Easy Summer Berry Trifle

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Easy summer berry trifle will be your go-to dessert this season! Tender pound cake, creamy lemon filling, and bright summer berries. This trifle comes together in no time and will be a hit with everyone!

This may be my new favorite dessert! I have always loved a trifle to hide any mess-up cake mistakes that happen. Have a pound cake kinda stick to the pan (happened to me more times than I would like to admit....)? Or a cake that you have extra and have leftovers? Or a cake that messed up in some sort of way but still tastes good? MAKE IT A TRIFLE! No one will know!

Easy Summer Berry Trifle in a trifle dish with a bowl of blueberries and lemon slices next to it.

Easy summer berry trifle is just that. Easy - and born out of having leftover pound cake around. Instead of throwing it out or it going to waste, I cubed it up, made an easy lemon cream cheese filling/take-on frosting, and tossed in a bunch of berries I had in the fridge. And BOOM! A delicious, easy, and stunning dessert was done. And no one knew it was born from just leftovers I had laying around that needed to be used up. You can even make these into a mini version too if you don't have a large trifle dish!

Whether you make this intentionally or not, I promise you, that everyone will go crazy over this new summer dessert!

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Ingredients Needed
How to Make
Substitutions and Variations
Make-Ahead Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More Summer Dessert Recipes
Recipe

Ingredients Needed

Pound Cake

1 Homemade, Store Bought, or Box Mix Pound Cake

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

Heavy Whipping Cream
Cream Cheese - make sure it is at room temp so that the filling blends together nicely and smoothly without any clumps.
Powdered Sugar
Store Bought or Homemade Lemon Curd
Salt
Vanilla Bean Paste* - I always use vanilla bean paste in all my baking recipes - I think it yields a much better flavor. However, vanilla extract will work just fine too.

Fruit

Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries

Lemon curd in a bowl, a package of cream cheese, and a carton of whipping cream. — Cream cheese, lemon curd, and whipping cream will be the main ingredients for the filling in this trifle.

How to Make

Pound Cake

Make a pound cake according to the directions. Alternatively, a box mix or store-bought pre-made one can be used.
Slice with a serrated knife into 1-inch cubes.

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add in the heavy whipping cream and beat on high for 3-4 minutes, or until stiff peaks have formed.
In another large bowl, add the room-temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon curd, salt, and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy and no lumps remain.
Add half of the whipped cream to the cream cheese bowl. With a spatula gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese by slicing down the middle and turning the mixture over on itself, rotating the bowl a quarter of the way, and repeating. It is important to fold in the whipping cream to keep the air in the whipped cream and the filling light. Add in the remaining half and gently fold in until you have a light and fluffy filling.

Assembly

In a trifle dish, add a layer couple of pound cake to cover the bottom.
Spoon or pipe ½ of the lemon cream cheese filling on top of the cake slices.
Add ½ of the sliced strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
Repeat one more time with another layer of cake, filling, and berries - ending with the berries.
Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill and set.

Cubed pound cake in the bottom of a trifle dish. — Layer 1 - place cubed pound cake in the bottom of a trifle dish.

A layer of lemon cream cheese frosting on top of pound cake in a trifle dish. — Layer 2 - evenly spread the cream cheese filling and lemon curd over the cake.

A layer of berries on top of cake and cream cheese filling in a trifle dish. — Layer 3 - spread berries out over the top of the cream cheese and lemon filling. Repeat the layer until the trifle dish is full - ending with a layer of berries on top.

Substitutions and Variations

You have a couple of options and substitutions for this summer berry trifle.

Homemade Pound Cake - this recipe was created because I had leftover pound cake from this recipe and needed to use it up!
Boxed or Premade store-bought pound cake - make it super easy and just pick up an already-made pound cake at your local bakery or grocery or make one from a boxed mix. Super easy and time-saving hack!
Go the angel food cake route - I love making a trifle with angel food cake. It is like a version of a strawberry shortcake in a way. You have the same options. Make a homemade cake, or box mix (my personal choice), or pick up a premade one at the store!
Buy your own already-made lemon curd or make your own - this is my go-to recipe I have used for years!
Switch up the fruits. Put any variations of fruits and berries in this trifle!

A scoop of berry trifle on a small plate with the big trifle dish in the background.

Make-Ahead Tips

We all love make-ahead recipes. Making as much as you can ahead of time ensures you are able to save time to do the things you love. There are a couple of things you can do to prep berry trifle with pound cake of time.

The cake. Bake it a day or two before and store it airtight until needed. You could also go ahead and cut it into cubes so that it is ready to go when you're ready to assemble and serve!
Wash your berries and slice your strawberries the day before. Keep stored covered in the fridge until needed.
The lemon cream cheese frosting can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Keep covered in the fridge until you need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make Easy Summer Berry Trifle the Day Before?

You can make parts of it the day before (see above), but I would recommend assembling it the day you plan on serving. That way the cake won't get soggy and the fruit will stay fresh. Save yourself some time by baking, slicing, and mixing each element the day before so that assembly is super fast and easy when ready to serve!

Can You Use Frozen Fruit in Trifles?

I would not recommend using frozen fruit. When the frozen fruit thaws, it will be too liquidy for this recipe. Best to stick with fresh berries.

What if I Do Not Have a Trifle Dish? What Can I Serve This In?

If you do not have a big trifle dish - no worries! Serve this in small bowls, small ice cream cups, wine glasses, or any mini dish. Use what you have and it will be totally perfect and fine!

Looking over top of Easy Summer Berry Trifle with a spoon having taken a scoop out.

More Summer Dessert Recipes

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