Several years ago, my family and I made a discovery.  We love trifle!  I believe my mom first made one for a family July 4th celebration.  She was looking for a delicious dessert that had a summer feel, and was also red, white, and blue.  The result was a strawberry and blueberry trifle that was AMAZING!   The trifle was so good, it started making regular weekend appearances, and was not limited to red, white, and blue holidays.  Unfortunately, the original version had a very gluten-full angel food cake component, meaning the trifle had made fewer and fewer appearances over the years in a life post gluten.  However, for a recent celebration, my mom decided to bring the trifle back, substituting her angel food cake recipe with a gluten-free version she found on the internet.  The recipe featured below is a combination of my mom’s trifle recipe and the Perfect Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake recipe from www.meaninfuleats.com. This gluten-free version is just as amazing as the original! Give it a try and let me know what you think.

-The Gluten-Free Gal’s Guide

Ingredients:

For the Cake-

• 1 1/2 c. Egg Whites (10-11 large eggs)
• 3/4 c. Gluten Free Flour (I use Bob’s Redmill 1 to 1)
• 1/4 c. Cornstarch
• 3/4 c. Powdered Sugar
• 3/4 c and 2 tbsp. Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 tsp. Almond Extract

For the Layers/Filling-

• 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 2/3 c. Granulated Sugar
• 2 c. Heavy Cream
• 2 pints Blueberries
• 2 pints Strawberries

Directions:

1. Separate the egg whites and allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. In a food processor, process the gluten free flour and the powdered sugar until smooth, and set aside.
4. Process the granulated sugar to make it finer,  but not powdered.  (5-7 pulses)
5. Using a mixer, beat the egg whites on high until they start to foam.
6. Add the salt and the cream of tartar to the egg whites and continue mixing until blended.
7. Add the Vanilla Extract and the Almond Exract to the egg white mixture, and continue mixing, whipping the egg white mixture at a high speed.
8. Slowly add the granulated sugar to the egg white mixture, whipping the mixture as you add the sugar.  Continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
9. Remove from the mixer, and using a spatula, slowly fold in the dry ingredients (gluten free flour and powdered sugar mixture and cornstarch). Make sure to add the dry ingredients slowly so you don’t break the egg whites.
10. Add the batter to an untreated tube pan.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until lightly golden.
12. Immediately after removing the pan from the oven, run a knife along the edges of the pan and invert the pan onto a cooling rack.
13. When the cake has cooled, cut it into small (about 1 inch) cubes.
14. In a mixer beat the cream cheese with 2/3 cups granulated sugar until smooth and light.
15. Select a serving bowl and add a layer of cake cubes to the bottom. Sprinkle a layer of blueberries on-top of the cake cubes. Add a layer of cream cheese mixture to cover the blueberries. Top with a layer of strawberries, and repeat the process until you have used all of your cake, berries, and cream cheese mixture. The number of layers will differ depending on the size of your serving bowl.