Loaded with layers of fresh fruit, sweetened cream and tender shortcake, this pretty little mason jar trifle is a great dessert to make with the family.
Is it a weekend? A holiday? A regular ol' summer day when you want a cool and refreshing dessert? Heck, maybe it's not even summer - maybe you just found some gorgeous berries at the store and want to make a tasty treat!
For any or all of these occasions, this Triple Berry Mason Jar Trifle is just the ticket! Fresh berries get all juicy and then get layered with homemade rounds of shortcake and luscious whipped cream. It's a simple dessert that is really special.
Why you'll love these trifles
Triple Berry Mason Jar Trifles are great for a casual dessert for your family and friends. The shortcake rounds bake up quickly and can be made in advance. Assembling the trifles is quick too, and if you have kids in the house they will LOVE helping with this dessert!
The trifles highlight the simple and delicious flavors of fresh berries, tender cake, and fresh cream. They're really cute, too! Serving them in small mason jars means your hungry fans can see the colorful layers: festive and beautiful.
Oh, and you probably noticed the red, white and blue of these mason jar treats? That's why they're perfect for 4th of July and Memorial Day celebrations! Not to mention backyard barbecues, potlucks, brunch gatherings - you get the idea.
🔪 How to make this recipe
Step 1: Macerate the fruit
In other words, get the fruit good and juicy! Toss the berries and sliced strawberries in a bowl with sugar. Let the fruit sit while you make the shortcakes.
Step 2: Make the shortcakes
Mix dry ingredients together and then cut in cubes of cold butter. Stir in some half and half, then turn the mixture out onto a floured surface. Give the shortcake dough a couple of quick kneads before rolling it out. Use a small, round cutter to cut out rounds. Place the rounds on a baking sheet, give them a quick chill in the fridge, then bake them for just under 10 minutes.
Step 3: Assemble the trifles
When the rounds are cool, layer them in the small mason jars with the juicy fruit and sweetened whipped cream - the details are spelled out below in the recipe. Finish each jar with a dollop of cream and a few berries, then dig in!
Notes:
- I like using mason jars for these trifles because the jars are cute, inexpensive, often on hand, and clear so that the pretty trifle layers can be seen. If you don't have pint-sized mason jars, considering picking some up. They're great for these trifles, for small cocktails like margaritas, for shaking up some salad dressing, and of course for canning! OR, you can always use another small glass dish or dessert bowl.
- Macerating the berries means stirring them together with some sugar to get them to release their juices - and sweet, juicy berries is just what you want in these trifles! If you want your berries a little less sweet, you can cut back on the amount of sugar that gets stirred up with the berries.
FAQs
Can these trifles be made ahead of time?
The trifles should be assembled no more than an hour before serving, but here are two things you can do ahead of time: you can bake the shortcake rounds up to three days in advance. If you are making your own whipped cream you can do this a day in advance.
Find the recipe for Triple Berry Mason Jar Trifles below! And there are a few other summery, fruity desserts you should probably take a look at - here they are:
💬 How do you like these sweet and fruity trifles? Scroll down to leave a comment 'cause I love to hear from you!
Triple Berry Mason Jar Trifle
Equipment
- 6 half-pint glass mason jars
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached (plus extra for rolling out dough)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter (2 ounces), cold
- ⅓ cup half-and-half
- 1 cup blueberries (about 5-6 ounces), washed & stems removed
- 1 cup red raspberries (about 5 ounces), washed and dried
- 8 medium strawberries (about 6 ounces), washed, hulled & sliced
- 1½ cups fresh, sweetened whipped cream, or spray whipped cream can also be used
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Macerate the fruit:
- Save out a few of each berry so you can garnish the finished trifles. Place the blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries into a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar over the berries and toss them with a spoon to coat them. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set the berries aside until it's time to assemble the trifles.
Make the shortcakes:
- Whisk together the flour, the rest of the granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Slice the cold butter into small cubes. Stir the butter cubes to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients so that the mixture looks coarse. If any large pieces remain, use your fingers to squeeze and flatten them.
- Add in the half-and-half and use a spoon to toss and combine the mixture.
- Dust a work surface with flour and pour out the flour-butter mixture. Sprinkle the top with a bit more of flour and knead by hand for just 2 or 3 minutes until it has just come together into a dough (add a sprinkle more flour to the work surface or dough to keep it from getting too sticky.)
- Roll the dough out to a ½-inch thickness. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough. (If you don't have a cookie cutter this small, look around your kitchen: measure the lid from a large spice bottle or top of a glass bottle and you'll probably find one that's 2 inches. If not, draw a 2-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper, cut it out and use it as a template.)
- Place the shortcake dough circles on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Pop the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill the dough circles.
- Bake them in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, until they are puffed and just beginning to brown. Remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Assemble the trifles:
- Place one shortcake round in the bottom of each mason jar. If the shortcakes are a little too big to fit in the jar, use your cookie cutter or a sharp knife to trim a little off the outside.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the macerated berries including some of the sugary juices to each jar. Top the berries with about 1 tablespoon of whipped cream (eyeball it if you're using spray whipped cream from a can.)
- Place another shortcake round on top of the cream, top with 2 more tablespoons of berries and juices. Finish the top of the trifle with a generous dollop (or squirt) of whipped cream. Add the berries you held aside to the tops to make them look even prettier!
- Serve immediately. The trifles may also be assembled and refrigerated for up to an hour before serving. Makes 6 servings.
To make your own sweetened whipped cream:
- Chill a bowl and whisk attachment for your mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes, then assemble them on your mixer. Pour in 1 cup of heavy cream or whipping cream and turn the mixer on high.
- Whip the cream for a minute or two, then add in ¼ cup of confectioner's sugar. Continue whipping the cream on high speed for another 2-4 minutes until it is thick and has peaks. Use the whipped cream immediately or keep it covered in the fridge until you need it.
Notes
- I like using little mason jars for these trifles because the jars are cute, inexpensive, often on hand, and clear so that the pretty trifle layers can be seen. If you don't have half pint-sized mason jars, considering picking some up. They're great for these trifles, for small cocktails like margaritas, for shaking up some salad dressing, and of course for canning! OR you can always use another small glass dish or dessert bowl.
- Macerating the berries means stirring them together with some sugar to get them to release their juices - and sweet, juicy berries is just what you want in these trifles! If you want your berries a little less sweet, you can cut back on the amount of sugar that gets stirred up with the berries.
- Make-ahead options. The trifles should be assembled no more than an hour before serving, but here are two things you can do ahead of time: you can bake the shortcake rounds up to three days in advance. If you are making your own whipped cream you can do this a day in advance.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2016.
Pat Boucher
Love your super delicious and easy recipes. Thank you!
Nancy Mock
Thank you Pat! I’m so happy to hear your feedback!
Nancy Mock
I want to make some of the flavors from my past posts, plus a couple of ideas I've had recently. Maybe I can check your book too!
The Armchair Squid
Looks lovely. Excellent use of all that fruit.
As soon as there's some freezer room, I'm starting Operation Ice Cream...
Nancy Mock
Yesss, ice cream! I bought a new ice cream maker. We'll have to do a team-up!
armchairsquid
Do you have a book? I will be using The Perfect Scoop.