• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Feels Like Home™ logo

  • Shop
    • Christianity Downloads
    • Family Downloads
    • Food & Cooking Downloads
    • Hobbies & Crafts Downloads
    • Learning Downloads
  • Blog
  • Family
    • Parenting
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Marriage
    • Kids activities
      • Kids Crafts
      • Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers
      • Christmas Crafts for Kids
      • Christmas Crafts for Tweens & Teens
    • Learning
      • Reading & Writing
      • STEM
  • Faith
    • Bible Study
    • Encouragement
  • Recipes
    • Comfort Food
    • Eating after Bariatric Surgery
    • Gluten-Free
    • Recipes for Foodie Kids
    • Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals
  • Health
    • Mental Health
      • Hobbies & Crafts
      • Self-Care
    • Physical Health
      • Bariatric Surgery
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • SHOP
  • RECIPES
  • FAMILY
  • FAITH
  • HEALTH
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    See More:   Comfort Food Desserts Holiday Meals Raising Foodie Kids Recipes for Beginners

    Last Modified: Aug 9, 2022 by Tara Ziegmont Leave a Comment

    Easy No Bake Berry Trifle – A Patriotic Dessert

    410FacebookMessenger22PinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    432
    SHARES
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This easy no bake berry trifle is perfect for feeding a crowd on Memorial Day, July 4th, or anytime this summer. With pound cake, fluffy whipped cream, and fresh strawberries and blueberries, everyone is sure to love this patriotic dessert!

    red white and blue trifle with pound cakePin

    Many years ago, I bought a trifle bowl. I think it was either right before or right after my wedding, and I had grand intentions of making trifles to show it off. It has a pretty pedestal and stands up off the counter and is beautiful.

    Unfortunately, I think I've used it exactly once in my entire life, and it just collects dust in its box on top of my kitchen cabinets. Life is hard.

    I have started doing a lot more cooking and baking with 10-year-old Allie who takes 4-10 cooking classes a week (yes, ten - she doubles up a lot of days!). I help out as her sous chef, and everyone knows that the sous chef is the real worker while the head chef takes all the credit. Like I said, life is hard.

    Anyway, we are cooking and baking all the time, and I have decided that we are going to get out my old tools, bakeware, and serving pieces and make use of them like we never have before. We have the stuff, why not get it out?

    I'm excited for our new culinary adventures, and this trifle was one of our first stops as we set out.

    What exactly is a trifle?

    Today's trifle comes from the French word trufle which means something whimsical. Traditionally, an English trifle had layers of fruit, sponge cake, and custard, all topped with mounds of whipped cream.

    American trifles are about as easy as desserts can be, typically made of layers of cubed cake, pudding or some other filling, and fresh fruit. Like their English ancestors, they also usually have whipped cream on top.

    Flavors and layers vary in American trifles. If you search for trifle on Pinterest, you will find fresh fruit trifles like red white and blue berry trifle below, other fresh fruit trifles, chocolate brownie trifles, and even Oreo trifles. The sky is the limit - anything with layers of baked goods and something fluffy seem to be called a trifle. Some don't even have fruit!

    One of the reasons they're so popular is that trifles are great for making ahead. Plus, if you have a cake disaster (not that I know anything about that {ahem}, a trifle is a great way to use up the cake. You just cut or crumble it, layer it in pieces with fruit and whipped cream, and you’ve got a fancy dessert.

    Most trifles are made in deep, round glass bowls (called - are you ready for it? Trifle bowls!) where you can see all the layers of the trifle. They are lovely, even the ones made from cake wrecks.

    An even easier berry trifle recipe

    This recipe is as simple and easy as a recipe can get, with a white lemon glaze brushed over the cut up cake and a fluffy cream cheese filling in between the layers. However, it does take a few minutes to make those elements. If you want to go even simpler and easier, buy a cake, eliminate the glaze, and use thawed whipped topping from a tub in place of the cream cheese. That means that all you'll have to do is cut the cake into slices then cubes and stack the layers. It would be done in literally less than 5 minutes, if you count washing and slicing the strawberries and cutting the cake.

    How to make a no bake berry trifle for the 4th of July

    No bake berry trifle ingredients

    For the lemon glazed pound cake

    • Juice of 1 to 2 lemons - Does anyone still use lemon juice from a bottle? I hope not, but even if you do, don't use it in this recipe. You will definitely taste a difference if you use fresh lemon juice. A citrus press makes this step super easy.
    • White sugar
    • Water
    • Almond extract - It might sound strange, but almond extract sends the cake over the moon. It's so good.
    • 1 pre-made pound cake (or angel food cake if preferred) - I like this trifle with pound cake because it's rich and dense. See note below on using angel food cake instead.

    For the cream cheese filling

    • 16 ounces cream cheese - I recommend using neufchâtel cheese which is identical to cream cheese but has significantly less sugar and fat. You can find it with the cream cheese in the dairy aisle of the grocery store. If neufchâtel is even too rich for your taste or your diet, see the notes below for a lower calorie alternative.
    • ⅔ cup sugar - You need this to sweeten the cream cheese.
    • 2 cups heavy cream - If you are calorie conscious, you could use light or sugar free whipped topping from a tub, but do be aware that you will lose some of the rich flavor that I intended in the original recipe. The heavy cream whips up nicely and makes the trifle really smooth and creamy.

    For the fruit

    • 2 quarts strawberries sliced - The berries will need to be washed, dried, and sliced before assembling the berry trifle. It is best to use a salad/berry spinner to dry them after washing, although you could use a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to dry each berry individually if you wanted to drive yourself crazy. Also, it is best to do the washing and drying a few hours in advance if possible so that they have time to finish drying before assembling the trifle.
    • 3 pints blueberries - Use fresh, local berries if you can find them.

    No bake berry trifle instructions

    Assembling this beautiful red, white, and blue dessert is so easy that you could give the task to your kids. If you don't allow them to use the stove, you will have to make the lemon glaze, but then they can go to town. I do think the glaze makes the final berry trifle pop, but if you really wanted to, you could leave it out and just proceed with the cream cheese filling.

    For the lemon glazed pound cake

    1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together sugar, lemon juice, and water. Stir frequently until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and whisk in almond extract. Set aside to cool.
    2. Cut the pound cake into 1-inch slices and then cut the slices into cubes. Use a basting brush to slather glaze on at least two sides of each cube. Set aside to dry.

    For the cream cheese filling

    1. Using a mixer on medium speed, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
    2. Add heavy cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

    For the trifle

    1. Arrange half of the glazed cake on the bottom of the trifle bowl, then top with ⅓ of the cream cheese filling. Top the filling with sliced strawberries and blueberries then repeat the layers. Top the blueberries with the rest of the cream cheese filling, then all the rest of the berries.
    2. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

    I love the flavors in this trifle, but if you want a really, really quick and easy version, you can buy a pre-made and pre-glazed poundcake and cut it into cubes. Use whipped topping from a tub in place of the cream cheese filling and layer with the strawberries and blueberries. Voilà, nearly instant trifle.

    Is this berry trifle really no bake?

    Yes, you need a cake in a trifle. There's no way around it. I called it no bake because you could very easily bake the cake at a different time or even buy the cake. There's no need to bake a cake to make the trifle.

    There's absolutely no shame in buying a day-old pound cake, bundt cake, or angel food cake at the grocery store and using that in this recipe. It will be delicious, and it won't heat up your house in the heat of the summer.

    A lower calorie berry trifle recipe

    As it is written, this beautiful berry trifle has a lot of calories, especially from the cake and the filling, approximately 334 per 1/16 of the trifle.

    However, a trifle doesn't have to be a calorie bomb. In fact, there are a lot of substitutions that you can make to bring the calorie count down without sacrificing much of the flavor.

    Cake substitutions

    The recipe calls for a pound cake because pound cake is rich and dense. You can however use an angel food cake with great results. The angel food cake is light and springy and reduces the calories in the trifle considerably, from 334 calories per serving to about 175 calories per serving.

    Filling substitutions

    The filling for the berry trifle as written is a sweet cream cheese frosting beat together with homemade whipped cream. There are two different substitutions you could make here to lighten the recipe. First, you could use neufchâtel cheese which is almost exactly like cream cheese but with less fat and sugar and subsequently, fewer calories.

    Or, if you wanted to significantly lighten the recipe, you could substitute the entire cream cheese filling for sugar free fat free instant pudding. Use vanilla, white chocolate, or cheesecake flavor, and consider mixing the finished pudding with sugar free whipped topping to make it fluffier.

    Every trifle needs cake - cake options

    My recipe calls for a pound cake because it is dense and rich, but you could use any boxed mix cake, the almond cake from this recipe, or an unfrosted cake from the store bakery. Any vanilla, almond, lemon, or butter cake will work. I've also had nice berry trifles made with angel food cake which is light and airy and pretty much the opposite of pound cake but also very delicious.

    A berry trifle needs berries, but...

    This recipe is easy to customize, and you can use any fruit you like. If you’re making it for a patriotic holiday, try to stick to red, white, and blue colored fruit. Here are a few suggestions. Don't try to use them all at once; that would be gross.

    • Red – cherries, strawberries, red raspberries, watermelon, pomegranate, cranberries
    • White – pears, apples, white nectarines, white peaches
    • Blue – blackberries, blueberries

    Store berry trifle in the refrigerator

    Berry trifle needs to be kept refrigerated both before and after serving because the berries will spoil and the cream cheese filling could sour. It needs to chill for at least an hour or two before serving and can be made up to a full day ahead.

    This trifle recipe makes a lot, so if you have leftovers, you will also need to store them in the fridge. I wouldn't try to keep them for more than two or three days though, because berries have a short shelf life and also because the cake will get soggy.

    TRY THESE OTHER PATRIOTIC RECIPES:

    • How to Make Layered Red White and Blue Jello
    • Red, White, & Blue Fruit Salad
    • Easy No Bake Berry Trifle
    • 30 Fun Fourth of July Crafts, Activities, Printables, & Foods for Kids

    AND THESE OTHER BERRY TREATS:

    • Fresh Raspberry Sauce for Cheesecake, Ice Cream, or Shortcake
    • French Toast Sticks with Raspberry Dipping Sauce
    • Raspberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
    • Easy Homemade Raspberry Pie
    • Easy No Bake Berry Trifle – A Patriotic Dessert
    • Fluffy Cranberry Fruit Salad with Pineapple
    • How to Make Strawberry Overnight Oats
    red white and blue trifle with pound cake

    Easy No Bake Berry Trifle – A Patriotic Dessert for July 4th

    This easy no bake berry trifle is perfect for feeding a crowd on Memorial Day, July 4th, or anytime this summer. With pound cake, fluffy whipped cream, and fresh strawberries and blueberries, everyone is sure to love this patriotic dessert!
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 25 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 16 people
    Calories 334 kcal

    Equipment

    • Salad-berry spinner
    • Egg slicer
    • Citrus juicer
    • Basting brush
    • Electric mixer
    • Colander
    • Strawberry corer
    • Trifle bowl

    Ingredients
      

    For the lemon glaze

    • ¼ cup lemon juice juice of 1 ½ to 2 lemons
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • ¼ cup water
    • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
    • 1 premade pound cake or angel food cake if preferred

    For the cream cheese filling

    • 16 ounces cream cheese 2 blocks, softened
    • ⅔ cup sugar
    • 2 cups heavy cream

    For the fruit

    • 2 quart strawberries washed, dried, and sliced
    • 3 pints blueberries washed and dried

    Instructions
     

    For the lemon glazed pound cake

    • In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together sugar, lemon juice, and water. Stir frequently until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and whisk in almond extract. Set aside to cool.
    • Cut the pound cake into 1-inch slices and then cut the slices into cubes. Use a basting brush to slather glaze on at least two sides of each cube. Set aside to dry.

    For the cream cheese filling

    • Using a mixer on medium speed, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

    For the trifle

    • Arrange half of the glazed cake on the bottom of the trifle bowl, then top with ⅓ of the cream cheese filling. Top the filling with sliced strawberries and blueberries then repeat the layers. Top the blueberries with the rest of the cream cheese filling, then all the rest of the berries.
    • Cover and refrigerate until serving.

    Notes

    I love the flavors in this trifle, but if you want a really, really quick and easy version, you can buy a pre-made and pre-glazed poundcake and cut it into cubes. Use whipped topping from a tub in place of the cream cheese filling and layer with the strawberries and blueberries. Voilà, nearly instant trifle.

    Cake options

    My recipe calls for a pound cake because it is dense and rich, but you could use any boxed mix cake, the almond cake from this recipe, or an unfrosted cake from the store bakery. Any vanilla, almond, lemon, or butter cake will work. I've also had nice berry trifles made with angel food cake which is light and airy and pretty much the opposite of pound cake but also very delicious.

    Fruit options

    This recipe is easy to customize, and you can use any fruit you like. If you’re making it for a patriotic holiday, try to stick to red, white, and blue colored fruit. Here are a few suggestions. Don't try to use them all at once; that would be gross.
    • Red – cherries, strawberries, red raspberries, watermelon, pomegranate, cranberries
    • White – pears, apples, white nectarines, white peaches
    • Blue – blackberries, blueberries

    Nutrition

    Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 315mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Pin it for later!Follow @FeelsLikeHome or tag #FeelsLikeHomeBlog!
    410FacebookMessenger22PinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    432
    SHARES

    More Desserts

    • The Best Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
    • How to Make the Best Pumpkin Dump Cake
    • Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
    • Pancake Tacos

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tara.

    Harrisburg PA mom blogger Tara Ziegmont
    I am passionate about helping women to care for themselves and their families physically, emotionally, and spiritually by making time for what matters most through a combination of delectable recipes, Christian inspiration, and family fun. If you're tired of feeling so weary and uninspired, you're in the right place. I'm so glad you're here!
    Read more about me...

    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram LinkedIn email me subscribe

    Popular Recipes

    • Cheeseburger Soup from Taste of Home
    • Cracker Barrel Copycat Fried Apples
    • Sweet Balsamic Pork Roast in the Instant Pot
    • Couldn't Be Easier Cherry Pie

    Food with an Instant Pot in the background

    AS SEEN ON

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Popular Bible Studies

    • A Grateful Heart - 2 week printable study
    • 10 Bible Verses on Anger
    • 13 Bible Verses on Disappointment
    • 50 Bible Verses Every Christian Should Know
    • 10 Bible Verses to Overcome Worry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    As seen on

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Contact Tara


    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy.

    Copyright © 2022 Feels Like Home Blog

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    SettingsAccept
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT