This patriotic summer dessert brings back bicentennial memories

I know I am totally dating myself to admit this, but I remember the summer of 1976 quite well. I was 7, and it was the 200th birthday of the United States of America. Ask anyone of my generation about being a school-age kid during the bicentennial summer and it will bring back some pretty nostalgic memories.

In 1976, the whole country was decorated in red, white and blue. Everything from lunchboxes to fire hydrants to our currency like the 50-cent piece and quarter had images of Revolutionary War soldiers and symbols of the Liberty Bell or the American flag stamped on them. Food trends also shifted their marketing to celebrate the bicentennial. There were red, white and blue ice cream and Popsicles, along with patriotic-themed breakfast cereal and packaged treats, all to help promote and reestablish a sense of pride and patriotism for our nation’s 200th birthday.

It has now been 50 years since the bicentennial, and as I began to reflect on the summer of 1976, I began researching magazines and articles from that era. I came across one of my favorite dessert treats, one that was served at every backyard barbecue or pool party in the summer of 1976: a no-bake berry trifle. This dessert is a complete throwback to the 1960s and ’70s. It consists of layers of store-bought pound cake topped with strawberries, blueberries, instant vanilla Jell-O pudding and Cool Whip, all stacked in a big clear glass bowl. This dessert became even more popular during the bicentennial summer, thanks to the red and blue berries and the white from the Cool Whip, which made an impressively patriotic dessert centerpiece. My mother and grandmother were masters at making these trifles, and I still can’t look at a Sarah Lee pound cake or glass trifle bowl and not think of them.

So, with my warm nostalgic feelings and happy memories of childhood, my mother, my grandmother and the summer of 1976, I decided to revamp this very retro no-bake dessert for our 250th celebration of the U.S.A. In keeping with the original versions of this berry trifle, I did take some shortcuts and used store-bought pound cake and instant vanilla pudding, but I added a bit of pure vanilla extract to enhance the vanilla flavor. To boost this trifle a bit more, I simmered some of the berries in a little sugar and fresh lemon juice, making a fresh berry syrup that soaks into the pound cake and gives my updated version a very berry punch. As a final addition, I topped my 1976 Retro Very Berry Trifle with some fresh whipped cream and berries to complete this festive summer dessert. Happy 250th birthday, America!

1976 Retro Very Berry Trifle

Yield: 12 servings

2 lbs. fresh strawberries

½ pint fresh blueberries

1 lb. frozen unsweetened blueberries

1½ cups granulated sugar, divided

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided

2 Tbsp. cornstarch, divided

5 tsp. pure vanilla extract, divided

2 (3.4-oz.) boxes Jell-O vanilla instant pudding mix

4 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

1 family-size Sarah Lee pound cake

Rinse fresh strawberries and blueberries; pat dry. Reserve a few strawberries and fresh blueberries for garnish. Cut tops off remaining strawberries, then cut them in half. Place half of cut strawberries into a sauce pot.

Place frozen blueberries in a second pot. Divide granulated sugar in half, pouring ¾ cup sugar over strawberries and ¾ cup sugar over frozen blueberries. Add to each pot 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Place each pot over medium-high heat and cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until sugar is dissolved, berries have cooked down, and sauce coats back of spoon. Turn off heat and fold remaining cut strawberries into cooked strawberry mixture. Fold fresh blueberries into cooked blueberry mixture. Allow both berry mixtures to cool.

While berry mixtures are cooling, prepare vanilla pudding according to package directions with milk. Once pudding is mixed, add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Allow pudding to set.

While pudding is setting and berries are cooling, pour whipping cream into a bowl; use an electric mixer to whip cream until soft peaks begin to form. Add powdered sugar and remaining
1 tsp. vanilla extract; continue beating until whipped cream is set but not
too firm.

Slice cake into 1½-inch-thick slices. Place a layer of cake slices in bottom of a large glass bowl or trifle dish, making sure to cover bottom of bowl completely. Slices will overlap. Pour strawberry mixture over layer of pound cake and spread evenly. Top strawberry layer with half of vanilla pudding, spreading evenly over strawberries. Spread half of whipped cream over pudding layer; repeat steps with blueberry mixture, ending with whipped cream as top layer. Once you have topped trifle with second half of whipped cream, garnish with sliced strawberries and fresh blueberries. Cover trifle with plastic wrap and place in fridge to set for at least 2 to 3 hours before serving.

This article was originally published in the July 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.