This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Our 4th of July trifle is an incredibly delicious, no-bake showstopper of a dessert that will make you the rockstar of the holiday celebration! As the fireworks light up the night sky and families gather to celebrate the 4th of July, what could be more fitting than a dessert that embodies the spirit of the special holiday? Introducing our red, white, and blue trifle—a colorful and decadent treat that mirrors the colors of our nation’s flag.
Each layer of this delightful dessert is a celebration in itself, with juicy strawberries, blueberries, pudding, and velvety layers of cake. What really separates our recipe from the zillion others you may encounter is the semi-homemade cheesecake pudding layer that truly makes this version a huge standout! I’m talking of a festive masterpiece! Dive into this patriotic dessert that not only tastes amazing but also adds a splash of color to your holiday table!
I hope you’ll take a look at more of my red, white, and blue offerings. For example, my berry chantilly cake is an absolute showstopper. It’s one of those labor-of-love baking projects.
If you’d like a quicker and easier dessert, you can’t beat summer berry icebox cake or red, white, and blue poke cake. For the easiest dessert ever, try our heaven on Earth cake with fresh blueberries added to complement the color scheme.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED BEFORE STARTING
Trifle Dish: I love the elegance of a trifle bowl. When it’s brought out of storage, it signals that deliciousness is about to happen! It’s an investment. They’re readily available, and let’s face it, you only need one for an entire lifetime. Whatever trifle dish or bowl you have, the capacity will likely be different than mine. No Worries! Just adjust the amount of the components for each layer using what’s needed to fit your dish. If you have extras, you can assemble them in jam jars or pretty glasses. Lucky you! Hide them in the back of the fridge for your own special treat, because it’s unlikely you’ll have any extras after serving this!
- Here’s the one I have. I think it’s stunning, and it holds a whopping 120 ounces of fluid capacity. Mine was a birthday gift from my husband, so he splurged a little. Here’s the one my sister has. It’s a bit smaller in capacity, but it’s beautiful and comes with a more moderate price tag.
Use A Bowl Instead: If you don’t have a trifle bowl, don’t miss out on this dessert! You can use any glass bowl. If your glass bowl won’t accommodate 120 ounces, (and you’ll need all of that capacity for this recipe), use less of each component in your bowl.
- How to Measure the Volume Of A Bowl: Use a measuring cup to fill the bowl with water. Start pouring water into the bowl until it’s full. Measure the amount of water you poured into the bowl using the measuring cup. This will give you the total volume in ounces.
4TH OF JULY TRIFLE INGREDIENT NOTES
- Cake: This recipe is equally delicious using either Angel food cake or pound cake. For ease in preparation, I suggest using a premade cake from the supermarket. If you have the time to make the cake for this dish, I highly encourage you to do so. Just know that this particular recipe is absolutely fabulous using a premade cake!
- Pudding: This is my favorite part of this trifle. I start with an instant box of pudding, then add a few easy-to-find ingredients to increase the cheesecake flavor. If you prefer, you can use pudding without any additions. Just follow the box instructions. In my book, that would be a sad compromise, though!
- Berries: I use a simple combo of strawberries and blueberries. Feel free to change things up. Raspberries are lovely, but they’re a bit more fragile. Cherry makes another great red addition.
- Frozen Topping: I use Cool Whip, or its generic counterpart, for convenience and stability. Can you use homemade whipped cream? Absolutely!
- Homemade Whipped Cream: I adore making this with homemade whipped cream. The first thing I want to say about the homemade version is that you’ll need to whip the cream stiffer to help it hold up. Obviously, you don’t want to whip it to the point that you get bits of butter in your whipped cream (I’ve done it!). That said, I have a concern if you choose to use it. Are you making this in advance of serving? If so, for how long? Regular whipped cream can start to lose its structure and become watery after a day, especially when it’s layered with other moist elements, such as fruit. If you want it to hold up longer, consider stabilizing the whipped cream. Let me know if you’d like a recipe for it.
TIPS:
- Chill Time! This dessert is best when it’s given a little time in the fridge. Chilling allows the flavors in the ingredients, such as fruit, custard, and cake, to meld together, enhancing the overall taste. Chilling also creates a firmer texture, making it scoop out nicely. The cold temperature helps set the layers, preventing them from becoming too mushy.
- Minimum Chill time: Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Longer Chill Time: Personally, I prefer to serve this after the 4-hour chill time, especially when I make this with homemade whipped cream (not stabilized). The strawberries will continue to release their juices, and they will lose some of their visual appeal as time goes on. I’ve served this to company (made with Cool Whip) after it had been in the fridge overnight, and frankly, I was the only one who saw the slightly diminished appearance. Even with the extended fridge time, there’s no compromise to the taste at all!
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How To Store: Store in the fridge!
- Can You Freeze This? No, this doesn’t freeze well. If you’d like to use a homemade cake, you can bake it, then cool it completely, and then freeze it.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Well, since this dessert requires chill time, it’s already a make-ahead recipe. Other than the chill time, I like to make the pudding filling a day ahead of serving, so all I do the day of is slice the strawberries and get on with the layering process. While it chills, I have plenty of time to attend to the other million things I have on my list before everyone gets to my house to celebrate!
- Food Safety: Keeping trifles refrigerated helps prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, primarily because they contain dairy products such as custard or whipped cream.
HOW TO MAKE 4TH OF JULY TRIFLE
- Make the pudding: in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese then add and beat the powdered sugar.
- In a separate bowl, add the pudding mix, milk;
- Add the vanilla. Beat until smooth and thickened.
- Fold into cream cheese mixture, half of the whipped topping, and sour cream. Set aside.
- Assembly: In a trifle bowl, arrange a single layer of pound cake cubes on the bottom. Arrange the strawberries around the edge of the bowl.
- Dollop half of the cream cheese pudding over the cake cubes.
- Spread evenly.
- Arrange a ring of blueberries around the edge of the bowl, then fill in the center with strawberries.
- Arrange the remaining pound cake in a single layer.
- Repeat a ring of sliced strawberries around the edge. Fill in the center with strawberries and blueberries.
- Spread the remaining cheesecake pudding over the top. Swirl the remaining frozen whipped topping in the center.
- Decorate the top with the remaining berries. Refrigerate before serving.
***See the full instructions below.
MORE NO-BAKE DESSERTS
- Oreo Delight
- Butterscotch Delight
- Lemon Lush
- Cherry Delight
- Blueberry Yum Yum
- No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Pineapple Delight
Check Out All Our No-Bake Pies
TRIED THIS RECIPE?
Remember, we have new recipes every week! Have you subscribed to our free, no-strings-attached newsletter? We’d love to have you as part of our baking + cooking community. We deliver it right into your inbox!
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on my website, please leave a review. I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4th Of July Trifle
Ingredients
Pudding Mixture
- 1 (8-ounce) box cream cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant cheesecake pudding mix, or instant white chocolate pudding mix
- 2 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (8-ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, divided--such as Cool Whip, thawed
Remaining Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) prepared pound cake, or angel food cake cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 pounds strawberries, sliced, (more for garnish)
- 18 ounces blueberries
Instructions
Make The Pudding
- In a medium mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer set on medium speed, beat cream cheese (8-ounce) until light and completely smooth. Beat in powdered sugar (1/2 cup).
- In a separate large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the pudding mix (2 packages), milk (2 cups), and vanilla (2 teaspoons) until smooth and it begins to thicken about 2 minutes. Fold into cream cheese mixture, 1/2 tub of frozen whipped topping, and sour cream (1 cup); set aside.
Assembly
- In a trifle bowl or glass bowl (minimum of 120 ounces), arrange a single layer of pound cake cubes on the bottom.
- Arrange a ring of sliced strawberries around the edge of the bowl for decoration, on top of the cake cubes. Dollop half of the cream cheese pudding over the cake cubes, then smooth out into an even layer with a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon.
- Arrange a ring of sliced blueberries around the edge of the bowl for decoration, then fill in the center with strawberries.
- Arrange the remaining pound cake in a single layer.
- Repeat a ring of sliced strawberries around the edge of the bowl for decoration, on top of the cake cubes. Fill in the center with strawberries and blueberries.
- Spread the remaining cheesecake pudding over the top. Swirl the remaining 1/2 a tub of frozen whipped topping in the center. Decorative garnish the top of the trifle with the remaining berries. Refrigerate a minimum of four hours before serving.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Chill Time! This dessert is best when it’s given a little time in the fridge. Chilling allows the flavors in the ingredients, such as fruit, custard, and cake, to meld together, enhancing the overall taste. Chilling also creates a firmer texture, making it scoop out nicely. The cold temperature helps set the layers, preventing them from becoming too mushy.
- Minimum Chill time: Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Longer Chill Time: Personally, I prefer to serve this after the 4-hour chill time, especially when I make this with homemade whipped cream (not stabilized). The strawberries will continue to release their juices, and they will lose some of their visual appeal as time goes on. I’ve served this to company (made with Cool Whip) after it had been in the fridge overnight, and frankly, I was the only one who saw the slightly diminished appearance. Even with the extended fridge time, there’s no compromise to the taste at all!
Nutrition
On your phone? Check the web story here.
Happy 4th of July! I’ve been looking for no-bake dessert for the 4th, since I have to cook a lot. I’m gonna make this!!
Happy 4th, Mel! Thanks for the positive feedback and 5-star rating!!
How much frozen whipped topping? Where is it incorporated? It is not in the ingredients list or the instructions until the very end where the remaining half is used.
Ooops! Thanks Bev for catching that. I used an 8 ounce tup of Cool Whip, divided. I really hope you try this! Please let me know how you like it. When I made it for the photo shoot, hand on heart, my husband and I ate almost the whole thing! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do in my family!! Happy 4th!