Recipe Round-Up: Heavenly Lemon-Berry Trifle

Okay, let's not beat around the bush.  I am jumping right in to this week's recipe and I suggest you strap on an apron, bust out your ladle and join me!

So, this is what you need:

Angel food cake, vanilla pudding, milk, cool whip, berries, lemons, sugar and tulips.

Oh wait, the tulips are just for show and to perk up your day.

And these are the stars of the show. Trust me, folks. They make all the difference.

So, here is STEP ONE:

Let's start with your favorite fruit. I chose strawberries and blackberries because they were on sale. And this girl isn't anything if she isn't frugal. Apparently graduate school loans don't pay for themselves. But I digress.

 I start with the fruit so they can get all juicy and fabulous while I work on the other ingredients. 

Now it is time to wash and cut.

Do you know how to say "yum" in Spanish?

Me neither. But that is what I would say right now if I knew how.

Cut up as many as you want. I made a large trifle so I cut up about 24 oz. and used 16 oz. of blackberries.

 

Now throw them into a bowl.

Squeeze 1/2 lemon onto the fruit. Trust me, you will THANK ME LATER.

Seriously, I expect several thank-notes in the mail.

And then pour some sugar on top. I poured about 1/3 of a cup. Oh man, that fruit is so happy.

Mix it up and set it aside. Keep it at room temperature to allow the fruit to release its juices and for magic to happen. Pure bliss, I tell you. PURE BLISS.

Now, STEP TWO:

Mix up the pudding. I used two packages of sugar-free, fat-free vanilla instant pudding. You can only use one if you want, but remember, this was for the office Fare Share and we are a hungry bunch!

Squeeze half a lemon into the dry pudding. You can add a whole one if you want, you know, just to be daring. I thought about using lemon pudding, but I wasn't sure if it would be too tangy. But if you are a fan of tangy, give it a whirl!

Use the directions on the box and add your milk. Then whisk until your arm falls off and set in the refrigerator until it becomes thick.

Okay, how are we doing? Can you handle STEP THREE?

Now, go grab your favorite cake. I chose angel food cake because it is perfect. And it is fat free. And believe it or not I used to hate it but now I don't think I can live without it. I blame my taste buds.

Next, cut up the entire cake into cubes. Delicious, perfect, spongy cubes, just waiting to be drenched in the heavenly juices of fruit.

Okay, we are in the home stretch.  Here is STEP FOUR:

It is time to assemble it. Grab a bowl, any bowl will do, but a glass bowl works great because it looks absolutely divine. And it also makes it harder to not eat it in the middle of the the night when your sister is sleeping and no one will know you busted out your ladle and then later covered it up with cool whip.

Oh wait, did I just type that?

Anyway, it is time to layer it up! First, throw your angelic cubes into the bottom.

And squeeze another half of a lemon over the cake. This is crucial to the overall taste of the trifle. Let 'er rip, folks, that cake loves its lemon!

Next, pour the berries and all of their delicious juices over the cake. Try not to inhale this. There is more to come, trust me.

And there it is from the side. I love taking pictures of fruit and cake. Just let me know if you need me to take pictures of your lunch or bedtime snack. I can work for food.

Hello. You are my favorite fruit. Don't tell the others.

Okay, now its getting good.  Pour the pudding over the fruit and cake. If it is still a bit runny, don't worry, it will set up in the refrigerator later.

Yes. That is indeed heaven in a bowl.

And finally, I added fat-free cool whip on top. Yes I did.

And do you know what else I did? I squeezed another half of a lemon in the cool whip, just for that extra zing! I am like that, zingy and nuts. And I also added another tub of cool whip before I served at work, just to make it look like it had descended from heaven on a cloud of yummy goodness. I love that cloud. And then put the whole thing in the refrigerator. The longer it sits the better it will be.

And there you have it.

So peeps, go forth and eat! And the great thing about trifles is that there are endless possibilities: you could use brownies, hot fudge, chocolate pudding and cool whip. You could use gingerbread cake, caramel sauce, vanilla pudding and whipped cream. You could use your favorite cookie, candy bar, mousse, custard, cake, brownie, sauce and whipped topping.

The choice is yours.  And if you have a trifle recipe to share, I would love to hear it! 

Happy Friday, my friends! I hope it is fruitful!

Get it? Fruitful?  Oh, I kill me.