Trifle
A trifle is a layered dessert that is made in a glass bowl that usually has straight sides so the layers are even and beautifully displayed. The layers usually involve a sponge cake, fruit, and whipped cream or custard or both. We have seen some very pretty trifles on The Great British Baking Show and of course on Pinterest. Independence Day seemed like the perfect day to make a red, white, and blue trifle. Not only would it be a great looking dessert, it would also be easy to assemble and devoured by our family so there would be no leftovers to get soggy. When we made our list, we knew we would either be hosting 4th of July this year or spending it away from home. Since we didn’t know where we would be, we always had a backup just in case our original plans fell through.
We ended up hosting family at our home this year. We fully intended to remake our pound cake (instead of a sponge cake) and redeem ourselves a bit. But we had a lot of other things to make this week with family staying with us from July 1st to the 5th. We baked a strawberry-rhubarb pie and an apple pie along with another kransekake with red, white, and blue frosting. (Sorry, forgot to get pictures. Just going to say, if you haven’t made a kransekake, you need to try it. It is addictive.) Aubrey also had to work during the week and on Sunday which made it difficult to bake with her! Anyway, back to the trifle. Technically, we did bake things this week, just nothing new…but, making the trifle was absolutely new to us and that was in keeping with the spirit of this year. We baked something and made something new.
On a positive note, this is made with store bought ingredients and is the easiest “fancy” dessert you’ll ever make!
Ingredients
- two pound cakes (we used Sara Lee frozen ones)
- 2 lbs fresh strawberries
- blueberries (to taste)
- 16 oz light Cool Whip
- 1/2 container pre-made cream cheese frosting (we used Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy)
Directions
- Cut the cake into approximately 1 1/2 inch cubes.
- Mix the Cool Whip with the frosting.
- Chop the strawberries. (I used my handy dandy Pampered Chef chopper.)
- Put a third of the Cool Whip mixture on the bottom of the bowl, place a layer of cake on the Cool Whip, cover the cake with half the strawberries and some blue berries. We know that a lot of our guests don’t like blueberries so we didn’t put very many in our trifle but you can add as many as you want. We made sure to place them on the sides so we could see them in the layers.
- Cover the strawberries with another third of the Cool Whip and layer with cake and berries again (save a few to decorate the top) and cover with the rest of the Cool Whip.
- Decorate the top with strawberries and blueberries.
Our Experience
We literally made this dessert on the dining room table in 20 minutes while the hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats were on the grill. The kitchen was full of food on the counters and people getting supper ready. We managed to get a few pictures even through the rush of assembly. While the ingredients are listed as I remember them, this is definitely a make it by sight kind of dessert for me. The measurements are approximate and feel free to change them according to your own tastes.
Aubrey cubed the cake while I chopped the strawberries. She started with bigger cubes and then decided they were too big and would leave big holes to fill, so she cut them down some more.
While I wanted to slice the strawberries so we could see the pretty triangular shape on the sides of the bowl, Aubrey reminded me that we didn’t have time. So, I dug my Pampered Chef chopper out of the cabinet and began chopping strawberries. It was so fast, I was glad I remembered I had that little tool…which I have only used one other time. We were literally trying to race the grill and get this on the counter for people to eat with supper.
I have added cream cheese frosting to my Cool Whip for years and it was kind of a “secret recipe”….until now. I came up with the idea because I like whipped cream but wanted something more substantial and more flavorful for some strawberries and angel food cake I was serving. I also love the flavor of cream cheese frosting but really don’t care for the over-the-top sweetness of frosting. Over the years, people would always comment on how good it was, and I just played it off as nothing special, just Cool Whip. 😉 Now everybody knows, but I’m going to have to be OK with that.
What we liked.
Of course the ease of assembly was huge for this particular day and time. The pound cake and that delicious frosting/Cool Whip mixture was a treat all by itself. I could dip that cake in that mixture and be completely satisfied! The berries were not sweetened and we are so glad we didn’t attempt it. Their sweet/tart freshness was the perfect balance to the overall sweetness of everything else. The textures were mostly soft but the cake had some chew and so did the berries. It was so good!! Bonus points because it was so easy!
As far as reviews go, I think an empty bowl was proof enough that it was a hit. My cousin even mentioned that she hadn’t eaten sugar in over a year but had to try it and said it was delicious! I could have eaten more but luckily, it was gone when I went back for another bite.
What we would change.
Of course, we would have liked to have made the cake ourselves. I started thinking that we should just bake a few cakes and freeze them for future “no time to bake” desserts! I also drove all over town trying to find a trifle bowl but there wasn’t one to be found. It would have been nice to have clear bowl with straight sides so we could have seen the layers better.
What we learned.
We mostly learned that we can work under pressure and in odd, less than ideal spaces. I also learned to give up a bit of control. I didn’t have time to make the cake I wanted and didn’t have the perfect bowl…but, guess what, it tasted great and provided our guests with a perfectly delicious sweet treat for dessert!
Until next week, Happy Baking!