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Lemon Berry Trifle

Yield: 12 Servings
Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

Berries: (can be cooked up to a day in advance and refrigerated):

  • 4 cups berries, a combination of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, you can use fresh or frozen – if using frozen, they need to be thawed and drained
  • 1 large lemon, juiced
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Lemon Cream: (the lemon curd can be made up to 3 days in advance):

  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (11-ounce) jar lemon curd, or homemade (recipe below)

Pound Cake: (can be made a day in advance or longer, if it is frozen):

  • 1 loaf lemon or plain pound cake (recipe below), homemade or store-bought, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

Instructions 

  • Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries begin to break down, about 3-4 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let the mixture cool. This can be done a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate the berry syrup until ready to use.
  • In a clean bowl, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and the vanilla until soft peaks form. Put the lemon curd into a second bowl and whisk in about 1/4 cup of the whipped cream to loosen it up a bit. Then gently fold in the rest of the cream. Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.
  • To assemble the trifle, spoon a layer of the cream into a large glass or trifle bowl. Add a layer of pound cake. You may need to break the pound cake slices into smaller pieces and jigsaw them together to fit. Then drizzle on about 1/3 of the berry syrup. Don’t worry if it doesn’t completely coat the pound cake – just drizzle it across and let the berries fall where they may. Spoon a layer of lemon cream over the top, smoothing to the sides. Repeat all the layers, 2 or 3 more times, depending on the size of the bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream.
  • Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. It is best to make this several hours before serving and refrigerate it.

Notes

Make-Ahead: the trifle should be assembled about 5-8 hours before serving so all the flavors can blend together. All of the components can be made from 1-3 days ahead. Look through the recipe for more specific details.