5 Ways to Get Your Trifle On All Summer Long

We may look to pies, tarts and more as ways to showcase summer’s fruits, but these laborious, decadent treats are surely not the only ways. In fact, there’s another method of getting your fruit dessert fix: the trifle. Typically prepared with some variation of store-bought pound or angel food cake, plus berries and cream, these tiered creations are the no-cook, fruit-filled answer to what to serve for dessert at your next backyard hangout.

If you’re not looking to share your trifle, Giada De Laurentiis’ 30-minute Individual Strawberry Trifles (pictured above) are the way to go. After using a cookie cutter to cut out perfect circles in the pound cake, brush each slice with amaretto liqueur. Layer a few circular slices in a glass with homemade whipped cream and strawberries tossed with aged balsamic vinegar.

Photo by: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

As impressive as it is simple, this Angel Food Cake and Berry Trifle comes with chunks of angel food cake, which stay nice and moist thanks to the juices of the fresh fruit. Instead of going the classic whipped-cream route, this recipe gets a tangy and refreshing dose of creaminess from Greek yogurt sweetened with honey. Think of this one as the no-frills finale to your summer cookout.

When Ina Garten makes a trifle, it is a striking, from-scratch beauty made for entertaining: Raspberry Orange Trifle. To start, she bakes bright orange pound cake, made with real orange juice and zest. The freshly baked cake is then joined by layers of raspberry jam, fresh raspberries and homemade orange cream in a stately trifle dish.

Food Network's Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

Lemon Curd Trifle

Food Network's Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

Photo by: Matt Armendariz ©2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Matt Armendariz, 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

A dose of lemony brightness does a berries-and-cream trifle some serious good. Tyler Florence’s Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries features a double dose of lemon from lemon pound cake and smooth, homemade lemon curd.

Switch up the foundation of berries and cream by incorporating a gratifying punch of saltiness. Food Network Magazine’s Strawberry Pretzel Trifle comes with a buttery, salted pretzel crumble that counters the sweetness of strawberries and cream.

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