Berry Trifle

It's the month of Ramadan, which always brings back a rush of happy memories with my family. If there's one thing we all love to do, it's EATING. So breaking fast together usually means having some special treats and loading up on some favorite foods. At a recent iftaari at the mosque, I decided to make a dessert that would not only look pretty, but would also be fresh and delicious. And, let's not lie - I was dying for an excuse to purchase a trifle bowl :)

This dish has so many layers of delicious flavors. I lucked out with the strawberries and blueberries - they were at the peak of season and were incredibly bright and sweet. The buttery pound cake lightly flavored with vanilla and almond extract was a great touch. I could easily see this being a huge hit at any summer BBQ. Enjoy!

Berry Trifle (adapted from Sunny Anderson's Recipe here)


Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound cake, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
2 pints blueberries
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions

1. Heat 1/4 cup sugar, the 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 and vanilla extracts. Dip the slices of pound cake on each side with the syrup. Cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.

2. 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.

3. 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 and top with the remaining cream mixture.

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