CHEESECAKE BERRY TRIFLE RECIPE FOR THE 4TH OF JULY
When it comes to dessert, cheesecake is my all time favorite! I don't have a huge sweet tooth but if there is cheesecake around, I can't resist. The only problem is cheesecake can be a little bit of a process to make and with the summer heat this time of the year, no one wants to be stuck in the hot kitchen baking. So for the upcoming 4th of July holiday, I will be once again making my cheesecake berry trifle. It combines the flavors of cheesecake, fresh summer berries, and angel food cake without any baking involved. It's light, fluffy, and perfectly red white and blue!
Isn't this dessert just so pretty?! I love the patriotic mix of red, white, and blue. It's sure to be the star of any 4th of July party... and don't be surprised if you don't have any leftovers. It always gets cleared out fast. We will be making this all summer long!
The strawberries and blueberries are perfectly ripe this time of the year and are so fresh and sweet. This dessert is the epitome of a fresh summer time treat. To get started I prepped the berries by washing them. I also cut up the strawberries. Make sure to dry the berries off well after washing them. You don't want a soggy dessert. Then I just cut up the angel food cake to get it ready to layer.
After the berries and angel food cake are prepped and ready, I started with the cheesecake filling! This is a two step process where you make a homemade whipped cream and a cream cheese mixture in separate bowls. It's hard to pick the star of this dessert, but the cheesecake filling just might be it!
In one of your mixing bowls, you will start by make the whipped cream. Make sure to put your bowl and beaters in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before you plan to start making the whipped cream and use cold cream right out of the refrigerator. This will make the process easier and faster. Pour the heavy whipping cream in your chilled bowl and beat it on high. If you've never made whipped cream before, don't be scared! You just need an electric mixer and it does all of the work for you. It's super easy. You will just whip the cream for a couple minutes until stiff peaks form. Just make sure not to over mix or you will end up with butter.
In a separate bowl, you will make the cream cheese mixture. Throw your softened cream cheese in the bowl and beat it until it's smooth. Slowly add in your powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Then, mix in your vanilla.
Once that is done, you will add the whipped cream mixture into your cream cheese mixture by gently folding it in with a spatula. You want to keep the mixture light and fluffy, so you don't want to mix it fast. Just fold slowly until it is fully incorporated together.
After the whipped cream and cream cheese mixture is fully combined, it's time to start layering your dessert. I started with the angel food cake, followed by a layer of the cheesecake mixture and then the fruit. Make sure to stack some berries up against the side of the bowl so that you can see them. You don't want the angel food cake and cheesecake mixture to cover up all those pretty berries! Repeat until your trifle bowl is filled up. You want to end with the cheesecake mixture but reserve a small amount of berries for a garnish on the very top. We made a cute pattern with the berries on top. You can get as creative as you want here!
This recipe is enough to fill a large glass trifle bowl. If you want to do single small servings or to use a smaller trifle bowl, you can always cut the recipe in half. Are you ready to make this dessert? Below is the recipe...
Ingredients:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 8 oz packages of cream cheese (softened)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 angel food cake (we used store bought)
- 1 large container strawberries
- 1 large container blueberries
Directions:
- Wash the berries and cut the strawberries into bite size pieces, set aside
- Cut the angel food cake into small squares, set aside
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer to create whipped cream. Beat a few minutes until stiff peaks form. (a tip for making homemade whipped cream is placing your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before using)
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until it's smooth and slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Once it's combined, mix in the vanilla extract
- Add the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture and gently fold it in until it is fully incorporated
- Start layering your trifle by adding the angel food cake first, spreading or piping the whipped cheesecake mixture on top of that, and then adding the berries. Repeat until you are out of the cheesecake mixture. You want to end with the cheesecake mixture
- Garnish with some berries on the top for decoration
- Refrigerate for a few hours before serving or over night
- Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this festive recipe as much as we do! If you make it, let us know what you think. What other must have 4th of July treats do you make? What are your must haves?! We'd love to hear from you!
xoxo
