Red, White and Blue Trifle

Instructions

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1. 1 Gather and prepare all ingredients. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper for easy release.
2. 2 To make the cake, in a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer (or stand mixer with the paddle attachment) to beat the butter and oil together for about 1-2 minutes. It should look creamy and uniform.
3. 3 Gradually add the sugar to the bowl while on medium speed. Once all the sugar is added, increase to medium-high and beat for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. 4 Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in the vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
5. 5 In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, alternate adding the buttermilk and flour mixture to the bowl with the butter/sugar mixture in two batches, mixing just until combined—don’t overmix.
6. 6 Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.*
7. 7 While the cake is baking, make the blueberry sauce. Add the blueberries, granulated sugar, ½ cup of water, and lemon juice to a medium pot over medium heat. Stir to combine.
8. 8 Let the mixture come to a boil. Using a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch into the remaining 1/4 cup of water until it is completely dissolved. Add the cornstarch slurry to the blueberries and stir until incorporated.
9. 9 Continue stirring until the syrup in the blueberry sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, allow it to cool completely, and set it aside.*
10. 10 For the whipped cheesecake filling, in a medium bowl, using a hand mixer on medium speed, whisk together the cream cheese and vanilla until soft and creamy, 2-3 minutes, then set aside.
11. 11 In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, whisk the heavy cream at high speed until thick and fluffy but not stiff. Turn the hand mixer to low, add the powdered sugar, and continue beating until incorporated. Then, turn the mixer to high until stiff peaks form.
12. 12 Add the cream cheese mixture to the whipped cream bowl and fold until smooth and combined.
13. 13 To assemble the trifle, cut the cooled cake into 1-inch pieces and slice the strawberries. Add half of the cake pieces to the bottom of the trifle dish, covering the bottom. Then, pour half of the cooled blueberry sauce evenly over the cake. Next, spread half of the whipped cheesecake filling evenly over the blueberries. Artfully top with sliced strawberries.
14. 14 Repeat the process, layering the remaining cake, blueberry sauce, whipped cheesecake filling, then strawberries. Serve and enjoy!