Red White and Blue Trifle Recipe

Gailyc’s grandfather

If you are looking for a festive dessert for Memorial Day (or the Fourth of July), make this red white and blue trifle recipe or the variation, patriotic trifle. Gailyc Sonia Braunstein of the blog Madness of Joy was inspired by the military service of her family members. 

For three generations before me, the men in my family served in the military.

My father was in the infantry in Vietnam, my grandfather (seen on the right in his now rather jaunty-looking Army get-up) landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, during the Normandy Invasion, and my great-grandfather was in Europe during World War I.

While military service was never a real option for me (think “Private Benjamin” and you’ll have an idea of me in the military), it is my honor to be related to these men, and I am awed by their bravery and commitment to serving their country.

While my family doesn’t do big cookouts and hoopla on Memorial Day anymore, I wanted to share a couple of recipes for one of my favorite treats:  trifle.

The basic recipe for trifle is simple, and it’s easy to change it up and make it look however you want or taste however you want.  You can use berries, peaches, plums, apricots, bananas. If you can find a fruit, you can probably use it in this basic recipe.

I happen to love patriotic colors and berries, so I’m sharing two different versions from my family treasure trove.

“Red, White and Blue” Flag Trifle

Ingredients:

2 boxes white cake mix

1 tube blue gel food coloring

1 tube red gel food coloring

2 pints blueberries

2 quarts strawberries or 2 pints raspberries

16 oz heavy/whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

Mix cake batter according to package directions.

Mix one box of batter with the tube of blue food coloring; mix the other with the tube of red food coloring.

Pour the colored batters into separate baking pans and bake according to package directions.

While the cakes cool, make the whipped cream by mixing together the heavy cream, the vanilla and the sugar with an electric beater.  Beat the ingredients together until semi-stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted.

When the whipped cream is done, put it into the refrigerator to stay cool until needed.

When the cakes have cooled, remove from the pans and cut into small cubes.

Layer a trifle dish with the colored cakes, the fresh blueberries and strawberries, and the whipped cream, alternating layers.

Enjoy!

Patriotic Trifle

Ingredients:

1 family-sized Sara Lee pound cake

1/2 cup strawberry jam

3/4 cup orange juice without pulp

2 quarts sliced strawberries or 2 pints raspberries

2 pints blueberries

16 ounces whipping cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 packages vanilla pudding

1 quart whole milk

Directions:

Cut the pound cake into small cubes, approximately 3/4″ square.

Mix the strawberry jam and the orange juice together until smooth.

Make the vanilla pudding according to the package directions using the whole milk, then let cool.

Make the whipped cream by mixing together the heavy cream, the vanilla and the sugar with an electric beater.  Beat the ingredients together until semi-stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted.

When the whipped cream is done, put it into the refrigerator to stay cool until needed.

Line the bottom of a trifle dish (or other glass dish/bowl) with the pound cake cubes.

Drizzle half of the jam/juice mixture over the cake cubes.

Layer half of the sliced strawberries over the cake.

Pour half of the pudding over the strawberries.

Place another layer of cake cubes over the pudding.

Drizzle the remainder of the jam/juice mixture over the cake cubes.

Layer half of the blueberries over the cake.

Pour the remainder of the pudding over the blueberries.

Top it all off with whipped cream, then decorate the top with the remaining blueberries and strawberries.

Enjoy!