This angel food berry trifle is as delicious as it is beautiful. The perfect dessert with its layers of fresh berries, light cake, and cream!
If you love layered desserts, you'll definitely want to try our layered eclair dessert, brownie trifle, or homemade strawberry shortcake!
Angel food cake with fresh berries and cream is my all-time favorite dessert. It's the only birthday dessert that I ever request (besides French silk pie). I love the combination of white cake and fruit. So fresh, delicious, and full of fantastic flavor.
Why I Like This Recipe
- Easy to customize. Just look at those delicious layers of pudding and cream, cake, and fresh fruit. My favorite berry combination is strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. The red, white, and blue colors are perfect for the 4th of July. Raspberries are soft and break down easily, so I only use them as a garnish on top and fill my trifle with strawberries and blueberries. Blackberries would be delicious as well.
- Elegant. I bought a trifle bowl a few years ago and absolutely love it. I like that it doesn't have a stand on it, which makes it much more practical for everyday use. It works great as a salad and a punch bowl, too. Did I mention that it comes with a lid? Perfect for storing leftovers. Everything I make looks simply stunning in it!
- Semi-homemade. The decision to make your own cake or buy store-bought angel food cake is entirely up to you. I make mine using a boxed mix. You will use about ¾ of the angel food cake to make this trifle recipe. You can also make this with pound cake.
What Others Are Saying
I made this for the 4th of July and it was a huge hit! So much so, that I've been asked to make it 3 times since!---Diana
So easy and great to bring to a cookout. I used store bought angel food cake and layered everything, but didn't measure, just eyeballed. I also just ripped up the cake. No need to cut with a knife. I made the night before, as suggested. And a hit!---Alissa
This is my go to dessert for any gathering. I've made it so many times I have the recipe memorized. Thank you!---Laura on Pinterest
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Tips and Tricks
- Chilling. You can serve this dessert right away, but I highly suggest letting it chill first. Refrigerating the trifle 1-2 hours before serving helps the fruit juices, cream, and pudding soak into the cake, melding everything and making it soft.
- Add the top layer of fruit before serving. To keep the fruit on top fresh, I add it right before serving so the juices don't discolor the cream, but it's a personal preference.
- How to store angel food trifle. Cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- Angel food cake: You will only need ¾ of the angel food cake. You can make your own cake from scratch, use a cake mix, or buy one from the store. I use a cake mix. Sponge cake or pound cake also works well with this recipe and is delicious!
- Vanilla pudding: Instant vanilla pudding works great.
- Milk: any kind you'd like.
- Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are a delicious combination. I recommend using fresh fruit rather than frozen.
- Whipped cream: If you don't like Cool Whip, you can use heavy whipping cream with a bit of powdered sugar. Beat heavy cream, sugar, and a splash of vanilla in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Angel Food Berry Trifle
Step 1: Cut or tear the cake into bite-sized pieces.
Step 2: Beat cold milk and 1 box of instant vanilla pudding mix in a bowl at medium speed. Fold in 12 ounces of regular or light whipped cream.
Step 3: Spoon ⅓ of the pudding mixture into your trifle dish.
Step 4: Add a layer of fruit.
Step 5: Add half of the cake cubes.
Step 6: Repeat with another layer of pudding, fruit, the rest of the cake, and end with the rest of the pudding mixture.
Step 7: Refrigerate trifle 1-2 hours before serving for best results. The fruit juices, cream, and pudding soak into the cake, allowing everything to meld and become soft. Arrange the remaining fruit on top of the trifle before serving.
Angel Food Trifle FAQs
This angel food berry trifle makes 12 delicious servings. You can bake the cake ahead of time and wrap until ready to layer the trifle.
You can also make the trifle the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
The decision to make your own cake or buy store-bought angel food cake is entirely up to you. I make mine using a boxed mix. You will use about ¾ of the angel food cake to make this trifle recipe. You can also make this with pound cake.
I bought a trifle bowl a few years ago and absolutely love it. I like that it doesn't have a stand on it, which makes it much more practical for everyday use. It works great as a salad and a punch bowl, too. If you don't have a trifle bowl, you can use a large glass bowl or casserole dish.
More Layered Desserts To Make
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Angel Food Berry Trifle
Equipment
- trifle bowl
- mixing bowl
- spoon
Ingredients
- 1 angel food cake homeamde or store bought
- 1 3.4 oz. instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 12 oz. light whipped topping (Cool Whip)
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries sliced
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Cut angel food cake into 1" bite-sized pieces.
- Beat pudding mix and milk with a hand mixer until smooth in a large glass bowl. Fold in whipped topping with a rubber spatula.
- Spoon ⅓ pudding mixture into bottom of trifle bowl.
- Add layer of sliced strawberries and blueberries.
- Add ½ of the angel food cake cubes.
- Add ⅓ pudding mixture followed by another layer of fruit.
- Add remaining angel food cake cubes.
- Spread with remaining pudding mixture.
- Chill 1-2 hours.
- Add raspberries and remaining strawberries and blueberries to the top of the trifle before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Judy Meldrum says
very easy to follow great treats.
Brandy says
Love hearing this Judy!
Linda Mitchell says
Sounds yummy ? What size trifle bowl do you use?
Brandy says
Hi! This is the exact bowl that I have: https://amzn.to/4ey8lpm
Diana says
I made this for the 4th of July and it was a huge hit! So much so, that I've been asked to make it 3 times since!
Brandy says
Diana! This made my day! So glad that it’s become your new signature dessert! 🙂
Alissa says
So easy and great to bring to a cookout. I used store bought angel food cake and layered everything, but didn't measure, just eyeballed. I also just ripped up the cake. No need to cut with a knife. I made the night before, as suggested. And a hit!
Brandy says
Awesome! So great to hear!
Shelley Tinoco says
I want to make this in 6-8oz individual servings. Can everything be prepared the night before and assembled the morning/day of the event? I don’t want the pudding/cool whip mixture to be too stiff or runny.
Brandy says
Hi Shelley, I think that would work.
D says
Can you clarify if the pudding gets mixed with the heavy cream(instead of cool whip) ? Or are these separate creams
Brandy says
Pudding and milk are mixed together then the cool whip is folded into them. So just one pudding/cream mixture.
Jeanie says
How far in advance can this be made? Is the night before too long to let it sit in the fridge?
Brandy says
Not at all! You can definitely make this the night before!
Linda A O'Connell says
Am I reading the recipe right that you're using a 3.4 ounce box of pudding and just 1 1/2 cups of milk? I couldn't find a 3.4 ounce so got three 1 ounce so would be using all three of those with 1 1/2 cups of milk, right? Thanks.
Brandy says
Hi Linda! Is it sugar free pudding mix? That's probably why it weighs less. You can just use one box and the same amount of milk and it will be just fine!
Bobbie Canton says
what is light whipped topping? is it a 36% cream or more an already whipped topping like cool whip?
Brandy says
It's light cool whip (lower fat). You can use any kind you'd like, but I usually just buy light.