Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

Easter for me marks the real beginning of spring baking. It seems a fitting time to bust out lots of lemon and berries and lighter desserts, to welcome the impending warm weather and seasonal fruits. This year was no different – I made this lovely lemon berry trifle, loaded with fresh berries, lemon mousse, and buttery lemon yogurt cake. It was the perfect Easter dessert, nice and light and springy after having a big, heavy meal.

I used a recipe from the Food Network for the trifle, and made my own cake to use in place of necessary pound cake. I liked the flavor of the homemade lemon yogurt cake, and appreciated not having quite as many calories as the pound cake would have provided. The cake bakes up like a simple loaf cake, and is very sturdy but still plenty moist. The lemon flavor was bursting in each bite, complemented by a slight buttery flavor. So delicious!

I made a lemon curd recipe, which I folded together with some whipped cream, and ladled that over slices of lemon yogurt pound cake. It was smooth and creamy and cool, with lots of lemon zest peeking through. Then, I piled berries on top for the finishing touch. Together the flavors melded so well – the lemon and the berries, all so fresh and zesty. The textures are pretty fun too – spongy lemon cake and silky lemon mousse, with tangy fresh berries. I can’t say enough good things!

Since it’s Marathon Monday, and I’m itching to get out to watch the race, I’m leaving you with a few links today, which you can follow to the recipes I used to make this wonderful trifle!

Lemon Yogurt Cake,  la Ina Garten. I substituted this cake for the pound cake noted in the recipe below. You could easily use any pound cake, homemade or store bought, or any other sturdy cake that will hold up in a trifle.

Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries, thanks to Tyler Florence. I followed this recipe for the lemon curd, lemon mousse, and assembly instructions.