Easy, Fresh Berry Trifle

I love trifles.  Those layers of fruit, cake, whipped cream, pastry cream...whatever you want to add, really.  They're so pretty, so fresh, so downright delicious.  And the awesomeness factor is increased exponentially when you make miniature trifles.

The only complaint I have about big trifles is that though they look gorgeous in the trifle bowl, when you scoop out a serving, it's kind of a mess.  Individual sized trifle bowls solve this problem neatly--and they're just so darn cute!

You'll need:

• Individual trifle bowls (or any pretty glass, really)
• Pre-made angel food cake or pound cake
• Fresh berries
• Cool Whip or whipped cream

I was developing this trifle recipe for Yum!  Food and Fun for Kids magazine, and the theme was a Mother's day garden party so simple the kids could make everything themselves.  I probably would have used homemade whipped cream and homemade pound cake (Grandma's recipe) if I were making it myself.  But this shoot was about kids cooking, so I kept it as simple as possible.  That meant a loaf of store-bought angel food cake (which is always delicious, one of the few desserts I like store bought!), a tub of Cool Whip (is it a dirty little secret that I love the stuff?), and fresh berries.  

The girls tore apart the cake with delight, sliced berries with abandon, and gleefully scooped dollops of Cool Whip into the miniature trifle dishes.  I love how proud they are of their kitchen accomplishments.  And I love it when they make something I actually want to eat, instead of their usual concoctions and inventions.  ;-)

this is a perfect light dessert for spring and summer, when the berries are fresh and plentiful.  Throw in a few blueberries and you have a perfect 4th of July dessert, too!