Patriotic 4th of July Trifle Dessert

With homemade whipped cream and fresh berries that light up the red, white and blue colors of the fourth of July holiday, your family, friends, and guests will be so impressed with this patriotic 4th of July trifle dessert.

It’s a super easy trifle dessert that you can make in minutes that not only looks terrific, but it also tastes fantastic. If you love strawberry shortcake, this dessert is even better than that.

🍓 Key Ingredients

• 1 box of angel food cake mix – 16 ounces – or a store-bought angel food cake
• 1 pound fresh strawberries
• 1 pound fresh blueberries
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream – or your favorite whipped topping
• 2 cups cold milk – for the pudding mix – 1%, 2%, or whole milk
• 1 box of instant vanilla pudding mix – 5.1 ounces
• 6 tablespoons sugar – for the whipped cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – for the whipped cream

👩‍🍳 How to Make Patriotic 4th of July Trifle Dessert

These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.

Step 1. Make the Cake

Prepare the angel food cake mix by following the instructions on the back of the box. Or, if you prefer, you can also buy an angel food cake from the bakery section at any grocery store.

Step 2. Prepare the Pudding

In a large bowl, add 2 cups of cold milk together with 5.1 ounces (1 box) of instant vanilla pudding mix. We used 1% milk for this recipe, but it’s okay for you to use 2%, or whole milk.

Step 3. Whisk the Milk and Dry Pudding Mix

With a whisk, blend the milk and dry vanilla pudding mix until completely blended together. Set the pudding mixture aside for now.

Step 4. Slice the Strawberries

Remove the stem, then rinse the strawberries under cold running water. Let the strawberries sit in the colander for a few minutes to drain off any excess water. After that, lay the strawberries on a paper towel to absorb any remaining water. Slice each strawberry in half. Set the strawberries aside for now.

Tip: To remove the stem from strawberries the easy way, insert a straw in the middle of the bottom of the strawberry (the pointy end), then push the straw up through the strawberry from the bottom up.

Step 5. Cut the Cake into Cubes

After the angel food cake is done baking in the oven, let the cake cool for a bit. After that, cup the cake into 1-inch cubes. Set the cake cubes aside for now.

Step 6. Make the Homemade Whipped Cream

Put 2 cups of heavy whipping cream in a large bowl together with 6 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Note: If you prefer to do so, you can buy ready-made whipped topping, such as Cool Whip in the tub, or whatever is your favorite whipped cream.

Step 7. Beat the Whipping Cream, Sugar, and Vanilla

Use an electric mixer to beat the whipping cream together with the sugar and vanilla extract. Start out on low speed, that way the contents won’t splatter out of the bowl.

After that, increase to medium speed, then medium-high speed, and so on, until the whipping cream forms stiff peaks. This should only take a few minutes to accomplish. Set the homemade whipped cream aside for now, preferably in the refrigerator.

Step 8. Get Your Trifle Bowl Out

A trifle bowl is a glass bowl that sits atop an attached stand, also known as a pedestal. However, some can sit on the table without a stand. Most of the time they are made out of clear plastic or glass, so you can see the pretty layers of food through it. Some are tinted with pastel colors that you are still able to see through.

The bowl is round, and deep, so it can hold layers of ingredients, such as the dessert we are making today, or it can be filled with fresh fruit, or even a variety of vegetables. Some trifle bowls have a lid that comes with it, and some don’t.

There are a variety of trifle bowls for sale online and in stores that sell baking pans and baking dishes. The price for trifle bowls range from very affordable to very expensive. However, in my opinion, the trifle bowl doesn’t necessarily need to be fancy. I think any trifle bowl is cool looking just by the shape of it, so I don’t think you need to spend a lot of money on a beautiful trifle bowl for this exquisite looking dessert. In other words, this dessert makes the trifle bowl look fantastic no matter what.

Tip: If you don’t have a trifle bowl, you can use a clear glass cake dish, or even a small or medium-sized punch bowl.

Step 9. Prepare and Start the Layers

Divide the ingredients for the layers:

• Separate the cake cubes into two piles
• Make three piles of the cut strawberries
• Divide the vanilla pudding in half
• There will be three layers of blueberries
• And two layers of whipped cream

There will be five layers, then we will repeat the layers again.

First Layer:

Take the angel food cake we cut into cubes earlier and put half of the cake pieces on the bottom of a trifle dish.

You can arrange the cake cubes on the bottom of the trifle dish however you prefer, but try to keep them in a single layer as much as possible.

Note: You can buy an angel food cake mix from the grocery store like we did, or you can also buy an angel food cake or a pre-made sponge cake from the bakery section. A store-bought pound cake will work fine too.

Step 10. Arrange One Third of the Strawberries

Second Layer:

Divide the cut strawberries into 3 piles, if you haven’t done so already. Put 1/3 of the cut strawberries on top of the cake pieces that are in the trifle bowl.

Step 11. Pour Half of the Pudding for the Next Layer

Third Layer:

With the vanilla pudding already divided in half, spread half of it on top of the strawberries.

Step 12. Lay One Third of the Blueberries for the Next Layer

Fourth Layer:

You should have three piles of blueberries. Put one of the piles of blueberries on top of the pudding mixture.

Step 13. Spread on One Half of the Whipped Cream

Fifth Layer:

The last layer before we repeat all the layers again is a layer of whipped cream. After you spread half of the whipped cream on top of the blueberries, repeat the layers we just did.

Note: We will end with a layer of strawberries and blueberries on top of the dessert in Step 19.

Step 14. Repeat the Layers

We are now going to repeat all the layers we just did, so start with another layer of cake on top of the whipped cream. This is the last of the layers for the cake.

Step 15. Add Another Layer of Strawberries

Place another layer of strawberries on top of the pieces of angel food cake. You should have one more pile of strawberries left that will decorate the top of the dessert in Step 19.

Step 16. Spread on the Rest of the Vanilla Pudding

Spread the remaining vanilla pudding on top of the strawberries. This will be the last layer of vanilla pudding.

Step 17. Toss on More Blueberries

You should have two piles of blueberries left. Toss one of the piles on top of the vanilla pudding. This will be the second layer of blueberries we have done for this dessert.

Step 18. Spread on the Last of the Whipped Topping

Spread the remaining whipped cream on top of the blueberries. There should be two whipped cream layers now.

Step 19. Place the Remaining Blueberries and Strawberries

Put the remaining blueberries in the middle of the dessert on top of the whipped cream. We made a star, but you can decorate the top of the trifle dessert however you like.

Arrange the last of the sliced strawberries on top of the whipped cream around the outside edge of the dessert. That completes our 4th of July trifle dessert. Store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

🌟 Recipe Variations

• If you prefer, this recipe will work with cool whip instead of buying heavy cream to make homemade whipped cream. But I must say, homemade whipped cream is the best tasting by far.
• Get fancy making individual trifle desserts using sundae cups instead of using a trifle bowl. There is a bit more time involved, but they are so cute. Use old fashioned soda glasses, glass ice cream cups, or any dessert glasses, then fill each one with the layers that are mentioned here.

🙋 FAQs

✏️ Final Thoughts

This strawberry blueberry trifle dessert is absolutely amazing, with delicious fruit layered between creamy vanilla pudding, homemade whipped cream, and angel food cake.

This delightful treat is the perfect dessert to serve on July 4th. With its simple ingredients, you will have it made in no time at all. Celebrate the 4th with this colorful patriotic berry dessert that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

📋 Recipe Card

💖 More Classic Trifle Recipes You Will Love

• Birthday Trifle Cake Recipe with Sprinkles – Layers of cake, a mixture of cream cheese, cream cheese pudding and whipped topping, then sprinkles and cookies on top. So good!