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Blueberry Lemon Trifle

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These mini blueberry lemon trifles are an elegant but easy no bake summer dessert! Layers of cake alternate with tart lemon pudding and fresh, juicy blueberries in a Mason jar for a dessert that looks impressive but can be put together in just a few minutes. Great for summer cookouts!

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This dessert was something I made almost by accident, but it was a happy accident! For Easter this year we going to dinner at my sister-in-law’s house, and I wanted to bring a fancy dessert. So I decided I wanted to make these mini lemon Bundt cakes and top them off with mini Easter eggs. Cute and perfect for Easter, right? Unfortunately I forgot to spray my mini Bundt pan with cooking spray, so I ended up with lots of little cakes that look like someone had taken a bite out of them and lots of cake stuck in the pan.

mini bundt cake which came out of pan broken

Blueberry Lemon Trifle

When you have a broken cake pieces there is only one thing to make – trifle! My cake pieces were lemon cake and I had a pint of blueberries in the refrigerator, so my Easter dessert became a blueberry lemon trifle – and it was a huge hit with everyone at Easter dinner.

Lemon and blueberries are a delicious flavor combination. The sour tartness of lemon pair perfectly with the sweet, ripe blueberries. Other berries, like strawberries, can over power the taste of lemon, but blueberries are subtle enough that the two flavors magically enhance each other.

Lemon Blueberry trifle in a pint size mason jar

No Bake Trifle

You can use my lemon Bundt cake recipe as the base for this trifle, as I did. But you can also makes this an even easier dessert by using a store bought pound cake or angel food cake. It will change the taste a little bit, but it will still taste amazing! Personally, if I am making a trifle I rarely make a cake specifically for the dessert. I either use something that didn’t quite work as a cake or buy a store bought cake. Cake is the least important ingredient in the taste of the trifle.

How to Make the Lemon Blueberry Trifle

The first step in making the trifle is to mix the instant pudding so that it has a chance to thicken a bit before you assemble the trifles. I used two boxes of lemon pudding to make sure there was lots of lemon flavor in the dessert.

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The next thing I did was zest and juice a lemon. Now I admit that this is not necessarily a step that you see in lots of quick and easy recipes. But it takes only 3 minutes or so to zest the lemon and squeeze the juice out. I think the lemon zest on top of trifle makes it look very pretty, and if you are zesting a lemon you might as well juice it too. This is the kind of attention to detail that makes your dish look elegant, and for Easter dinner I was going for elegant.

Then I broke the cake up into pieces with my hands and was all ready to assemble the blueberry lemon trifle.

mini Blueberry Lemon trifles from overhead

What Size Dish Should I use for the Trifle?

I have a big, fancy trifle dish and it is excellent for making a stunning dessert to serve a crowd. I like to use it when I am hosting a party or having a backyard cookout. This recipe would work well in a big trifle dish, but it would be difficult to transport.

So since I wasn’t hosting Easter dinner I made the trifle in pint mason jars. This has two big benefits – first it clearly defines a portion size. This trifle tastes light but it is very rich, and it is easy to eat too much. The second advantage is that the mason jars have lids. You can leave off the whipped topping, put the lid on the jars, and add the topping when you get to where you are going. And if you save the box the mason jars came in you will have a perfectly size box for carrying your jars.

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Assembling the Blueberry Lemon Trifles

To assemble the trifles I added a layer of cake pieces in the bottom of each mason jar. You can squish them down a little bit to make them fit. Then I drizzled a little bit of the fresh lemon juice over the cakes and added pudding and blueberries. Then I put another layer of cake with lemon juice, more pudding and more blueberries. I finished the trifles off with a layer of cake topped with whipped topping and garnished them with blueberries and lemon zest. 

Assemble the mini blueberry lemon trifles by layering the ingredients

This recipe makes about 12 mini trifles, depending on the size of your cake and how thick you make the layers. It is tough to assemble individual trifles and not end up with something leftover! Luckily my kids are always willing to step in an finish off any leftover pudding or cake. For this recipe I used only 1 pint of blueberries, but I wish I’d had more. Blueberries are my favorite fruit and I enjoy making desserts that feature lots and lots of blueberries.

three jars of lemon blueberry trifle

If you use a store bought cake this dessert is an easy no-bake dessert that you can make in about 15 minutes. It tastes light and fluffy, probably deceptively so since it is not light in terms of calories! The trifle is perfect for summer because of its summery fruit flavors and because you don’t need to turn on the oven and heat up your house to make it. No bake desserts are amazing in the summer time!

 
4.39 from 21 votes

Lemon Blueberry Trifle

Published By Anne
These mini blueberry lemon trifles are an easy dessert! Layers of cake alternate with lemon pudding and blueberries for a dessert that can be made quickly.
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings: 12
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Ingredients
 

Instructions

  • Combine the cold milk with the pudding in a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes and set aside.
  • While you wait for the pudding to thicken zest and juice the lemon.
  • Cut or crumble the cake into bite size pieces.
  • Fill the bottom of 6 pint size mason jars with a layer of cake pieces.
  • Drizzle a 1/4 teaspoon of the fresh lemon juice on the cake pieces in each of the mason jars.
  • Top that with a layer of lemon pudding and some blueberries.
  • Repeat the layers of cake with lemon juice, pudding and blueberries.
  • Finish the dessert off with a final layer of cake, drizzling with any remaining lemon juice.
  • Top the dessert with a layer of whipped topping and garnish with blueberries and lemon zest.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 409mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g

Nutrition facts are estimates.

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three mason jars with blueberry lemon trifle

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anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

I love to cook and I want to share my recipes with you. I believe cooking should be approachable and fun, not a chore. I want to make simple recipes using everyday ingredients that you can make again and again, whether it is for a busy weeknight, a summer cookout or a special dessert. Read more...

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