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This easy berry trifle with angel food cake is the perfect summer dessert! Made with fresh berries, pudding, whipped topping, and cake layers, it’s perfect for the Fourth of July, cookouts, and parties.
Easy Berry Trifle with Angel Food Cake
This berry trifle with angel food cake is one of my favorite easy summer desserts for cookouts, holidays, and warm weather gatherings. Made with fresh berries, fluffy whipped topping, pudding, and layers of soft angel food cake, this simple trifle recipe is perfect for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, baby showers, or anytime you need a quick layered dessert everyone loves.
Why You’ll Love This Berry Trifle
- Made with simple ingredients like angel food cake, pudding, whipped topping, and fresh berries
- The perfect easy summer dessert for cookouts, BBQs, and Fourth of July parties
- Looks beautiful layered in a trifle dish with bright strawberries and blueberries
- Can easily be made ahead of time for parties and gatherings
- Light, fluffy, creamy, and refreshing for warm weather
- Great way to feed a crowd with very little prep work
- Kids and adults both love this easy berry dessert recipe
PATRIOTIC TREAT
This angel food cake berry trifle is delicious all year round but the bright colors of red and blue makes this a perfect patriotic treat without spending a lot of time making it. Which is just the way I like to cook 🙂
For picnics and larger gatherings I like to layer this dessert in a large trifle dish. That way people can serve themselves, but if you have the time and the dishes, making individual trifle servings would be a pretty option for a smaller gathering!
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to create this stunning berry trifle. Fresh strawberries and blueberries give this layered dessert its classic patriotic look, while fluffy angel food cake keeps it light and airy. Combined with whipped cream, these ingredients create a trifle with whipped cream and berries that tastes as good as it looks.
- Angel Food Cake — This light and airy cake keeps the dessert fluffy instead of heavy. A store-bought cake works perfectly here and makes this recipe super quick to put together.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix — Creates a creamy layer that helps hold everything together while adding just the right amount of sweetness.
- Milk — Mixed with the pudding to give you a smooth, silky filling that spreads easily between the layers.
- Cream Cheese — Adds a little richness and a subtle tang that balances all the sweetness so the dessert doesn’t feel overly sugary.
- Powdered Sugar — Sweetens the cream cheese mixture while keeping it soft, smooth, and lump-free.
- Cool Whip (Whipped Topping) — Makes the filling extra light and fluffy. Be sure to thaw it first so it blends easily.
- Fresh Blueberries — Add juicy pops of flavor and that gorgeous deep blue color that makes this trifle so pretty.
- Fresh Strawberries — Sweet, fresh, and bright — they bring the perfect balance of flavor and that beautiful red layer.
How to Make a Berry Trifle
Step One: Make The Pudding & Cream Cheese Layers
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vanilla pudding mix and milk until smooth and slightly thickened.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue mixing until creamy and lump-free.
- Add the Cool Whip and pudding mix to the cream cheese mixture and mix until everything is fully combined and nice and fluffy.
Step Two: Prep the Cake
- Cut the angel food cake into bite- sized cubes and set aside.
Step Three: Assemble the Trifle
- In your trifle dish or serving bowl, start with a layer of angel food cake cubes. Add a layer of blueberries, followed by some of the pudding mixture, then a layer of strawberries. Repeat the layers until your dish is filled.
STEP FOUR: Chill & Serve
- Refrigerate until ready to serve so the layers can settle and the dessert stays nice and cool.
Helpful Tips:
- Let the Cool Whip thaw before mixing so it blends in smoothly.
- Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature as cold cream cheese can leave little bumps.
- Dry the berries well after washing so the trifle doesn’t get watery.
- For the prettiest presentation, press some of the fruit along the outside of the dish as you layer.
- This dessert is even better after chilling for a bit, making it a great make-ahead option.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I make this berry trifle ahead of time?
Yes! This berry trifle can easily be assembled several hours ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. In fact, giving it a little time to chill helps the flavors blend together even more.
Can I use frozen berries?
Fresh berries work best for the prettiest presentation and texture, but thawed frozen berries can also work if they are drained well before layering.
How long does berry trifle last in the fridge?
Berry trifle is best enjoyed within 1–2 days for the freshest texture. After that, the cake layers can begin to soften too much from the pudding and whipped topping.
What can I substitute for angel food cake?
While we love the light and fluffy texture of angel food cake in this recipe, pound cake, sponge cake, or store-bought cake cubes also work well. We recommend using a slightly sturdier cake so it can hold up to the creamy pudding layers and fresh berries.
Can I use other fruit in my trifle layers?
Absolutely! We love using strawberries and blueberries for a patriotic Fourth of July dessert, but raspberries, blackberries, grapes, and other fresh fruit also work wonderfully. Bananas can be used as well, but they brown quickly, so they’re best added right before serving.
HOW TO RECIPE VIDEO:
Angel Food Cake Berry Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 angel food cake, cut into cubes you can make your own or use store bought
- 1 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cups cold milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
- 2 pints blueberries
- 2 pints strawberries hulled and sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the vanilla pudding mix with the milk and whisk for two minutes; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat until combined and smooth.
- Add the prepared pudding to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold and stir until completely combined. Add Cool Whip to the bowl and fold it into the mixture until no white streaks appear.
- To assemble the trifle, alternate layers of angel food cake, blueberries, the pudding mixture, strawberries and so on, until you get the top. You can mix strawberries and blueberries in the same layer if desired.
- Add a final layer of the pudding mixture, then arrange the remaining strawberries and blueberries in a decorative pattern. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- This tastes the best within 24 hours of making it, but leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Video
For more delicious Fourth of July Recipes try these:
Best recipe I’ve ever made and people enjoyed ! Made for Memorial Day party and it was a hit so decided to make for 4th of July and people were lined up to eat it. Went w/in 5 min. Highly recommend! It’s so simple to make and very little ingredients
Thoroughly enjoying making this trifle. I have adapted it to also be gluten and dairy free! (I make dairy free vanilla pudding and gluten free dairy free angel food or pound cake!)
I do wonder how many this “officially” serves, but I will guess 16!
This was a huge hit at a summer birthday party. Seriously, I’ve never had so many compliments on a recipe before. I made the pudding, cut the cake and washed/dried the berries while the the whip cream thawed and cream cheese set out to room temp. I used store bought “sour cream” angel food cake. It came together easily for someone who is a mediocre and lack luster cook. There was not much clean up, which is important for some (me). My young daughter requested I make it for her birthday cake. This ones a keeper!
Can you use a cook & serve vanilla pudding instead of instant pudding mix?
This trifle is the perfect summer dessert! Fresh and delicious and so easy to make. It’s always a hit!
These were fantastic! Loved them and can’t wait to make them again!