Red White and Blue Trifle

This Red White and Blue Trifle is perfect for a summer gathering… delicious and easy to prepare… and best of all it looks so pretty your guests will think you spent hours making it… only you will know just how easy it is to make.

TIPS

You can repeat your layers if you have a larger bowl or want a looser trifle... just adjust your quantities accordingly.

Now for that pudding mixture… it’s a mixture of vanilla pudding and whipped cream… I do make my whipped cream (actually it is called Chantilly Cream, which is heavy cream, vanilla extract and sugar)… you can use Cool Whip if you want to eliminate this step.

For the actual pudding.. you can use instant or cooked pudding… from a box or from scratch.. I used instant.  The flavor can be vanilla, French vanilla or even white chocolate… all will work and all will taste great.  Regular or sugar free is fine.. you can use fat free milk, 1%, 2% or whole, whichever you like.

I used purchased pound cake.  Again, you can use homemade if you prefer… but honestly.. I don’t think it’s necessary since it is mixed into the trifle with all the other ingredients.

I used Sara Lee.. the Family size frozen pound cake.  If you use the regular size you will need to buy 2 of them. 

Be sure to trim the “brown crust” around the pound cake… I did it very close to the yellow cake… you don’t lose a lot and it looks much better without the brown showing through.

You can also use angel food cake if you prefer.

Ingredients amounts are adjustable to the amount you want to make and the size of your trifle bowl.  Essentially you are just layering the ingredients… so be creative.

If you look at my picture the first layer of blueberries is very small… I used only a pint of blueberries in my trifle… I highly recommend using 2 pints… it’s much prettier with a thicker layer of blueberries atop the bottom strawberry layer.

My bottom layer is a layer of pound cake slices.. about ¼ inch thick… the top layer is the same thickness, just the slices are cubed.

I used Chambord (raspberry liqueur) … our trifle was for adults… if making this for quests including children or adults not wanting any alcohol.. just omit it.

The pound cake slices at the bottom were brushed with the liqueur (all sides) then laid on the bottom of the trifle dish..I cut pieces to fit snugly on the bottom.  Then I brushed it with the melted raspberry jelly (mine had some Chambord mixed in).   This did not taste heavy of alcohol.. just enhanced the jelly.

My trifle bowl is 8 inches wide and 4 ½ inches deep… adjust your quantities accordingly if your bowl is a different size.

I hope you try this terrific trifle!

Recipe:  Red White and Blue Trifle

All you need:

1 Family Size Sara Lee pound cake

Small box vanilla instant pudding (prepare as on box)

1 quart strawberries, cleaned and sliced *reserving one strawberry with a stem for decoration

2 pints blueberries

For the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Raspberry glaze:

About ½ cup raspberry jelly

About 2 teaspoons Chambord, divided (optional)

All you need to do:

Prepare the instant pudding following box instructions.  Set Aside.

Prepare the Whipped cream by whipping the ingredients until the cream forms peaks.

Fold in half of the whipped cream into the prepared pudding, reserving half for the top of the trifle.

Place the raspberry jelly and 1 teaspoon Chambord in a small microwaveable dish and melt in the micro wave on low until melted.  This should only take about 20 seconds, stir and micro wave until the jelly is running and no lumps appear.  Allow to cool slightly.

Trim the “crust off the pound cake”.   Cut slices about ¼ inch thick.   Arrange a layer of solid slices in the bottom of the trifle bowl, cutting pieces where necessary so they will fit snugly.  The remaining slices for the top of the trifle should be cubed.

Optional: Then remove the slices from the bottom and brush all sides with Chambord.  Then place the slices on  the bottom of the trifle bowl.

Brush the tops of the pound cake in the trifle bowl with the about ½ the melted raspberry jelly.

Place a layer of strawberry slices on top of the cake, reserving about a ½ cup of slices for the very top of the trifle.

Place ¾ of the blueberries on top of the strawberries, reserving about a ¼ of the blueberries for the top of the trifle.

Spread the prepared pudding and whipped cream mixture over the blueberries.

Spread the remaining pound cake cubes over the pudding.  Sprinkle the top of the cubes with strawberry slices and blueberries.  Brush the top with the remaining melted raspberry jelly. 

Place the remaining whipped cream in the center of the top of the trifle.  Place the reserved strawberry with a stem in the whipped cream.

Refrigerate about an hour before serving.