Lemon Blackberry Trifle

Back in July I was asked to make a sheet cake for a sweet little boy's first birthday. Around 7:30 the night prior to the party I pulled the cake from the oven. It stood about 1 inch high. I nearly cried. I had researched the amount of batter to use for a sheet cake this size and thought I had done everything correctly. At 8:00 I started to make another sheet to top this one, he would just have a two layer sheet cake. Around 8:45 I pull the cake out and it is perfect. Standing a little over 2 inches high. What had I done?...opened a new can of baking powder. I've heard stories of baking powder losing its power to help things rise but didn't think it had ever happened to me. Now I wonder what all those cakes would have been like if I was using fresh baking powder!!!

So now, at 9:00 at night I have two sheet cakes. One perfect and one a bit dense. I couldn't just throw it away! I cubed it and froze it for another time.

Now, remember all those blackberries that I found in my backyard? I ended up picking about 5 quarts and froze about 3 quarts. I knew they would come in handy at some point! My mother in law needed a dessert to bring to a gathering of 6 friends. It was the middle of the summer and hot. I didn't feel like baking a cake, or cookies, no one wants brownies when it is 90 degrees and humid. I have berries and dense frozen cake. Hmmm. The perfect summer dessert...berry trifle! It is cool and requires no hot stove. The bonus, it is best when left to sit overnight so you can make it before bed and enjoy it the next day!

This trifle has lemon mousse between the layers of cake and berries. As you may have noticed throughout my summer blogging, I love lemons in the summertime.

Lemon Mousse and Berry Trifle
Source: Two Peas and Their Pod
Yield: About 8 servings

1 package (3.4 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 half-pint whipping cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Berries of any sort
Pound cake (or whatever you have on hand)

In a medium to large bowl, mix instant pudding mix and milk; stir thoroughly and set aside. In another medium-sized bowl, beat whipping cream and sugar on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form. Working in thirds, gently fold whipped cream into pudding mixture until thoroughly combined. If necessary, whip combined mixture again until thickened.

To assemble the trifle, layer the mousse, berries, and cake. I added a bit of lemon flavor to mine by dabbing the cake pieces with a lemony simple syrup.