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Red, White and Blueberry Trifle

Red, white and blueberry trifle is a no-bake layered dessert with fluffy whipped cream, a tangy cream cheese layer, and jewel-toned fruit stacked in a clear bowl. It’s built with pound cake cubes and finished with whole strawberries and blueberries for a patriotic, 4th of July look.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Red, White and Blueberry Trifle Components
  • 1 can (16 oz) store-bought pound cake or angel food cake Cubed; use pound cake for a denser, sliceable layer or angel food for a lighter bite.
  • 2 cup fresh strawberries Hulled and sliced for the middle layers; reserve some whole for topping.
  • 2 cup fresh blueberries Use for the blue layer and additional berries for topping if needed.
  • 2 cup heavy whipping cream Whipped with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
  • 0.25 cup powdered sugar For whipping the cream; helps stabilize the whipped texture.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract Adds flavor to the whipped cream.
  • 8 oz cream cheese Softened so it blends smoothly into a fluffy layer.
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar For beating with cream cheese to make the fluffy cream cheese layer.
  • whole strawberries and blueberries for topping Decorate the top right before chilling.

Equipment

  • 1 large trifle bowl

Method
 

Make the whipped and cream cheese layers
  1. Beat the heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla extract until stiff peaks form, then set aside (no heat, about 3–5 minutes; visual cue: peaks stand straight).
  2. Beat the softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup powdered sugar until smooth, then fold in half of the stiff whipped cream to create a fluffy cream cheese layer (about 2–3 minutes; visual cue: streak-free, thick texture).
Assemble the trifle
  1. Place a layer of the pound cake cubes in the bottom of a large trifle bowl (about 1 layer; visual cue: cake covers the base).
  2. Spoon a generous layer of the cream cheese mixture over the cake (about 1/3 of the mixture; visual cue: evenly coated layer).
  3. Add a layer of the sliced strawberries over the cream cheese (about 1/3 of the berries; visual cue: bright red layer).
  4. Add another layer of pound cake cubes (visual cue: strawberries are covered).
  5. Top with plain whipped cream (visual cue: white layer with soft, fluffy texture).
  6. Add a layer of blueberries over the whipped cream (visual cue: deep blue, slightly domed layer).
  7. Repeat layers until the bowl is full, finishing with whipped cream on top (visual cue: final surface is white whipped cream).
  8. Decorate the top with whole strawberries and blueberries, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving (visual cue: chilled, set layers).

Notes

Pro tip: Chill the trifle bowl 2 hours so the whipped and cream cheese layers firm up for clean slices. Refrigerate covered up to 3 days; freezing is not recommended because the whipped cream and fresh fruit may weep after thawing. For a lighter swap, use reduced-fat cream cheese while keeping full-fat whipping cream for stable, stiff peaks.