Family get-togethers should be tons of fun without tons of work! So if you're looking for an quick, easy, and even healthy dessert for your Fourth of July celebrations, this recipe for Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifles in Mason Jars is a perfect fit!
Made with store-bought cake, fresh berries, and whipped cream topping, they are a pinch to assemble. The fresh fruit is healthy, and the cake and whipped cream adds sweetness without too much sugar or calories. Plus, the beautiful colors are perfect for any patriotic holiday!
🥘 Ingredients
To keep with the patriotic theme, you'll want to choose berries that are red or blue. The white comes from the cake and the whipped cream topping. Here is a complete list of ingredients:
- fresh strawberries - with the leaves removed. I also cut these in half so they fit into the jars more easily. Feel free to leave them whole if you prefer
- fresh raspberries
- fresh blueberries
- store-bought angel food cake
- Reddi Wip brand whipped cream topping - you can also substitute Cool Whip, or even homemade whipped cream, if you prefer
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Prepare the strawberries by rinsing in fresh, cold water, than then removing the tops. Cut them in half if you want.
Rinse the raspberries and blueberries as well. You don't need to cut these because they're so much smaller.
Cut the cake into 1-inch pieces. If you're using smaller jars, you can make smaller pieces; if you're using larger ones, the pieces can be bigger!
Next assemble the jars by layering cake, then berries, then whipped cream. Repeat a second time, until you have six total layers.
Put the cake pieces in first
Next, add some of each type of berry
Spray (or spoon) whipped cream topping over the berries
Repeat with another cake layer, another berry layer, and another whipped cream layer
It's ok to press the layers down a bit to get them to fit better. The spongy cake, and the irregular shapes, generally leaves some extra room that can be pushed out!
Finally, top with a single berry as an additional garnish.
📖 Variations
Feel free to experiment with different types of fruit. For example, watermelon would make a good addition. Or, if you're not trying to stick to the red, white, and blue theme, then some fresh pineapple would be delicious!
If you really love strawberries, also check out my Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe! It's not quite as easy as these trifles, but it's delicious and also great for family get-togehters.
If you want an adult version, you can soak the pieces of cake in sherry before assembling.
🍽 Equipment
The only thing you really need are the mason jars that hold the trifles together, and a knife for cutting the cake and the strawberries.
No Mason jars? No problem. You can put these in clear glasses. Or if you're outside and don't want to use glass, then red or blue Solos cup are a great alternative. You won't be able to see through the sides, but your guests will enjoy the colors as they dig through the yummy layers of their desserts!
Cool whip topping does tend to hold its shape better than Reddi Whip, if you absolutely must make it in advance.
Want to put your Mason jars to work in other ways? Try making my recipe for Mexican pickled onions!
🥡 Storage
These do not store well after assembling. The whipped topping kind of melts or deflates, even in the refrigerator. It still tastes delicious, but it looks kind of pathetic. So my suggestion is to assemble these just before you're ready to serve them!
❓ FAQ
📋 Recipe
Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifles
Equipment
- 4 12-ounce mason jars see notes
Ingredients
- ½ angel food cake premade
- ½ pint fresh blueberries
- 6 ounces fresh raspberries
- ½ pound fresh strawberries
- ⅓ can Reddi-Wip see notes
Instructions
- Remove the leafy tops of the strawberries, and if desired, cut them in half. Wash all berries under running water.
- Cut the cake into 1-inch squares
- In each mason jar, layer pieces of cake, then berries, then Reddi Wip. Repeat for 6-12 total layers, depending on how deep your layers are.
- Serve immediately (or the Reddi Wip will deflate!)
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