4th of July Berry Trifles

I found this fun and easy recipe on a blog called Recipe Girl. I loved the way she included photos for every step in her how-to instructions. She is one excellent blogger! I put my trifles together this morning to serve at a barbecue later today.

4th of July Fresh Berry Trifles
Yield: 10 mini trifles
The Ingredients.
One 12-ounce lemon pound cake (homemade or store bought)

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons granulated white sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 cups blueberries

1 1/2 cups finely diced strawberries

10 8-ounce plastic (see-thru) cups
The Directions.
1. Cut the pound cake into 10 slices. Use a small STAR cookie cutter to cut out 10 stars from the center of each slice. Chop the remnants of each slice into small pieces. Set aside.
2. Place the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer to combine them until well combined (1 to 2 minutes). Add the cream and continue to whip until the mixture is soft and creamy.
3. Assemble the trifles: Set all of the plastic cups on a tray. Sprinkle a few cubes of pound cake into each cup. Top with a small spoonful of cream and a spoonful of both blueberries and strawberries. Layer again- more pound cake, more cream and more berries, and then place a star-shaped piece of pound cake on top.
The Verdict.
I made a few minor changes to the original recipe, to save time. I bought pound cake, and I didn't make the cream cheese topping. I substituted a prepared topping. As my daughter reminded me, OIL or Cream? Oil being Cool Whip and cream being Redi-Whip. I also substituted raspberries for the strawberries, since one of my guests doesn't eat strawberries.

I couldn't find my star cookie cutter, so I made my own. I printed a star off my computer, traced it on cardboard, and used a knife to cut around the paper star on the pound cake. Very simple! Last, I added a shake of red sugar sprinkles for a little extra glam! YUMMY and festive!