One core memory from my childhood includes a July 4th pool party—the hot and humid air carrying the scent of chlorine mingled with freshly cut watermelon, the early afternoon sun attempting a heat stroke, and a sheet pan cake, covered in mounds of Cool Whip and mixed berries designed to look like the American Flag (a melting American Flag, actually, perhaps this was a premonition!).

The cake wasn’t particularly special but for some reason it’s baked into my memory and now, well… basic white cake adorned with whipped cream and berries has become something I crave around this time of year. The simplicity of the cake and the brightness of the berries and the airiness of the whipped cream make for a dessert that is satisfying but not too filling, something you could reasonably munch on prior to doing a canon ball.

I also love that it’s a cake dessert in the middle of summer, a time when we as a people tend to eschew turning on the oven—the beauty of this dish is you’re going to use a plain store bought cake because I said so. We’re drowning it in bourbon so really we aren’t looking for the cake to provide much flavor as we’re more utilizing it for it’s structure and stability. The thing we all crave.

More photos and recipe below for you sweetie!

xoxo

Beau

& Matt & Fox & Barley & Rye

Soaking sliced angel food cake in bourbon. This is the prime Nibble Phase of the recipe.

Bourbon Soaked Blackberry Trifle

Takes 10 minutes | Makes 8 servings

1.5 cups bourbon
1 store bought angel food cake
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar + more for garnish
16 oz fresh blackberries
Mint for garnish
Trifle dish for serving

Cut your cake into 12 slices about 1 1/2” thick, give or take—try and get them to roughly the same size. You may have leftover cake, that can be your midnight snack. Lay the twelve slices flat in a single layer in a casserole dish or baking sheet with a lip (you may need multiple dishes or baking sheets to fit all the slices), and drizzle the bourbon over the slices. Flip and repeat with any remaining bourbon, and set aside. For a less boozy flavor, you can use a pastry brush to brush both sides of the cake slices with bourbon.
Make your whipped cream by combining the heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (hand held beaters work fine here as well)—and whip on medium-high speed until soft, structured peaks form.
Add a large dollop of cream to your trifle dish and spread along the bottom. Begin to layer in the cake, followed by cream, and then berries, in that order until everything has been added, ending with the berries.
Sift powdered sugar on top and garnish with fresh mint. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to two hours prior to serving.