This show-stopping lemon berry trifle recipe includes lemon pound cake, fresh berries, a lemon cheesecake filling, and fresh whipped cream. Use store-bought cake if you’re short on time!
Trifles are an ideal party dessert, especially in the spring and summer. Served in a lovely glass bowl or trifle dish, the presentation is equally impressive and beautiful. You can prepare trifles in advance and even though I recommend homemade cake for those layers, you can definitely get away with store-bought. Especially when you take the time to make homemade whipped cream and homemade lemon curd!
Trifles are as show-stopping as tall layer cakes, but worlds easier to assemble. There’s always an exciting new layer to discover and unlike Rachel’s trifle, each layer is pretty pleasant!!!
She made half an English trifle… and half a shepherd’s pie! (With my classic cheesecake recipe, that makes two Friends desserts in a week lol.)
Today’s lemon berry trifle is my latest kitchen creation. In terms of flavor, it reminds me of this lemon berry yogurt cake.. It was an instant hit, so I made it again for my mother-in-law’s birthday. The whole family gathered at our house to celebrate, so I chose this dessert not only because it feeds a lot, but for its ease of preparation.
After preparing this lemon berry trifle for two separate large groups, I have some helpful make-ahead tips for you. But first, let’s discuss the layers.
Lemon Trifle Layers
This is my homemade lemon pound cake. Slice and cube the cake after it cools. The pound cake is the foundation of the trifle.
Lemon Cheesecake
The lemon cheesecake layer was everyone’s favorite. It reminded us of lemon mousse—very light and very airy. Homemade whipped cream not only tops the entire trifle, but is beaten into the cheesecake layer itself. This addition incorporates air into the lemon cheesecake layer, promising a fluffy texture instead of a heavy texture. All of the lemon flavor in this layer comes from lemon curd, so I definitely recommend using fresh. And all of the sweetness comes from the lemon curd and whipped cream. Store-bought versions of both, made with who the heck knows what, will quickly over-sweeten the entire dessert.
The lemon cheesecake layer uses 1 cup of my lemon curd recipe, so you’ll have 1/2 cup leftover.
Other Ways to Eat Lemon Curd
- On lemon poppy seed pancakes
- On biscuits
- On pavlova
- On angel food cake
- In crepes
- As a filling for vanilla cupcakes
- Layered in cakes
And if you don’t have plans to eat right away, you can freeze lemon curd for up to 3-6 months.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Homemade whipped cream is the finishing touch. You can use heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream, but with its slightly higher fat percentage, heavy cream makes a sturdier whipped cream. If you’re using your stand mixer, don’t walk away from it. While beating heavy cream into whipped cream takes a few minutes, there’s only a few seconds between perfectly whipped cream (delicious!) and over-whipped cream (lumpy!).
As we finished dessert, I asked for everyone’s opinion.
Comments on Lemon Berry Trifle
- Lemon is not overpowering
- Just the right amount of sweet
- I’m having seconds
- The pound cake is really good on its own AND with all the layers
- The whipped cream is really creamy!
- My new favorite dessert
- So simple, but so good
- When can you make it again?
That last comment was my favorite!!
So there we have it. Lemon berry trifle is a stunning dessert that can be prepared in advance and impresses anyone who takes a bite. In my eyes, that’s the sweetest ending to any party meal!
If you are looking for other ways to use your trifle dish, this homemade dirt pudding is so much fun to serve this way!
Other Favorite Berry Desserts
- Blueberry Pie
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Berry Cobbler
- Strawberry Cake
- Blackberry Cream Cheese Crumb Cake
Lemon Berry Trifle Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- Slice the lemon pound cake into 9 1-inch slices. Cut into bite-sized cubes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract together on high speed into stiff peaks, about 3 minutes. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use in step 3.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and lemon curd and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Lastly, beat in half of whipped cream (about 2 cups) that you prepared in step 2.
- This trifle has 3 layers of pound cake, 3 layers of berries, and 2 layers of the lemon cheesecake mixture. Begin with a base of lemon pound cake cubes. Top with an even layer of fresh berries, then half of the lemon cheesecake mixture. Repeat. Finish with final layer of lemon pound cake cubes followed by a final layer of berries. Spread or pipe remaining whipped cream on top of the trifle. I used Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe the whipped cream on top.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours (see make ahead tip if you wish to store longer). You can refrigerate uncovered for 2-4 hours, but I recommend loosely covering if storing longer than that. The time in the refrigerator gives the flavors a chance to settle and allows the pound cake to soak up some of the lemon cheesecake mixture.
- Garnish with extra berries and/or lemon slices and serve cold. Cover and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
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