What you’re looking at right here is a Plan B. Not that there’s anything wrong with a Plan B, it’s just not a Plan A. Plan A was going to be BEA-U-TI-FUL!! It was going to be delicate and pastel-colored and bursting with so much Easter cheer that you just couldn’t help but take the giant project on of actually producing one yourself. Giant project yes, and also a giant flop. Sigh… So I had to come up with a Plan B. While I was cleaning up the also giant mess of Plan A, I could only think of one thing – SIMPLIFY.
Yeah sure, the goal for Plan A was to break Instagram with the millions of likes I would get (ha!), but I’m not sure anyone would realistically make Plan A. I probably wouldn’t. So here’s Plan B. It’s delicate and delicious, has a pop of color, and is, most importantly, simplified. You could make this. Easily. I promise.
Plan B only needs a few things: cute little cubes of cake, some blackberries, lemon, whipping cream, cream cheese, and these caramelized almonds. The cake can be from a mix or homemade or even angel food cake from your grocery store’s bakery. These trifles aren’t fussy. The one thing I’m going to be fussy about is the almonds. Please make the almonds. They may only look like the decorative cherry on top, but their complex sweet-salty flavor really makes these trifles sing.
Whip the cream, cook the berries for a few minutes, assemble, and you’re done. Let the trifles hang out in the fridge and pull them out and top with the almonds right before you want to serve them. You can realistically get these done in right around 30 minutes. Easily. I promise.
Extravagant? No. Delicious? Oh you bet! Not too shabby for a Plan B 🙂
Easy Blackberry Cream Trifles
Ingredients
- 6 oz fresh or frozen blackberries
- Zest and juice from one lemon
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar , divided
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 12-16 oz of cake , cut into 1 inch cubes (could be from a mix, a bakery, or your own kitchen)
- 1/4 cup caramelized almonds
Instructions
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In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the blackberries, lemon zest and juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of water. As the mixture comes to a boil, smash the berries against the side of the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the berries have broken down and the mixture has thickened slightly. Set aside.
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While the berries are cooling, add the cream cheese, vanilla, and remaining tablespoon of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Remove the cream cheese to a separate bowl, and add the whipping cream to the bowl (no need to wipe it out). Whip the cream until soft peaks have formed. Add the cream cheese back to the stand mixer bowl with the whipped cream and beat until stiff peaks have formed.
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To assemble the trifles, make a layer of cake in the bottom of each trifle dish. Next, add a layer of the whipped cream, then a layer of the blackberry sauce. On top of the sauce add another layer of cake and whipped cream. Refrigerate for at least one hour. To serve, remove from refrigerator, top with a healthy sprinkling of caramelized almonds, and enjoy!