then fill in the center.
  4. Top the cake with about 1/2 of the prepared pudding.
  5. Add some sliced strawberries around the edge of the trifle dish, where you’ll be putting the berries. Fill in the layer with about 1/2 a cup of each kind of berry.
  6. Top the berries with about half of the cool whip and spread into an even layer.
  7. Repeat steps 2-4, then pipe the remaining whipped cream on top of the trifle in a fun design. I piped shells around the outer edge a few times.
  8. Fill in the center of the whipped cream with additional berries and decorate as desired.
  9. Refrigerate for about 2-3 hours, until ready to serve. Trifle is best stored covered in the fridge and eaten within 1-3 days.