Whip up these angel food cake dessert cups layered with berries and homemade whipped cream in under 20 minutes. This is an easy individual portioned dessert that requires minimal effort and no baking!
There's nothing I love more than an easy no-bake dessert. Something I can whip together in no time that tastes delicious.
My new go-to summer dessert has quickly become these mini trifle cups. They are single-serve trifles filled with angel food cake, berries, and homemade whipped cream. They're to die for!
This dessert is so easy to make, and they come together in 20 minutes. Plus, they're so cute when placed together on a serving tray. Nobody is going to be able to tell how little time they took you to make!
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
While this recipe was created for anyone to follow (even novice bakers), you'll still learn new kitchen skills including:
- How to make whipped cream that's so much better than the store-bought version.
- An easy way to garnish and decorate the trifles.
- Where to purchase single-serve dessert cups. These are a great option for large parties!
Learn even more tips and tricks for becoming a better baker by grabbing my free 13 page e-book. It's filled with all my favorite baking secrets.
Ingredients You Need
There are only a few ingredients needed for these mini dessert cups:
Angel Food Cake: Depending on how eager you're feeling, you can purchase a store-bought cake, or bake your own. I'd prefer store-bought so I don't have to bake anything during the hot summer months.
Berries: I've used blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries in this recipe. You could also substitute these with pitted cherries, mulberries, or white raspberries.
Whipped Cream: I highly, highly encourage you to make your own whipped cream. It's so much better than the one at the grocery store. However, if you're really crunched for time, store-bought will work as well!
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Stand Mixer (with whisk attachment): You'll need some sort of electric hand or stand mixer to make homemade whipped cream. Make sure the stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment have been cooled off in the freezer before making the whipped cream.
Scoop: An ice cream or cookie scoop is helpful when portioning the whipped cream into each cup.
Individual Dessert Cups: I love these single-serve dessert cups. They're perfect for these mini trifles or layered desserts.
Serving Tray (optional): Dessert in a cup is easily served on a serving tray. It makes transportation from the fridge to the table a breeze. This is also ideal if you're hosting a summer party. These patriotic trifles would be perfect for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, or Labor Day.
How To Make This Recipe
1. Freeze a mixing bowl for 20-30 minutes until it's cold to the touch. Add cold heavy cream, confectioners' (powdered) sugar, and vanilla to the bowl.
2. Beat on medium-high until soft, medium peaks have formed, about 4 - 6 minutes. You're looking for a light and fluffy whipped cream. The peaks should stand up firmly, but still have a slight curl on the tip.
3. To make the trifle cups, begin by cutting the angel food cake into 1-inch cubes. I'd recommend using a serrated knife so the cake doesn't get smashed while you're cutting it.
4. Fill each dessert cup up ⅓ of the way with angel food cake.
5. On top of the angel food cake add a mixture of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
6. Add a scoop of whipped cream to finish off each trifle. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this. Top with a slice of strawberry and any additional berries you have leftover.
Expert Tips
If you've never made homemade whipped cream, you'd probably be surprised to find out that it's super easy! Trust me, it's the star of the show for this dessert.
Here are a few tips to ensure your whipped cream turns out perfectly the first time you make it:
- The main goal of whipped cream is to keep everything super cold. Twenty minutes before you're ready to make the whipped cream, throw your mixing bowl (preferably a metal bowl) and whisk attachment into the freezer to allow them to chill. If you don't have a metal bowl, opt for a glass bowl.
- Once you begin to whip the cream, don't walk away. You're looking for medium, soft peaks (not past the point). Too much whipping and you'll have butter!
- Not sure what medium peaks look like? You can test the whipped cream by lifting the whisk attachment out of the whipped cream. The peaks should stand up firmly, but still have a slight curl on the tip.
- Keep the finished whipped cream cold. You'll want to refrigerate the cream immediately.
If at any point your whipped cream begins to look curdled or lumpy (see photo below), stop mixing and add 1-2 tablespoons of cold heavy cream into the mixture. Whisk the mixture by hand until a smooth whipped cream has formed.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
The trifles can be prepped up to 8 hours ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until served. The angel food cake will become more soft the longer they are left in the refrigerator.
Yes, you can absolutely make this recipe in a large trifle dish rather than in the mini dessert cups.
If your whipped cream gets mixed too long, it can begin to look curdled/lumpy. Stop mixing and add 1-2 tablespoons of cold heavy cream into the mixture. Whisk the mixture by hand until a smooth whipped cream has formed. This should make it good as new so you can still use it in the dessert.
Recipe Video Tutorial
More Summer Dessert Recipes
Looking for other light and refreshing desserts for summer? Try some of my favorite recipe ideas:
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Layered Angel Food Cake Dessert Cups With Berries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cold heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 angel food cake cut into 1 inch cubes
- ½ pint blackberries
- 1 pint blueberries
- ½ pint raspberries
- 1 pint strawberries sliced in half
Instructions
- Freeze a metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment for 30 minutes. If you don't have a metal bowl, opt for a glass bowl.
- Fit stand mixer with chilled bowl and whisk attachment. Add heavy cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high until soft, medium peaks have formed, about 4 - 6 minutes. To check for medium peaks, lift the whisk attachment out of the whipped cream. The peaks should stand up firmly, but still have a slight curl on the tip. Refrigerate cream until ready to assemble.
- To assemble, set out the mini trifle dessert cups. Fill each cup up ⅓ of the way with angel food cake. On top of the cake, add a mixture of blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries until the cups are filled up ⅔ of the way. Using an ice cream scoop, add one scoop of whipped cream to the top of each trifle. Top with a slice of strawberry and some additional blueberries. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Sandy
I know this is meant to be a summer dessert, but I was looking for something light and healthy and decided to make these! Well I'm sure the berries will be better in the fall, this dessert was delicious! I will definitely be making it again!