Mini Patriotic Berry Trifles are the perfect dessert for the 4th of July and the summer season! Super quick and easy to make and sure to be a favorite with everyone!
If you know me you know my love for the 4th of July runs deep! Outside of Christmas and Thanksgiving, it is my favorite holiday!
There is nothing better than spending the day outside by the water with friends and family, eating all the food, having all the cold drinks, and wearing everything red white, and blue I can get my hands on!
Plus I LOVE a theme. So it is only appropriate to have a red white and blue-themed dessert - because why not?! You have to!
These mini patriotic berry trifles are PERFECT for this 4th of July and really all summer long. They are easy to make, can be prepared ahead of time, and are so stinking delicious. Plus everything mini tastes better right?!
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Ingredients Needed
You only need a hand full of ingredients for this fourth of July trifle - and this is a "totally customizable use what you have kinda recipe". Which I love!
Cake Layer
- Boxed Mix Angel Food Cake
Cream Cheese Filling
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla
Fruit
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
How to Make
Cake Layer
- Make the angel food cake according to the package directions. Let cool completely.
- Slice with a serrated knife into 1-inch cubes.
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 in the room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, 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 in 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 this light and fluffy - do not mix. Add in the remaining half and gently fold in until you have a light and fluffy filling.
How to Assemble
- Using small ice cream cups, add a couple of cubes of angel food cake (filling most of the cup up).
- Spoon or pipe the cream cheese filling on top of the cake slices. I used a piping bag with a Wilton 1M piping tip*.
- Add your desired amount of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Repeat until all the cups are filled.
You can watch the full video above to see exactly how to assemble it!
Make-Ahead Tips
We all love make-ahead recipes. Especially if you are hosting this 4th of July. Making as much as you can ahead of time ensures you are able to enjoy the day once it's here. There are a couple of things you can do to prep mini patriotic berry trifles ahead of time.
- The cake. I love using a boxed mix food angel food cake. #makeiteasy! But you can also just buy a premade one. If you make it from the box, 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 cream cheese frosting can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Keep covered in the fridge until you need it.
Substitutions and Additions
You have a couple of options and substitutions on the cake.
- boxed angel food cake mix - like the recipe calls for
- premade angel food cake - you can find this in the bakery section of your grocery store
- homemade angel food cake - and you get extra points because that times more time and is a bit more difficult. But go for it if you want!
- You can also do premade, box, or homemade pound cake if you want. This is a great way to use up any leftover angel food or pound cake that you have extra off too!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make parts of it the day before (see above), but I would recommend assembling it right before 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!
This is best assembled right before serving (or if needed an hour or 2 beforehand and keep stored in the fridge until needed).
I would not recommend using frozen fruit in the mini patriotic trifle desserts. When the frozen fruit thaws, it will be too liquidy for this recipe. Best to stick with fresh berries.
If you do not have individual ice cream cups - no worries! Serve this in small bowls, shot glasses, wine glasses, or any mini dish. Or you can make this in one large trifle dish and not in individual glasses. Use what you have and it will be totally perfect and fine!
This is a link for some that are similar to mine.
More 4th of July Recipes
- Red White and Blue Fruit Pizza
- Red White and Blue Oreo Balls
- Red, White, and Blue Cake Mix Cookies
- Red White and Blue Jello Poke Cake
- Lemon and Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake
- Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls {No Bake}
- Fresh Peach Cobbler
Mini Patriotic Berry Trifles
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 1x
Description
Mini Patriotic Berry Trifles are the perfect dessert for the 4th of July and the summer season! Super quick and easy to make and sure to be a favorite with everyone!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 Box Mix Angel Food Cake - made according to package directions*
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 ½ Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese - room temperature
- ¾ Cup Powdered Sugar
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla
Fruit
- 1 Pound Strawberries - thinly sliced
- 1 Pint Blueberries
- 1 Pint Raspberries
Instructions
Cake
- Make the angel food cake according to the package directions. Let cool completely.
- Slice with a serrated knife into 1-inch cubes.
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 in the room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, 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 in 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 be light. Add in the remaining half and gently fold in until you have a light and fluffy filling.
Assembly
- Using small ice cream cups, add a couple of cubes of angel food cake (filling most of the cup up).
- Spoon or pipe the cream cheese filling on top of the cake slices.
- Add your desired amount of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Repeat until all the cups are filled.
Notes
- You have some options when it comes to the cake. You can buy a premade angel food cake at the store, making it even easier, or use a boxed angel food cake mix. You can also sub in a pound cake for this recipe. This is a great way to use up leftover angel food or pound cake. You can buy premade, box mixed, or homemade pound cake. Make it easy and use what you like or have!
- You can also just make this in a big trifle dish if you do not have mini cups to use. Layer in cake cream cheese and fruit and repeat until all the ingredients are used. Ice cream cups, small bowls, wine glasses, or any small cup will work perfectly for little individual servings!
- You will probably have leftover cake too so this is a great recipe to double for a large crowd.
- I like to use a piping bag with a Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe on the filling.
- See the post for how to make the parts ahead of time. This is best assembled right before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 glass
- Calories: 237
- Sugar: 19.3 g
- Sodium: 385.6 mg
- Fat: 12.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.7 g
- Fiber: 2.3 g
- Protein: 3.6 g
- Cholesterol: 36 mg
Keywords: Mini Patriotic Berry Trifles
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