Lemon Berry Trifle Recipe

This Lemon Berry Trifle is made up of homemade lemon cake, vanilla pudding, whipped cream, and piles of fresh berries! It is the perfect summer dessert!

If you’re a lemon lover like I am, you have to try this Overnight Lemon French Toast, No Bake Lemon Cheesecake, or these Baked Lemon Blueberry Doughnuts. 

This Lemon Berry Trifle is so easy and yet so impressive. First, you’ll make a lemon cake and cut it into cubes. Then, you’ll layer the cake pieces between vanilla pudding and berries for a stunning dessert. 

The lemon flavor and berry combo creates a light and refreshing treat, perfect for a special occasion or just because!

If you’re looking for a simple dessert that’s easy to make and looks like a million bucks, you’re going to want to add this Lemon Berry Trifle to your list. 

Why we love this lemon dessert:

• Stunning: This dessert is a crowd pleaser with layers of cake, creamy pudding, beautiful berries, and topped with whipped cream!
• Simple: Once you make the cake and prep the pudding, you only need to assemble the layers, and you’re done! 
• Make-ahead friendly: You can prep some elements or the entire trifle ahead of time for a low-stress dessert.

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Ingredients for this berry lemon trifle recipe:

For the cake:

• Butter and plain Greek yogurt: These help keep the cake super moist and tender!
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness to the cake. 
• Eggs: Helps the cake to rise and provide structure! 
• Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest: These bring that tart lemon flavor. 
• Vanilla extract: Adds a depth of flavor. 
• All-purpose flour: Provides structure and a tender crumb to the cake. 
• Leavening agents: You’ll need baking powder and baking soda to help the cake rise.

For assembly:

• Instant vanilla pudding mix and milk: This is for our pudding layer. Whole milk or 2% work best, but any can be used.
• Fresh berries: In-season berries will give you the best flavor!
• Sweetened whipped cream: This goes on top of the trifle for the perfect sweet finish. 

How to make this Lemon Trifle:

Here’s a breakdown of how to make this Lemon Berry Trifle recipe! For the full list of recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

• Whisk melted butter and sugar.
• Then mix in eggs, yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla.

• Add dry ingredients and lemon zest, stirring until just combined.
• Bake and let cool.

• Slice the cooled cake into 1-inch cubes.
• Layer half the cake cubes in a large trifle bowl, followed by half the pudding mixture and half the berries. Repeat the layers.

Variations and Substitutions

• Cake: I used my favorite Lemon Bundt Cake recipe. You could also make homemade lemon pound cake or use store-bought angel food cake.
• Store-bought: You can use a cake mix, boxed pudding, and Cool Whip if you want. 
• Pudding mix: I use vanilla pudding mix, but you could use cheesecake, white chocolate, or lemon pudding mix for a slightly different flavor. 
• Lemon curd: Layer homemade lemon curd in between the layers of cake and pudding for a tart surprise! If you want to dial down on the lemony flavor, I suggest using your favorite pound cake recipe or store-bought pound cake. 
• Berry layer: Instead of fresh berries, you can use raspberry, blackberry, or blueberry preserves, fruit jam, or strawberry berry sauce. 

How to store this dessert:

Put a layer of plastic wrap over the trifle and refrigerate for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing it as the pudding layer tends to break down and the texture isn’t as pleasant.

Make-ahead option:

This lemon dessert is so easy to make ahead of time! Here are some ways to do it:

• Cake: Make the lemon bundt cake recipe 1-2 days ahead of time and store it at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble the trifle. You can also wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Let the cake layers thaw on the counter before cutting into cubes.
• Pudding: Make the pudding up to 3 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Trifle: You can assemble the entire trifle 1-2 days before serving to let the flavors meld together!

More lemon recipes you’ll love:

• No Bake Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake — so quick and easy.
• Lemon Blueberry Cake — perfect for a birthday party!
• Lemon Blueberry Angel Food Cake Roll — easy and impressive!
• Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe — is it breakfast or dessert?

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Lemon Berry Trifle Recipe

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 1 vote

This Lemon Berry Trifle is made with super moist homemade lemon cake, layered with vanilla pudding and tons of fresh berries! Perfect for summer.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Course Dessert

Servings 10 servings

Calories 321cal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Lemon Cake

• ▢ ¼ cup butter, melted
• ▢ 1¼ cups granulated sugar (250 grams)
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ ½ cup plain 0% Greek yogurt
• ▢ ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (188 grams)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ zest of 2 lemons

Assembly

• ▢ 2 (4 serving size) packages instant vanilla pudding
• ▢ 4 cups milk
• ▢ 3 cups fresh berries
• ▢ 1½ cups sweetened whipped cream

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13" pan
• In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugar.
• Add eggs, yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and zest and stir just until combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
• To make the trifle: Remove the cake from the pan and cut into cubes. Place half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a trifle dish or glass bowl.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together vanilla pudding mix and milk until smooth. Pour half over the cake in the dish. Top with half of the berries.
• Repeat layers one more time, using remaining cake, pudding and berries. Top with whipped cream. Refrigerate until chilled and set, about 1-2 hours and serve.

Notes

Ingredients and Substitutions:

• Cake: you can absolutely use a cake mix to make this recipe simpler if you like!
• Pudding mix: use lemon pudding mix for more lemon flavor, or stick with vanilla for a lighter flavor.
• Berries: use any kind of berries you like! If they’re not in season, you can make a simple strawberry sauce to use in the layers.

Storage:

This recipe can be refrigerated for a couple of days before serving, depending on the freshness of your berries. It cannot be frozen.

 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 321cal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 290mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 482IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 1mg

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