Happy (day after) Independence Day! Hopefully everyone had a safe and happy 4th - we spent some time with some good friends and had a yummy spread of food, let the babies run around and even watched a small little fireworks display!
The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays - it combines yummy summer food with my favorite season - summer - and everyone gets to lounge around with friends and family and just relax - not to mention I always enjoy fireworks (well, until it's time to put the kids to bed and they go on and on and on through the night...)
I hope you don't mind yet another recipe, and a day late holiday themed dish. Even though the colors in this dessert are patriotic, the flavors are great for summer so you can make this for any cookout or gathering you might be heading to! It's easy but looks like you spent a lot of time on it and you will trick people into think you are all kinds of fancy with this trifle.
I bought a trifle dish recently on major clearance and it's just been sitting there, staring at me, taunting me with it's emptiness. I was so excited when our 4th of July hostess challenged us with a red, white & blue theme for our desserts and side dishes and knew it was time to bust out the new trifle dish and put it to work.
This recipe comes from Food Network:
So, throw the kids in the car, head to the grocery store and stock up on everything you need for this delicious summery dessert!
Patriotic Berry Trifle
Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 premade angel food cake, cut into 1-inch slices
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
2 pints blueberries
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
Directions
Heat 1/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.
Brush both sides of each slice of cake with the syrup. Cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.
Beat the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream.
Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a 13-cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Dollop half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, then sprinkle with more blueberries and top with the remaining cream mixture. Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 premade angel food cake, cut into 1-inch slices
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
2 pints blueberries
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
Directions
Heat 1/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.
Brush both sides of each slice of cake with the syrup. Cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.
Beat the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream.
Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a 13-cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Dollop half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, then sprinkle with more blueberries and top with the remaining cream mixture. Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
What are your favorite summer fruits and desserts?
