This show-stopping lemon berry trifle recipe includes lemon pound cake, fresh berries, a lemon cheesecake filling, and fresh whipped cream. Use store-bought cake if you’re short on time!
Trifles are an ideal party dessert, especially in the spring and summer. Served in a lovely glass bowl or trifle dish, the presentation is equally impressive and beautiful. You can prepare trifles in advance and even though I recommend homemade cake for those layers, you can definitely get away with store-bought. Especially when you take the time to make homemade whipped cream and homemade lemon curd!
Trifles are as show-stopping as tall layer cakes, but worlds easier to assemble. There’s always an exciting new layer to discover and unlike Rachel’s trifle, each layer is pretty pleasant!!!
She made half an English trifle… and half a shepherd’s pie! (With my classic cheesecake recipe, that makes two Friends desserts in a week lol.)
Video Tutorial: How to Make Lemon Berry Trifle
Today’s lemon berry trifle is my latest kitchen creation. In terms of flavor, it reminds me of this lemon berry yogurt cake. I assembled and photographed it when friends came to visit. It was an instant hit, so I made it again for my mother-in-law’s birthday. The whole family gathered at our house to celebrate, so I chose this dessert not only because it feeds a lot, but for its ease of preparation.
After preparing this lemon berry trifle for two separate large groups, I have some helpful make-ahead tips for you. But first, let’s discuss the layers.
Lemon Trifle Layers
- Lemon pound cake: I use and recommend my lemon pound cake recipe. You can prepare the cake a day or 2 in advance. Since there are other homemade components to the recipe, feel free to use store-bought pound cake or even angel food cake.
- Lemon cheesecake layer: The lemon cheesecake layer is the star of the show. It’s light, fluffy, and a pleasing balance of sweet and tart. It’s prepared with cream cheese, lemon curd, vanilla extract, and homemade whipped cream. I strongly suggest using homemade lemon curd and homemade whipped cream in this lemon berry trifle. Both taste considerably more appetizing than their store-bought counterparts. Homemade lemon curd can be prepared up to a week in advance and the whipped cream is only 3 basic ingredients!
- Fresh berries: No extra steps here, just layer fresh berries right into the trifle. Whichever berries you use, I recommend using fresh. Frozen berries are a convenient substitution when fresh berries are not available, but they leak juices in the trifle layers regardless if you thaw or not before layering. Think about how you want the fruit to taste and go from there.
- Whipped cream: Always homemade whipped cream. Prepared with heavy cream, a little sugar, and vanilla extract—you can’t go wrong with fluffy and lightly sweetened homemade whipped cream. Half of the whipped cream is beaten into the lemon cheesecake filling and the remaining half is spread or piped on top of the trifle. I used my Wilton 1M tip for piping.
This is my homemade lemon pound cake. Slice and cube the cake after it cools. The pound cake is the foundation of the trifle.
Lemon Cheesecake
The lemon cheesecake layer was everyone’s favorite. It reminded us of lemon mousse—very light and very airy. Homemade whipped cream not only tops the entire trifle, but is beaten into the cheesecake layer itself. This addition incorporates air into the lemon cheesecake layer, promising a fluffy texture instead of a heavy texture. All of the lemon flavor in this layer comes from lemon curd, so I definitely recommend using fresh. And all of the sweetness comes from the lemon curd and whipped cream. Store-bought versions of both, made with who the heck knows what, will quickly over-sweeten the entire dessert.
The lemon cheesecake layer uses 1 cup of my lemon curd recipe, so you’ll have 1/2 cup leftover.
Other Ways to Eat Lemon Curd
- On lemon poppy seed pancakes
- On biscuits
- On pavlova
- On angel food cake
- In crepes
- As a filling for vanilla cupcakes
- Layered in cakes
And if you don’t have plans to eat right away, you can freeze lemon curd for up to 3-6 months.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Homemade whipped cream is the finishing touch. You can use heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream, but with its slightly higher fat percentage, heavy cream makes a sturdier whipped cream. If you’re using your stand mixer, don’t walk away from it. While beating heavy cream into whipped cream takes a few minutes, there’s only a few seconds between perfectly whipped cream (delicious!) and over-whipped cream (lumpy!).
As we finished dessert, I asked for everyone’s opinion.
Comments on Lemon Berry Trifle
- Lemon is not overpowering
- Just the right amount of sweet
- I’m having seconds
- The pound cake is really good on its own AND with all the layers
- The whipped cream is really creamy!
- My new favorite dessert
- So simple, but so good
- When can you make it again?
That last comment was my favorite!!
So there we have it. Lemon berry trifle is a stunning dessert that can be prepared in advance and impresses anyone who takes a bite. In my eyes, that’s the sweetest ending to any party meal!
If you are looking for other ways to use your trifle dish, this homemade dirt pudding is so much fun to serve this way!
Other Favorite Berry Desserts
- Blueberry Pie
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Berry Cobbler
- Strawberry Cake
- Blackberry Cream Cheese Crumb Cake
Lemon Berry Trifle
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This show-stopping lemon berry trifle recipe includes lemon pound cake, fresh berries, a lemon cheesecake filling, and fresh whipped cream. Use store-bought cake if you’re short on time!
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 1 9×5-inch loaf lemon pound cake, baked and cooled
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon Cheesecake & Berry Layers
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup lemon curd (homemade or store-bought), at room temperature
- 5–6 cups (about 750g) fresh mixed berries (I use blueberries and raspberries)
- optional: additional berries and lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
- Slice the lemon pound cake into 9 1-inch slices. Cut into bite-sized cubes. Set aside.
- Make the whipped cream: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract together on high speed into stiff peaks, about 3 minutes. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use in step 3.
- Make the lemon cheesecake layer: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and lemon curd and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Lastly, beat in half of whipped cream (about 2 cups) that you prepared in step 2.
- Assemble: This trifle has 3 layers of pound cake, 3 layers of berries, and 2 layers of the lemon cheesecake mixture. Begin with a base of lemon pound cake cubes. Top with an even layer of fresh berries, then half of the lemon cheesecake mixture. Repeat. Finish with final layer of lemon pound cake cubes followed by a final layer of berries. Spread or pipe remaining whipped cream on top of the trifle. I used Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe the whipped cream on top.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours (see make ahead tip if you wish to store longer). You can refrigerate uncovered for 2-4 hours, but I recommend loosely covering if storing longer than that. The time in the refrigerator gives the flavors a chance to settle and allows the pound cake to soak up some of the lemon cheesecake mixture.
- Garnish with extra berries and/or lemon slices and serve cold. Cover and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: I suggest making the homemade lemon pound cake 1 day ahead of time. Let it cool, then cover and store at room temperature overnight. You can prepare the lemon curd up to 1 week before using. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. After assembling the trifle, you can refrigerate for up to 6 hours before serving. If you wish to refrigerate for longer than 6 hours, I suggest making the whipped cream in two parts. To do so, only prepare half of it in step 2 (simply halve all the ingredients). Use this for folding into the lemon cheesecake layer in step 3. Prepare and assemble the trifle, then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. When ready to serve, prepare the remaining whipped cream and add it on top of the trifle.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Trifle Bowl | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable)
- Shortcut: To save time, you can use store-bought pound cake or angel food cake.
- Frozen Berries: Frozen berries are a nice substitution, but they will thaw and leak their juices in the trifle layers. If you thaw them before layering, they’ll still be extra juicy.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing Lemon Berry Trifle sensation. I am not crazy about lemon desserts but this one deserves an award. Your recipe was brought to a friend’s picnic and was a hit. Naturally, they are being referred to your website for your fabulous inspirations.
Wishing you a safe and happy 4th of July.
This recipe looks terrific! Just wondering if mascarpone could work as a substitute for block cream cheese?
Hi Susan, we haven’t tested it here, but you can certainly give it a try. The mixture will be a bit looser. Let us know if you try it!
I used mascarpone and it came out great! Maybe not as tangy as cream cheese but very delicious. I didn’t find the mixture to be loose at all.
Hey, Sally and team!
If ommitting the lemon curd from the cheesecake layer, would you increase the amount of cream cheese, or?
Many thanks ☺️
Hi Shibani, for a plain cheesecake layer, we’d recommend using the filling from these no-bake cheesecake jars instead.
I cant wait ti make this for mother’s day. However, I dont have time to make lemon curd. Could I omit the lemon curd all together or would that alter the texture too much?
Hi Hannah, we wouldn’t recommend omitting it, but you could use store-bought lemon curd, or else you could make the cheesecake filling from this recipe for no-bake cheesecake jars. Enjoy!
This lemon berry trifle was perfection! Don’t skip a step. Make everything from scratch. The time and effort are all worth it! Lemon flavor really came through but not overpowering. I have made this recipe twice in two weeks!
This is the most delicious dessert ever, everyone who tried it at Easter Dinner loved it. I made it following the recipe exactly, I think every from scratch element really does make all the difference, especially the lemon pound cake and curd, you just can’t get that bright flavor from a box or a jar. It’s light and refreshing while also so satisfying and looks special. and you can make so much of it ahead of time, it was a snap to assemble this morning! Highly recommend for a special occasion dessert!
Hi Sally,can we use a lemon chiffon cake for this trifle instead of a pound cake ?
Hi Ambika, we can’t see why not!
I have pre-made The lemon curd and will be making the cake tomorrow for my wine tasting party on Saturday. It does not mention the size of the trifle bowl. Can I have the size of the trifle bowl please?
Hi Judy, this trifle bowl is about 8 inches wide.
I am so excited to serve this at my wine tasting group Saturday. I have prepared as much as I could and will put it together Saturday. What size tifle bowl is needed? Mine is 8 inch across.
Hi Judy! That should be perfect.
My daughters (8 and 10) and I made this for our big family 4th of July party and it was a huge hit. My dad travels all over the world every year and declared it to be his favorite dessert he’s had in many years. Since we were also making Sally’s s’mores cookies and another dish, we took some shortcuts on this recipe and used a box mix for the pound cake and store bought lemon curd. It was perfection! Thank you so much for the recipes and for the always clear instructions. I can tell that you genuinely want us non pros to feel like we are winning!
Hi. I am planning on making your Lemon Berry Trifle with your lemon pound cake. Should I frost the pound cake if using for the trifle??
Hi Cindy! No need to frost the pound cake first if making the trifle.
This was absolutely delicious! So happy to have found this recipe. I don’t usually like trifles, but I found myself going back for more. I was afraid that the pound cake would make it too dense, but the pound cake was able to hold up to the moisture of the mousse layer without falling apart. Excellent dessert that I will make again!
I made this for a party and it ended up so good! I put the trifles into small cups instead to have many servings.
Made this for Mother’s Day & it was a huge hit! I used a lemon pound cake that was supposed to be an Easter lamb cake, but it fell apart coming out of the mold. I froze it due a later purpose, and found this great recipe; it was perfect! And it looks so pretty! In used your curd recipe as well, which was equally delicious. Thank you!
I’m making this for a teacher appreciation luncheon. Can it be made the day before? Will the homemade whipped cream hold up overnight or should I make a stabilized whipped cream?
Hi Rachel, see recipe Notes for our recommended make ahead instructions: “After assembling the trifle, you can refrigerate for up to 6 hours before serving. If you wish to refrigerate for longer than 6 hours, I suggest making the whipped cream in two parts. To do so, only prepare half of it in step 2 (simply halve all the ingredients). Use this for folding into the lemon cheesecake layer in step 3. Prepare and assemble the trifle, then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. When ready to serve, prepare the remaining whipped cream and add it on top of the trifle.”
I love making trifles, this one is excellent! I’ve made it twice and everyone loves it!! It’s a great spring and summer dessert.
I was wondering if I could use different fruits and a different flavoured cake for this trifle.
Which flavours do you think would be best for pairing together?
Hi Aiysha, yes, you could definitely use different flavors and berries! Here is our brown butter pound cake that could work, and you could use your favorite combination of berries. Have fun with it!
My grandma loves lemon…made this for her birthday this weekend and it was a hit with the whole family! I wasn’t quite sure about my curd when making it as a first timer (texture wise) but I went with it and it still came out delicious even if I didn’t get it thick enough! I added blackberries and used a box of vanilla cake in lemon glaze instead of the loaf. Will absolutely make again!
Can this be made and stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days?
Hi Carol, the leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days, so while you can make it ahead, it’s best to make it closer to the time you plan to serve it.
This is my favorite dessert in the whole world. It’s so delicious.
This is my husband’s favorite dessert. We always make the lemon curd from scratch but sometimes the cake is angel food, pound cake, home made or store bought. Whatever time allows for. Thank you for this amazing recipe. I found it when trying to come up with recipes to use up the lemon juice from the lemons on our tree and a major haul from a u pick blueberry place. This recipe was perfect.
Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe! Question… if I am making your pound cake recipe, do I add the lemon icing or just the cake part for this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Brittany! Just the cake part. Enjoy!
I have made this quite a few times and LOVE it! I was going to try to make a strawberry shortcake version, and was wondering if I could use your strawberry purée reduction (from strawberry cake recipe) in place of the lemon curd for the cheesecake layer. In your opinion, will the flavor still work together? White cake or pound cake, whipped cream, strawberry cheesecake layers, and fresh strawberries? Thanks in advance !!!
Hi Samantha, the strawberry reduction from the strawberry cake recipe isn’t sweetened, it’s really just boiled strawberry puree. That could probably work when combining with the cheesecake layer. Let me know if you try it!
I want to make this in small form…in little shooter glasses for a gala. I was kind of thinking though that I wanted to use your new blueberry sauce recipe instead of plain blueberries. Do you think that would work or will pound cake get too soggy? Of would I just put cheesecake filling on top of pound cake first and then blueberry sauce? I would need to be assembling it probably 6 plus hours before serving (possibly less, but more than likely at least 6). Thoughts?
Hi Rose, I think that sounds delicious! I would put cheesecake filling on top of pound cake, and the blueberry sauce on top of the cheesecake filling. The blueberry sauce may “bleed” a bit into the cheesecake filling, but would create a lovely purple streak/shade seeping down. Either order would be fine, though. Making them in advance shouldn’t be a problem either.
This was a big hit for my daughter’s birthday! I used strawberries and raspberries. Next time I’ll plan ahead better and make the cake and lemon curd ahead of time.
This was absolutely phenomenal!!! Powerful lemon flavor- truly Devine!!!!
Question, Can I substitute lady fingers for the cake?
Hi Maureen! We haven’t tested it – you may want to do a quick soak for the ladyfingers so they aren’t too crunchy (depending on the kind you use). Let us know if you give it a try!
Question about the whipped cream. 2 cups in the ingredients list, then a beat in half of it into the cream cheese – and it says in brackets (about 2 cups).
So should it be 3 cups in the ingredients recipe, or 1 cup mixed into the cream cheese part?
Thanks,
Catherine
Hi Catherine, the recipe calls for 2 cups of heavy cream and when you whip it in step 2, it doubles in volume. Fold half (about 2 cups of prepared whipped cream) into cream cheese mixture. Then use the rest to spread/pipe on top in step 4.
i want to make a peach version of this. do you think i could just sub the lemons for peaches?
Peach is a much more subtle flavor than lemon and this swap would likely require quite a bit of testing. You could definitely layer in fresh peaches – let us know what you try!
I appreciate the fact that Sally and other bakers have turned average bakers to the next level by giving us the ideas and tools to be successful.
Even though this recipe is perfect, tastes delicious and look pretty, I do have a suggestion and would appreciate a comment from Sally. I made a trifle for a gathering of 60 people. I decided not to use a trifle dish. Because, after the first person digs into it, it begin to look like a mess. That didn’t happen when I made just 1 layer in a large dish. It looked pretty till the very end.
So glad it was a hit for you, Rose!