This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®, Sara Lee®, and Breyers® but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #EasySimpleSweet http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”
Hello friends! Summer is almost coming to a close and while the kids have been home from school, all the meals and desserts that I have prepared have one thing in common – they are all easy peasy. The summer is not a time where you will find me cooking coq au vin (did I even spell that right? Even my spelling ability takes a dip in the summer).
Kids and adults alike have a sweet tooth and I can’t think of an easier dessert than a bowl of ice cream. Scoop and serve – voila (why do I keep inserting french words that I am not sure how to spell?). Of course the trifle in the above picture isn’t quite as easy as serving ice cream but with only a few steps you can make this fancy dessert for friends or even just for your kids.
I love how easy and versatile trifles are. If you are serving for friends or a nice dinner you can certainly place it in a trifle bowl, but you can make these in simple clear glass cups as well to serve them individually. The vessel doesn’t affect the taste and anything garnished with fresh fruit looks beautiful anyway!
Here are the ingredients that I used for the trifle. There are a few steps and shortcuts that I took (the ready-made Sara Lee® pound cake) but you can take even more short cuts if you want. For example, if you don’t want to cook down berries to make the berry sauce, you can just use jarred preserves. If you don’t want to whip the cream, use ready-made whipped topping. This recipe is already easy but you can simplify it even more with a few tweaks.
Ingredients:
1 Butter Pound Cake
16 oz package of Strawberries
12 oz Raspberries
6 oz Blueberries
1 juiced Lemon
2 cups of Heavy Cream for the filling PLUS 1 Cup of heavy cream for the topping
8 oz Mascarpone Cheese (room temperature)
1 1/4 cup of Sugar plus 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
The first step is slicing the pound cake and then wash the berries. Remove the tops of the strawberries and slice them.
For the berry sauce:
Place almost all the strawberries (reserve a couple for the topping) and the raspberries (reserve a few for the topping) in a pot over low heat. Add the juice of one lemon, the cornstarch and the two tablespoons of sugar allow the berries to start breaking down for a few minutes. Set aside and allow to cool and thicken.
For the whipped filling:
In a mixer whip 2 cups of heavy cream with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract to soft peaks. Then fold in the mascarpone cheese. Set mixture aside in a separate bowl because you will need the mixer again.
Mix the remaining one cup of heavy cream with a 1/4 cup of sugar until you get soft peaks. Set this aside for the topping.
Now you are ready to assemble your trifle! You have the pound cake, the strawberries and the whipped filling with the mascarpone and the plain whipped topping.
Place a small layer of whipped topping on the bottom of a trifle dish or clear vessel, then top with a layer of the pound cake. Follow with a layer of the berry sauce and top with whipped filling. Again pound cake, berry sauce, whipped filling. As you build the trifle look at the outside of the bowl to make sure that all the layers are somewhat showing. That’s what makes a trifle so pretty after all. You can also start to sprinkle in some of the fresh blueberries within the layers, always reserving some for the final topping.
The final topping will be the plain (not the one with the mascarpone) whipped topping with the fresh berries. And there she is!
So easy, so elegant!
Of course you can serve the trifle on it’s own or with a side of Breyers® ice cream. Or you can save a few slices of the pound cake and add a few scoops. That way you have options for your guests, especially picky little ones.
But when it comes to ice cream, I am a purist. Breyers® ice cream has a lot of variety and they are made with fresh cream, sugar and milk but my go-to is always the Natural Vanilla. You know that I live right on the edge of life and food choices.
If I am feeling especially daring, I add some fudge. It’s as crazy as I get when it comes to ice cream. Of course my kids love different toppings – they take after their dad.
So whether it’s the trifle, the ice cream or both – keep it sweet and simple!
By the way, I purchased both the Breyers ice cream and the Sara Lee pound cake at Publix and you can take advantage of $3.00 off any ONE (1) Sara Lee® Frozen Dessert 9.6-30 oz. and Breyers® Ice Cream 48 oz. (combined purchase required) now through 8/28/15 at your local Publix while supplies last.
What are your favorite ice cream flavors and toppings? Have a great week everyone!
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