If you’re looking for a beautiful, patriotic, and delicious dessert to serve for American Independence Day…look no further!
This delectable dessert is layered with the gorgeous colors of the American flag and the taste is a perfect mix of sweet berries, cream sauce, and angel food cake! And it all can be made up to a day in advance! Now that is truly something to celebrate!
How To Make Red, White, and Blue Trifle
The various layers of the trifle can easily be prepared up to 24 hours in advance.
Actually, the trifle can even be assembled a day ahead of serving.
If you don’t have a trifle, the dish can be served in a large glass bowl, too.
For the blue portion of the dish, you’ll be making a luscious blueberry sauce.
Simply add a little less than 16 ounces of fresh blueberry to a medium-sized sauce and over medium heat and add sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. NOTE: You don’t use the full 16 oz. because you want to save some of the fresh blueberries for garnishing the top of the dish.
EXPERT TIP: As the blueberries heat, they will pop open and release their delicious juices. After about 15 to 20 minutes of simmering, the sauce will begin to thicken. To ensure the perfect spreadable texture, we add a cornstarch slurry in the final 5 minutes of cooking.
How To Macerate Strawberries
Maceration is the process of sweetening and softening the fruit by adding sugar to the cut strawberries.
We recommend using the softened macerated strawberries for the first layer, but then keeping fresh sliced strawberries (non-macerated) for the top layer.
EXPERT TIP: To macerate strawberries, simply remove the stems of the strawberries and then slice them with a knife. Place the strawberries in a large bowl and then add 1½ cup of sugar. Use a large wooden spoon to toss the strawberries with the sugar. Cover and place in the fridge for a couple of hours, or overnight.
To make the cream sauce, you’ll need either a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer, or a spoon with a lot of elbow grease.
Start off by mixing the softened cream cheese with some heavy cream and sugar until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, add the 2 cups of heavy cream, and use a hand mixer on high to whip the cream until soft (or hard) peaks form. Fold ⅓ of the peaks into the cream cheese mixture, and then fold in the remaining peaks. You’ll have a beautiful, light, and delicious sauce for spreading!
Building the Trifle
We love using a small (12 or 13 oz.) angel food cake as the basis for the trifle. Use a knife to cut it into bite-sized chunks.
You can usually find pre-made angel food cakes in the bakery department of most well-stocked supermarkets.
Start off with a layer of the angel food cake, and then spread half of the cooled blueberry sauce over the cake pieces, then half of the cream sauce, then all of the macerated strawberries. Repeat this process, but place a layer of the plain (non-macerated) strawberries along the perimeter of the top of the trifle and then a pile of fresh blueberries in the middle. See Photos and Video for reference.
How To Serve a Red, White, and Blue Trifle
This dessert is so impressive, we recommend having it out in full view as your guests arrive.
It’s best served chilled, but is wonderful at room temperature, too.
Just place small dessert plates or bowls next to the dish with a large spoon nearby. Loved ones will have a great time plunging into the trifle and scooping out all of the gorgeous layers to serve themselves.
EXPERT TIP: For an adult-only version, a drizzle of dark rum over the angel food cake is a nice touch. Be sure your guests are aware there is a little alcohol in the dessert, however, before serving.
Take your 4th of July Celebration to the next level with this incredibly beautiful and patriotic dessert.
Other amazing dessert recipes for a gathering of family and friends include:
Blueberry Buttermilk Pie
Homemade Peach Crisp
Banana Pudding Cream Trifle
Homemade Cherry Pie
Key Lime Pie
But in the meantime, look how festive this trifle is!
Ready to make a dessert that even Uncle Sam would be asking for seconds? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Red, White, and Blue Trifle
Equipment
- Glass trifle or large glass bowl (clear)
Ingredients
- 16 oz blueberries fresh
- 1½ cups sugar divided
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 32 oz strawberries stems removed and thinly sliced
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2¼ cups heavy cream divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 12 oz angel food cake pre-made, cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
Make the Blueberry Sauce
- Add most of the blueberries (leaving a handful for decorating), ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Make a cornstarch slurry of 1 tbsp of cornstarch mixed with about 1 tbsp of water. Stir in the slurry after about 10 minutes of cooking the blueberries. The sauce should be somewhat thick. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and allow to completely cool. The sauce will thicken even more as it cools.
Prepare the Strawberries
- Divide the stemmed and sliced strawberries into two bowls. Cover one bowl with plastic and set aside. Add ½ cup sugar to the other bowl of strawberries and gently toss with a couple of large spoons to fully coat the berries with the sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
Make The Cream Sauce
- Place the softened cream cheese, the remaining sugar (½ cup), ¼ cup cream, and the vanilla extract into the bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl (if using a hand mixer). Beat on medium until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, add the remaining 2 cups of cream and use a hand mixer on HIGH to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold about ⅓ of the thickened cream into the cream cheese mixture. Gently stir until fully incorporated. Fold in the remaining stiff peaks and stir until just mixed.
Assemble the Trifle
- Add half of the angel food cake pieces to the bottom of the trifle. Spoon half of the blueberry sauce all over the cake. Spoon half of the cream mixture over the blueberries. Use a slotted spoon to place all of the macerated strawberries over the cream. Add the remaining cake pieces, then blueberry sauce, and the top with the remaining cream sauce. Arrange the fresh strawberries in a circle along the outer edge of the dish. Mound the reserved fresh blueberries in the center.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 24 hours in advance. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Your cream sauce sounds DELICIOUS and I can’t wait to use it in ALL my trifles.
(It’s always fun to be creative with trifles.)
Cream cheese and whipped cream. PERFECT!
Anytime I use cherries in my trifles, I’m going to substitute almond extract for the vanilla.
Trifles are always so pretty and I love the ease of setting the bowl out with a huge spoon and letting everybody help themselves and then USUALLY come back for more!
Thanks, guys.
P.S. I’d love to know what your kitchen sign says that’s over Wesley’s shoulder in your kitchen. I just know it must be a “feel good” saying!
Hi Barb! We agree about trifles. They are beautiful, yummy, and just so festive! The sign over Wesley’s shoulder says “Today I will live in the moment, unless it’s unpleasant, in which case I will eat a cupcake.” Words to live by!!! xoxo Happy 4th of July!!!
Well, you outdid yourself with this patriotic dessert. I made it when I got the email of the recipe. I thought, what a brilliant idea for a dessert for this weekend. Mine didn’t look nearly as beautiful as yours but it was probably equally as delicious. I also didn’t have a trifle dish but I had a really pretty decorative glass dish. It was probably a little too small because I couldn’t quite fit it all in. But man what a hit. My husband was eating the angel food cake and strawberries with the homemade cream sauce that I couldn’t fit in my glass dish! Thanks again for the millionth time for making me look like a WAY better cook than I am. I really enjoy your emails with the recipes and watching the videos. They crack me up. Have a fabulous Fourth of July weekend, Kris and Wesley.
Hi Diane!!! Sorry for the delayed response but we are THRILLED that you had such great success with the red, white, and blue trifle! We’re sure it was beautiful!! And we couldn’t be happier that you had such success with it!! And Diane…you ARE A GREAT COOK!!! The fact that you get such joy from serving great tasting food to loved ones says it all!! We are so happy we can help a little along the way!! We hope you had a wonderful 4th of July and here’s to a GREAT summer!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley