Summer Berry Trifle
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This no-bake berry trifle is quick to make, make-ahead friendly, and always one of the first desserts to disappear at a party.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Berry trifles make perfect summer party desserts—they’re beautiful, feed a crowd, and can be made ahead. The only downside is that all those layers can be time-consuming to make from scratch. I take a few shortcuts: store-bought Savoiardi (crisp ladyfingers), cream cheese whipped into the filling for richness, and raspberry jam to bring the fruit together. The result is a stunning, crowd-pleasing trifle that comes together in just 30 minutes.
Use a deep, clear glass bowl or a footed glass trifle dish so the pretty layers can be seen. And don’t worry if the layers look slightly uneven or if the layers mix a bit—that’s the beauty of a trifle! You can also make the trifle in small glasses as individual parfaits.
“Oh my! This is so easy, beautiful and absolutely delicious!! Made for a party and everyone raved.”
What You’ll Need To make A Summer Berry Trifle
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Warm the jam and toss with berries. In a large bowl, heat the raspberry jam in the microwave until it’s hot and liquidy—about 1 minute. Add the sliced strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, then gently toss to coat. Let the mixture sit while you prep the cream; the berries will soften slightly and get nice and glossy.
Step 2: Whip the cream. In a large mixing bowl, whip the cold heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip—you want it fluffy and smooth. Set it aside for now.
Step 3: Make the cream cheese filling. In another large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the confectioners’ sugar until it’s completely smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Beat in about a third of the whipped cream to lighten the mixture. Switch to a spatula and gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream until fully combined and fluffy.
Step 4: Assemble the trifle. Begin with a layer of ladyfingers in the bottom of a large glass trifle dish or bowl (break them as needed to fit). Spoon on about a third of the berry mixture—juice and all—then spread a third of the cream on top. Don’t worry about being perfect; rustic looks beautiful here.
Continue layering, ending with the cream cheese mixture on top. For the last layer, try to leave a 1-inch border around the edge so the colorful berries peek through underneath. Sprinkle some berries and a fresh mint on top. Let the trifle chill for at least 8 hours or overnight, then top with some fresh berries and mint, if you like. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
More Summer Desserts You May Like
Summer Berry Trifle
Juicy berries, pillowy cream, and crisp ladyfingers—this trifle looks like a showstopper but couldn’t be easier to throw together.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (8 oz) seedless raspberry jam
- 1 quart (1½ pounds) strawberries, hulled and cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 pint (12 oz) raspberries
- 1 pint (12 oz) blueberries
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 16 ounces cream cheese (preferably Philadelphia brand), at room temperature
- 1¾ cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (7 oz) package crisp lady fingers (also called savoiardi biscuits)
- Fresh mint spring, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Set aside a few berries for topping the trifle.
- Heat the raspberry jam in a large bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until hot and liquidy. Add the fresh berries and toss to coat. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe, stirring occasionally.
- In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla, then beat in a third of the whipped cream. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the whipped cream until well combined.
- Cover the bottom of a 9-inch (14-cup capacity) trifle dish or glass bowl with a layer of lady fingers (break into pieces as necessary). Follow with ⅓ of the berry-jam mixture (including ⅓ of the juices), then ⅓ of the cream. Alternate, ending with the cream cheese mixture on top; for the last layer of cream, leave a 1-inch border around the edge showing the fruit beneath. Garnish with the reserved whole berries and a fresh mint spring if using. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 554
- Fat: 31g
- Saturated fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 65g
- Sugar: 41g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 7g
- Sodium: 197mg
- Cholesterol: 143mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Guests and I love your Berry Trifle. Not only does it look beautiful but quite easy to assemble and always a big hit. Thank you for offering this delicious dessert.
Can I make this a day ahead ?
Sure – enjoy!
Wonderful recipe! My guest loved it!
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes Jenn. I’ve made this trifle a few times and it’s great. Will it work if made in individual plastic cups to take to a office party? If it will, how many 8oz servings do you think it will make? Thanks very much! Joanie
Sure, Joanie, I think that should work, but unfortunately, I can’t tell you how many it will make — I’m sorry! (And so glad you like the recipes 😊)
Fantastic dessert especially for summer. My guests loved it!
Great recipe, easy to make, beautiful presentation and delish! It was a hit. Will be making it again!
I’ve made this trifle twice already! I’ve enjoyed it both times, but made some adjustments for the second time. Personally, I prefer a lighter tasting cream. The first time, I found it to be a little too rich for my taste (specifically in terms of the cream cheese flavor and texture). The second time around, I cut the cream cheese in half and replaced it with more heavy cream. The filling tasted and felt lighter. Either way, a beautiful, delicious, and easy dessert!
I made this for the 4th of July and it was superb. Visually enticing, it does not disappoint. In fact, it was a huge success.
I made this for a tea party last week and it was indeed a show stopper. People circled around it, not wanting to disturb it because it was so pretty, but once someone took the first serving, it was gone in minutes.
Jenn, is it possible to over- whip the cream? My stiff peaks turned to soft boulders with a few moments and as a novice whipper, I wasn’t sure if it would ruin things. Tasted fine but it was a bit tough to fold in.
Glad it was a hit! And yes, it is actually pretty easy to overwhip cream. (It’s always done before you think it is, and can go from smooth to curdled looking very quickly.) If you make this again, if you’re nervous about over whipping it, when it’s close to done, remove the bowl from the mixer and finish whipping by hand (you don’t need to dirty a whisk; simply hold the whisk attachment with your hand).
Jenn, I’m making this again tonight for a summer party at work tomorrow. I will try your whipping method. Thank you for always dishing out (!) good advice. I shall report back.
I loved the use of cream cheese rather than the typical custard as I’ve found the latter makes it too soupy. So I browsed through a bunch of recipes online and settled on yours as it was different enough that I’d likely get a better consistency. I also use and trust your recipes and no-nonsense approach to cooking/ baking. There’s too much fussing around with other chefs and I didn’t want to spend the entire day making all the components from scratch.
After I read the comments I decided not to use the jam as I was concerned it would be too sweet. I should have followed it to the letter as I found it could have used a little more sweetness. As the other berries in the store were too tart, I used only strawberries and let them macerate for a bit. I typically use an orange or other liquor too but as it was for a party with nonalcoholic peeps, I only added sugar.
I’ll make it again and follow the recipe exactly to compare. I took one star off as there no way this could be made in 25 minutes… it took me close to 1.5 hours including prep and decoration. Please recalibrate the time for those who are not familiar with your recipe.
I was too rushed to take a picture but will make it gain and post it. Everyone LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Thank you!