Why serve just one trifle at your next cookout when you can instead serve each guest their own individual 4th of July trifle? These flavorful mason jar trifles are always a hit!
4th Of July Trifle Idea
A trifle always makes a big impact at the end of a meal, with its flavorful and textured layers of cake, berries and filling. Not to mention they're super simple to make, especially if you start with a store bought cake - which is perfect when you need a last minute dessert for a holiday get together.
Inspired by my good friend Shaina's new book Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine, I chose to make a patriotic trifle in a jar. Aren't they absolutely adorable? Her book is pretty adorable too...
Whether you make a patriotic trifle or another trifle recipe, making them in jars means that you can easily layer them up ahead of time and put lids on top for transporting them to your destination (assuming you don't fill them quite as full as I did). Since they're already in a single serving size, you avoid the mess that typically goes along with serving up a trifle from a large bowl.
Trifles are endlessly customizable, but I chose to use a simple store bought pound cake with blueberries, raspberries and homemade whipped cream to achieve a patriotic effect for the 4th of July. I selected Ball 8-oz. quilted jelly jars for the perfect individual serving size.
Slice the cake into pieces that are about 1 inch thick, and then use round cookie cutters to cut the cake into rounds. I found that I needed a slightly smaller size for the bottom layer than the top since the jars are tapered. If you don't have round cookie cutters, cutting the cake up into cubes would work as well.
Start with a cake layer on the bottom. Then just layer your berries and whipped cream to create a red, white and blue effect. Top with another cake round and a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with extra berries if desired.
Printable Recipe ↓
Individual 4th Of July Trifle In A Jar
Ingredients
- 2 store bought pound cakes
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 pint raspberries
- homemade whipped cream - heavy cream, vanilla extract and sugar
Instructions
- Slice pound cake into 1 inch slices, and cut circles to fit 8-oz. jelly jars. Alternately you could cut the pound cake into cubes.
- Starting with a layer of cake on the bottom, follow with blueberries, whipped cream, raspberries, and top with another layer of cake.
- Garnish with more whipped cream and berries if desired.
This is a perfect recipe for enlisting some help from the kids. They can participate in every step outside of possibly the cake slicing for younger children. The hard part is keeping them from eating the finished product before it's time!
Connie says
Hi Tara! Love this!!!! Can you tell me how far in advance I can make these. I'll be transporting these to a party for about 15 to 20 people and my drive is 45 minutes away. Thank you so much for your help in advance and for sharing your trifle idea with us. :)
Connie
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Hi Connie! It really depends on whether you prefer to use real homemade whipped cream or an alternative like Cool-Whip. Since homemade whipped cream does not have preservatives and stabilizers, it won't remain fluffy indefinitely.
If you use Cool-Whip, I'd say you could make them up the evening before your party. If you prefer to make your own whipped cream, I'd prep all of the cake and the berries the evening before and then assemble them as close to your departure time as possible.
Connie says
Hello Again Tara!
Thank you so much for your response. This will help me out a lot!!!!!
Enjoy your day and again thank you for sharing your recipe with the rest of us :)
Connie
Michelle says
Love this. Just put up/credited to you on my blog. Love your site.
kay says
Looks delish and colorful. Could be used for any patriotic holiday. I have jelly jars that would seem to work. Labor Day coming up.
Amanda says
How cute are these?? :) They look so delicious!!
Sommer@ASP says
Oh how I wish I would have seen these sooner! Oh well, we can still make them even thought July 4th is over!
Mona G. says
This is a great idea.....now just gotta buy some jars :) I think I would just tear the pound cake in pieces, would make it easier to spoon out.....and looks like after you cut out the rounds from the sliced pound cake, you have all the other left....so this way, there would be nothing left....I make a trifle in a clear bowl, and I just tear the pound cake and layer it.....just sayin :)
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Yeah, there will be scraps left over, but they definitely did not go to waste. ;)
Jennifer L. says
Thanks for sharing this! Perfect for portion control, too, lol! I will be looking into purchasing the book, too. We love trifles, and these look delicious! I normally make mine with strawberries and blueberries, but the raspberries look appealing, too. I already have the same exact jars at home, so it's nice to know that they will work out perfectly for these little treats!
Shaina (Food for My Family) says
Fun! I love the trifle idea for the fourth. Easy to prep, easy to eat.
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings says
These look amazing...what a cool way to use mason jars :)