This Easy Keto Berry Trifle with almond sponge cake is perfect for a summer party — it’s very simple to make, is perfectly refreshing, makes a gorgeous centerpiece and can easily be made ahead. This gluten-free and sugar-free trifle is an easy keto dessert layered with fresh summer berries and a delicious almond flour cake stuffed with heavenly sweet whipped cream. Minutes in the making, it’s perfect for summer gatherings!
Easy Keto Dessert
This quick and easy keto dessert is perfect for any spring or summer holiday. Use fresh or frozen fruit, and you have the best Memorial Day, Canada Day or 4th of July make-ahead gluten-free and sugar-free treat! You can also make this keto trifle recipe using only your favourite berries or whichever berries are in season!
What is a Trifle?
Trifle is a layered dessert found in British and other cuisines. I grew up eating trifles during the summer months and remember licking the bowl until there was no more trifle left!
This keto berry trifle has three layers of delicious low carb summer berries. Then, a rich and flavourful sweet whipped cream is stuffed between the layers, along with a perfectly delicious almond sponge cake, topped with any remaining fresh berries. Add some mint sprigs to the top and this sugar-free trifle is absolutely gorgeous!
What I Love About This Keto Trifle Recipe
- It can easily serve a large group of people
- It takes center stage on a table with all the wonderful splashes of colour
- It seriously only takes mere minutes to make and can be made in sections and assembled on the day of your gathering
- It is utterly delicious!
Perhaps my favourite part of this summer trifle recipe is that it’s very forgiving. It doesn’t require perfection in any form. If the layers are not perfect, all the better! Plus, you can easily pick and chose the ratio of the almond sponge cake, to the number of berries to the amount of whipped cream. This means that this keto trifle recipe can fit any macros you want!
A simple to make summer dessert that’s beautiful, tasty and fun to make!
Can You Make a Trifle without a Trifle Bowl?
If you don’t have a trifle bowl, you can use any deep bowl, like a salad bowl or punch bowl. You can even make this sugar-free trifle using mason jars for individual trifles, like I did for my Easy Keto Strawberry Shortcake as well as my Mason Jar Mug Cake Parfaits .
Trifle recipes are wonderful during the holidays so if you can afford a trifle bowl, I suggest investing in one. They are relatively inexpensive and can be used for other recipes like my Layered Keto Nacho Taco Party Bowl.
My favourite trifle bowls are this one on Amazon as well as this one from Crate and Barrel. This recipe will make enough to fill a 12-cup trifle bowl. If your bowl is smaller, just make smaller quantities of this recipe by having some additional mason jars on "stand-by" and fill them with whatever leftovers you end up with!
Keto Berry Trifle Ingredients
Although this ingredient list may seem a little longer than some of my other recipes, it is actually one of the easiest I have created so don't get discouraged!
- Keto Almond Flour Sponge Cake - You can use my recipe (click here) or any other recipe. You can make the sponge cake up to 3 days before assembling the cake and keep it in the fridge. Or, make the keto almond sponge cake and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months!
- Blueberries - You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries for this recipe. Just realize that frozen berries will lose some of their texture as they thaw. I used a combination of fresh and frozen. I used the frozen berries to make the sauce and then mixed in fresh berries.
- Strawberries - You will need about 3 cups
- Blackberries - You don't have to use blackberries but I recently got some really delicious blackberries at Sam's club that were absolutely delicious.
- Cream cheese - Cream cheese will help to give the whipped cream some stability and structure
- Heavy whipping cream - Make sure that you use heavy whipping cream and NOT half and half
- Sweetener - Since this keto berry trifle needs to be refrigerated, I used allulose which does not crystalize as it cools like erythritol-based sweeteners, such as Lakanto.
- Xantham gum - Xanthan gum is added to the berry sauces to help thicken them.
- Vanilla extract and Lemon Juice
- Mint sprigs (for garnish)
See the recipe card for quantities.
Keto Trifle Recipe Instructions
Like I mentioned earlier, each layer of the trifle can be made ahead of time so feel free to do so.
Step 1 - Prepare the Keto Almond Sponge Cake:
Whip the eggs and sweetener and then add in the remaining ingredients. Bake for about 20 minutes for 2 8-inch cake pans of 35 minutes for a single cake pan. See my Keto Almond Sponge Cake recipe and the detailed instructions here.
Step 2 - Prepare the sugar-free berry layers
In a small sauce pan, combine the allulose and xantham gum and give it a quick whisk. Add in the berries and heat the mixture on medium-high heat until the berries begin to break down and release their juices. Repeat this procedure for all your different berry layers.
Next, take 1 cup of fresh (or frozen berries) and add them to 1 cup of the appropriate berry sauce. Stir to incorporate and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to assemble the trifle.
Step 3 - Prepare the whipped cream topping
The day you will be serving the keto trifle, prepare the whipped topping by beating together the softened cream cheese with the allulose until fully incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream with additional sweetener and xanthan gum until stiff peaks form.
Combine the whipped cream mixture with the cream cheese mixture and place the bowl in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Step 4 - Assemble the trifle
Break the cooled keto sponge cake into cubes and press one of the cakes (if you used 2 cake pans) or half the cake (if you used 1 cake pan) into the bottom of the bowl. Add a berry layer, followed by a whipped cream layer. Repeat with the remaining cake, berry mixutre and whipped cream. Add the final blackberry topping and garnish with any leftover blueberries, strawberries and mint.
Hint: You will want this keto dessert to be made a minimum of 2 hours ahead of time so that the sponge has time to soak up all the delicious berry flavours!
Substitutions
Keto Almond Sponge Cake:
As mentioned, you can use any of your favourite keto cake recipes or any cake that you have stashed in your freezer from other holidays cake. If you haven't tried my keto almond sponge cake, I REALLY hope you make it as it is the BEST and is really easy to make.
You can also replace the sponge cake with my 5-Minute Skillet Keto Granola but you will probably need to make two batches for this recipe. You also use any Catalina Crunch item or any other keto and sugar-free store-bought item.
Berries:
Summer trifles are always pretty in red, white, and blue. Perfect for the 4th of July and summer gatherings. While we’ve used strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, substitute your favourite fresh summer berries.
Blackberries and Raspberries are the lowest in terms of sugar, followed by strawberries and then blueberries. If you want to keep this recipe ultra low in carbs, only use one layer of berries and double the amount of sugar-free whipped cream and cake layers listed in this recipe.
Sugar-Free Whipped Cream:
This whipped cream is a sweet and rich cream that is absolutely heavenly. Perfectly balanced with vanilla, cream cheese flavour, and utterly silky texture, it’s the key to this trifle.
And it takes only minutes to whip.
For a store-bought substitution, or if you want a lighter trifle, sugar-free whipped topping is an option. Stick with TruWhip as it does not contain Maltodextrin (Cool Whip does!) You would need about 16 ounces which equals about 2 containers. It will not have the same depth of flavour but if you are in a pinch, it is a good alternative.
Make-Ahead Directions
This recipe can all be made in sections and assembled in about 5 minutes.
Berries:
Wash the berries the night before. Place two layers of paper towels on a sheet pan, then lay the washed berries on the top. This helps to absorb additional moisture. You want the berries as dry as possible when making a trifle. If using frozen berries, thaw the berries the night before in a colander to release some of the water from the berries
Almond Sponge Cake:
If you’re making my keto almond flour sponge cake, be sure to make that ahead so that it has plenty of time to cool. Once the cake has cooled, cut the keto cake into about 1-inch cubes. Store the cubes in a ziplock bag in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Storage
This Keto Berry Triffle is best when eaten the same day it is assembled. You can actually store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days but it will get slightly soggy. You can also freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months. To thaw, simply place it in the fridge overnight.
PrintEasy Keto Berry Triffle
This Easy Keto Berry Trifle with almond sponge cake is perfect for a summer party — it’s very simple to make, is perfectly refreshing, makes a gorgeous centerpiece and can easily be made ahead. This gluten-free and sugar-free trifle is an easy keto dessert layered with fresh summer berries and a delicious almond flour cake stuffed with heavenly sweet whipped cream. Minutes in the making, it’s perfect for summer gatherings!
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Almond Cake Layer
- 1 keto almond flour cake
For the Berry Layers
- 3 cups blueberries, divided
- 3 cups strawberries, divided
- 3 cups blackberries, divided
- ¾ cup allulose
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- ¾ tsp xantham gum, divided
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup allulose, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp xantham
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Prepare the keto almond sponge cake and allow it to cool. Cut the cake into 1-inch pieces and set it aside.
Prepare the Berry Filling:
- In a small saucepan, add ¼ cup allulose and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Whisk to combine the ingredients. Turn the burner on medium heat and add 2 cups of blueberries and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the saucepan. Stir to incorporate. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Sitr for about 3-5 minutes or until the berries begin to breakdown and release their juices, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat. Pour the mixture into a small bowl and allow it to cool. Once cool, place the mixture in the fridge to thicken. Repeat this exact procedure for the strawberries and blackberries (you do not need to wash the saucepan in between!).
Prepare the Whipped Cream Layer
- The day you are wanting to serve this trifle, prepare the whipped cream layer. In a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and ½ cup of allulose. Beat until light and fluffy and set the bowl to the side.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ½ cup of allulose and ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum. Add in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Beat, starting on low and slowly increasing the speed, until soft peaks have formed.
- Combine the cream cheese with the whipped cream until fully combined and place the bowl in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Assemble the Trifle
- Take 1 cup of berries and stir it into the appropriate berry sauce. Repeat with the 2 other berries and their respective sauces.
- Take half of the cake cubes and press them into the bottom of the trifle bowl. Add one berry mixture over the cake layer. Top with half of the whipped cream topping. Repeat with the remaining cake, then a berry layer and the remaining whipped cream. Top the trifle with the final berry flavour and garnish with additional fresh berries and mint springs.
- Place the trifle in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 232
- Sugar: 7
- Fat: 13
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 6
Heather
Made this yesterday and it was delicious! Can't wait for leftovers later today! PS - I used only raspberries and it turned out great!
Karen
Made this for a gathering with friends and EVERYONE loved it!