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Lemon Berry Angel Food Cake Trifle

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Lemon-scented berries are scattered in between layers of angel food cake and creamy, vanilla pudding to create a crowd-pleasing trifle that is perfect for entertaining.
Lemon Berry Angel Food Cake Trifle by The Lemon BowlJust in time for spring entertaining, I am so excited to share my Lemon Berry Angel Food Cake Trifle. It was created on a whim when my mom asked me to bring dessert to a family dinner. To be completely honest, I just opened my pantry and tried to figure out what I could throw together with what I had on hand.

Let’s talk angel food cake for a minute. Confession: this was my first time baking it at home. In fact, I don’t even own a bundt pan. Embarrassing, right? If you’re feeling ambitious, my girl Megan has a beautiful recipe for Homemade Angel Food Cake. Since I’m not that fancy, I used a “just add water” mix hiding in the back of my pantry which allowed me to use two bread pans. Since you’re tearing the cake into bite-sized pieces, it really doesn’t matter what shape pan you use.

Lemon Berry Angel Cake Trifle Assembly - The Lemon BowlWhatever you do, try to avoid using store-bought angel food cake if possible. Freshly baked from a mix takes no time at all and trust me when I say it requires no baking talent. The end result is much more moist, fluffy and flavorful than the pre-made versions.

Homemade vanilla pudding couldn’t be any easier to make from scratch and only requires 6 ingredients you probably already have on hand such as milk, sugar and cornstarch. For freshness and bright flavor, I added a little lemon zest to the berries before layering the trifle.

Berry Angel Food Cake Trifle - The Lemon BowlAfter a little time in the refrigerator for all of the flavors to enhance and get cozy with one another, you are ready to serve this baby. Creamy, cool, slightly tart and bursting with flavor, my family went crazy for this dessert. In fact, my mom was sad I only made one dish. We devoured it!

If you’re entertaining a crowd, feel free to double the recipe. It is perfect for making ahead as well to help you save time on the day of the party. Looking for an alternative? Try my Berry Ginger Frozen Yogurt Instead!

Your fork is waiting.

Berry Angel Food Cake Trifle - The Lemon Bowl

Lemon Berry Angel Food Cake Trifle

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: angel food cake trifle
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 361kcal
Author: Liz Della Croce
Lemon-scented berries are scattered in between layers of angel food cake and creamy, vanilla pudding to create a crowd-pleasing trifle.
Questions / Comments?
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Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups homemade vanilla pudding see below
  • 1 large *angel food cake torn into bite sized pieces
  • 4 cups mixed berries fresh or frozen
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

  • To make the vanilla pudding, warm milk in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. While milk is warming, stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl. Once milk has started to create bubbles around the edge of the pan, slowly whisk in the sugar mixture. Continue whisking until mixture begins to thicken being careful not to boil.
  • Remove from heat and gently stir in the vanilla and butter. Chill pudding in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before assembling trifle.
  • While pudding is cooling, prepare angel food cake according to package instructions. Let cook completely before tearing into bite-sized pieces.
  • When you are ready to assemble your trifle, start by mixing berries in a bowl with the lemon zest.
  • Layer 1/4 of the angel food cake pieces in the bottom of a glass trifle bowl or a large serving bowl. Scatter 1/4 of the berries on top then drizzle with 1/4 of the vanilla pudding.
  • Repeat the layers 3 times until you've used all of the cake, pudding and fruit.
  • Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill completely before serving, ideally 2 hours or more.

Recipe Notes:

When it comes to angel food cake, you have three choices: store-bought from the bakery aisle, box mixes or from scratch. I used a box and it blew the store-bought versions out of the water. If you're feeling ambitious, I highly recommend this recipe for Homemade Angel Food Cake.
Store bought will work in a pinch, but the "just add water" mix I used only took 5 minutes to prepare and the freshness and flavor blew store bought out of the water.
If using frozen berries, let them come to room temperature first.
Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe is from All Recipes.
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Berry Angel Food Cake Trifle
Amount Per Serving
Calories 361 Calories from Fat 24
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2.7g 4%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.7g
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 594mg 25%
Total Carbohydrates 77g 26%
Dietary Fiber 2.5g 10%
Sugars 57.2g
Protein 5.6g 11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?If you tried this recipe I would love to to see it and have you share! Tag me @thelemonbowl using the hashtag #thelemonbowl!
Questions or Comments?Click Here to send me a note or rate the recipe!
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Comments

  2. eat good 4 life

    April 16, 2014 at 11:21 pm

    Loving the simplicity of this dessert. I would never buy store bought angel cake either and the pudding looks super easy to make. I surely wish I had a slice of this dessert right now. Berries are my favorite ultimate fruit :-)

    Reply

  8. [email protected]

    April 15, 2014 at 7:37 pm

    I really LOLed reading the post. This would be me making a trifle – sorry I don’t have a bundt cake pan. Oh, sorry and no sugar. Ooops, I have only mango. LOL. A+ for honesty! It looks delish!!!

    Reply

    • Liz DellaCroce

      April 15, 2014 at 8:28 pm

      I’m not sure!! I’ve never worked with it before… I wouldn’t do something new for Easter that you haven’t done before, that’s for sure. :) If you try it will you let me know? So sorry I’m not more helpful!!

      Reply

  10. Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons

    April 15, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    I’ve been looking for something exactly like this to take to Easter. I confess that I”ve never made an angel food cake either. I always buy it pre-made from the store, but now that I know there’s a mix for it (I had no idea), I can just use that! Perfect.

    Can’t wait to meet you tomorrow, Liz!

    Reply

  11. Katie

    April 15, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    Yum!!! This is my kind of recipe! I agree if you can make your own angel food cake and pudding it’s totally better than the store bought variety!

    Reply

  17. julia

    April 15, 2014 at 9:23 am

    I love any cake with berries and my husband’s favorite cake is angel food cake so I will def be trying this out! Beautiful colors too!

    Reply

  20. Erin | The Law Student's Wife

    April 15, 2014 at 7:37 am

    I absolutely adore trifles! They are simple, beautiful, and delicious. Your version is definitely healthier than my grandma’s— she uses a store-bought jelly rolls (and rum!). I can’t lie, it’s good, but your version would leave me feeling much later!

    Reply

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