Individual Berry Trifles

Published June 24, 2013. Updated May 13, 2019

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These Mini Berry Trifles are made with layers of Greek yogurt pound cake, fresh berries and white chocolate pudding. This is an easy summer dessert that’s perfect for potlucks and barbecues! 

three Individual Berry Trifles on white tray

Easy Berry Trifle Recipe

The best desserts for the Fourth of July always include blueberries and strawberries or raspberries. It’s a given because of the naturally beautiful and patriotic color combination — especially when you add in some silky white whipped cream.

I made this trifle dessert semi-homemade simply because I didn’t have the time to wait three to four hours for a homemade white chocolate pudding to set in the fridge, so I went with an instant pudding. I’m normally not a fan of instant pudding. That is, not until you add cream to it. Cream makes everything better!

I also added in some vanilla to enhance the flavor. The Greek Yogurt Pound cake is a recipe I got from Bon Appetit, I love it because it’s about half the fat of a normal pound cake but it’s still just as delicious. You’ll love the slight lemon flavor it has.

What is a Trifle?

A trifle is a traditional English dessert that’s usually made with custard, fruit and sponge cake, and oftentimes a jelly of some sort. The ingredients are layered in a large dish and make for a lovely centerpiece.

If you ever have cake layers get stuck inside a pan, don’t throw out that cake! You can easily repurpose the ugly cake by making these mini trifles out of it. Genius, right?

Mini Berry Trifle Ingredients

For the Greek yogurt pound cake, you’ll need:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Granulated sugar
  • Lemon zest
  • Greek yogurt
  • Vegetable oil
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract

And for the rest of the trifle layers, you’ll need:

  • Milk
  • Instant white chocolate or cheesecake pudding mix
  • Vanilla extract
  • Heavy cream
  • Powdered sugar
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries

individual berry trifles

How to Make Berry Trifles

  • Make the Greek yogurt pound cake, then let it cool completely before cutting into cubes.
  • Make the instant pudding, then whip the heavy cream and gently fold into the set pudding.
  • Assemble the trifles by layering the cake pieces, pudding and fresh fruit in small glasses or jars.

Can I Make This Recipe With Vanilla Pudding?

Yes, if you can’t find cheesecake or white chocolate instant pudding mix at your grocery store, you can use regular vanilla pudding instead.

Can I Make These in Advance?

You don’t want to make these berry trifles too far in advance, otherwise the pound cake will become soggy from the fruit juice and pudding. But you can definitely prep these the morning before you have guests over!

Tips for the Best Berry Trifles

  • If you want to make these mini berry trifles without instant pudding, you definitely could (I would recommend a recipe like this — using only the Cheesecake Mousse portion and probably tripling the amount for this recipe).
  • You need to use full-fat Greek yogurt in the pound cake. The extra fat adds flavor and moisture to the cake.
  • If you plan on taking these mini berry trifles to a barbecue or picnic, assemble them in small mason jars and screw the lids on to make transporting them easier.

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5 from 1 vote

Individual Berry Trifles

Tempting trifles layered with pound cake, white chocolate pudding and fresh berries.
Servings: 12
Prep35 minutes
Cook55 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Greek Yogurt Pound Cake

Berry Trifles

Instructions

Make pound cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate large mixing bowl, using your fingertips, rub lemon zest together with sugar until moist.  
  • Add in Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract and mix together until well blended. Add flour mixture and stir mixture just until combined.
  • Pour mixture into a greased 8 1/2-by-4 1/4-inch loaf pan and bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 – 55 minutes. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
  • Dice pound cake into slices, then cubes about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick.

Make vanilla pudding:

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together 3 cups milk, pudding mix and vanilla extract for 2 minutes. Allow mixture to rest 5 minutes or until set.
  • Meanwhile, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, add powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into set vanilla pudding.

To assemble trifles:

  • Divide 1/2 of the pound cake cubes among glasses while spreading cubes to even layer in bottom of glasses (depending on the size of the glasses you use, the amount of glasses needed will vary, for smaller tumbler glasses it will be about 12).
  • Add 3/4 of the berries then top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat process ending with 1/4 of the berries on top (for best results add berries on top just before serving). Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

*Can substitute 1 tsp lemon extract if you don't have lemon zest. 
Recipe Source: Pound cake recipe adapted from Bon Appétit
Nutrition Facts
Individual Berry Trifles
Amount Per Serving
Calories 450 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 15g94%
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 252mg11%
Potassium 324mg9%
Carbohydrates 58g19%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 40g44%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 562IU11%
Vitamin C 27mg33%
Calcium 155mg16%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.