Patriotic Berry Trifle

by Sunny Anderson

1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup Limoncello or fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 premade angel food cake, cut into 1-inch slices

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature

2 pints blueberries

2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced

Heat 1/4 cup sugar, the Limencello or lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract (sorry, I completely forgot to take a picture of this part).

Brush both sides of each slice of cake with the syrup.  Cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.

Beat the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer on medium-speed until smooth and light.  Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream.

Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a 13-cup trifle dish.

Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries.

Dollop* half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread.

Top with a layer of strawberries

Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, then sprinkle with more blueberries.

Top with remaining cream mixture.  Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern.  Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

I looked on the FOODTV website for a patriotic dessert and this was the first picture that popped up.  I was so thrilled as I didn't have to spend hours looking for that perfect recipe as it seems I sometimes do.  Not only did it look delicious and pretty but it was also so simple.  Sunny did not add the Limoncello, instead I did.  I used the Limoncello for another trifle I made a couple of months ago, I figured that it wouldn't hurt to use it for this one and it came out perfect!  *I don't understand why she said to have the heavy cream at room temperature.  I have always learned that the cream needed to be well chilled in order for it to turn into whipping cream.  I was very reluctant but I followed the recipe hoping it would turn out perfect.......well it didnt'!  Just as I thought.  I think I had it mixing in my mixer for at least 10 minutes and it never "peaked".  I even at cream of tartar, it may have helped a teensy bit but still not enough, my whipping cream was lame and liquidy.  I was so upset but I had no choice and had to use it the way it was.  When it was time for dessert, it had set and thickened a little bit while in the refrigerator but overall, the flavors were perfect.  It's a great tasting dessert and hours later when hubby and I had another serving, the cream had thickened even more.  The angel cake had also soaked up the berry juices and the Limoncello syrup, MERCY!!!  Mmmm,  I LOVE SUMMER TIME!!!!

I partied at:

     
This recipe was featured on:

Very Berry Italian Trifle 2

1/ 1/2 - 2 qt. trifle dish or bowl
8 trifle sponges or sponge cake, cut into slices
1 cup red currant jelly
8 - 10 Amaretto cookies (the hard version)
1/2 cup Limoncello
juice of half a lemon
12 oz. blackberries
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups Mascarpone cheese

Spread 1/4 of the jelly at the bottom of 4 sponge cakes.  Place at the bottom of the dish, jelly side up.

Take the other sponge cakes and place on top of the ones in the dish....

Take the Amaretto cookies and crush them in a food processor.

....like this.

Sprinkle evenly over the sponge cakes, reserving enough to sprinkle at the end - maybe 1/4 cup.

Take 1/4 of the Limencello

.....and pour over the sprinkled sponges.  Set aside.

Put the remaining jelly and the lemon juice in a medium saucepan...

....stir until melted.

Add the berries (reserve 6 for later) into the jelly mixture, turn up the heat, gently stir until the start running.

like so and watch how the berries turn a beautiful dark pink color

Pour the berries and it's juices into the bowl of sponges.  Try coating all the sponges - i tried, i really did :)

This is what it should look like so far.  Set aside.

With a handheld mixer, mix the sugar and the egg yolks until you have a thick smooth yellow paste.  Well, this step didn't work for me.  As soon as I put the mixer in, egg yolk and sugar went flying all over the place.  I continued to use it, just worked it very carefully but I could never get it into a paste no matter how hard I tried, I'm not sure why so I continued onto the next step.

Add the rest of the Limoncello and mix until the mixture resembles a light mousse.

Mix in the Mascarpone cheese until everything is smoothly combined,

like this.

Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl and whisk until firm.

Gently fold the egg whites into the egg mixture.

like this - I can eat this just the way it is - mmmm, so good!

Pour the mixture on top of the berries in the bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

Before serving, decorate topping with reserved crushed Amaretto cookies and berries. This was our Easter dessert

Need I say more?

I found this recipe in La Bella Vita's blog.  I immediately fell in love just by the picture she posted.  I posted this recipe back in March but didn't have enough step by step pictures since I wasn't the one who prepared it.  Elise did and she's still learning to juggle the camera and cooking at the same time.  We also made our own sweet lemon juice that last time since we didn't have any Limoncello and what a difference!!!!  You must have Limoncello to make this recipe - no ifs, ands or buts about it.  This dessert will be a longtime favorite in the years, decades to come.  ~isavortheweekend