Festive berries for the Fourth of July

Strawberries, whipped cream, and blueberries put the red, white, and blue in the Fourth of July.

With strawberry season at its peak very little needs to be done to add a colorful touch to your Fourth of July spread. My grandmother's birthday fell on the Fourth of July and hardly a year went by that she wasn't presented with a sheet cake made to look like a flag with a blueberry-studded square in the upper left corner and rows of slivered strawberries marching across white frosting. The sugary Old Glory was topped with sparklers. Lots of sparklers.

In other years my family has often made strawberry and blueberry shortcakes to celebrate the holiday. Another quick holiday dessert is a blueberry and strawberry trifle. You can use fresh berries and instant vanilla pudding mix (I won't tell). Just make sure you don't forget the little paper flags. And the sparklers!

Fourth of July Berry Trifle

1 10-ounce package of pound cake, cubed
1-1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
1-1/2 cups blueberries
1-1/2 cups raspberries
1 5-ounce package of instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup milk
1 14-ounce can condensed sweet milk
1 cup whipping cream

Layer a large glass serving bowl with cubed pound cake. Sprinkle a layer of the strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.

Prepare instant pudding mix as directed.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form.

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, milk, condensed milk and whipped cream, stir well. Pour mixture over berries. Repeat layers, top off with any leftover whipped cream and a few berries.

Kendra Nordin blogs at Kitchen Report.

Related post: Sparkling Watermelon Lemonade

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