Lemon Cheesecake Trifle with Raspberries

Lemon Cheesecake Trifle with Raspberries is a delicious dessert if you are planning a special dinner. Layers of cake, lemon filling, cheesecake filling and whipped cream says "I Love You" to anyone who eats it. My family really enjoyed it and hope yours will too!

Happy Easter, everyone.  I hope you are enjoying the day with family.  We have the kiddies with us for the weekend and it was so nice eating Easter dinner together.   It's so good to have the whole family together, if only for a few short days.  I wish they lived closer and we could see each other every week. . . sigh. . .

Earlier in the week I planned dinner but what to have for dessert? There was a lemon trifle recipe that kept popping up on Facebook that seemed like it would be good but when I looked at the ingredients it was made from cake mix, instant pudding and whipped topping. Don't get me wrong. I use all those ingredients, especially when pressed for time or if it meets my needs but it didn't seem special enough for a rare family dinner. So I thought about it earlier this week (as I was bed-ridden half the week with a sore back) and put together a very special trifle in my mind. I'd use one of my favourite cake recipes, make a homemade lemon filling and use real whipped cream.  Then I thought a bit more (as I was still bed-ridden) and decided a cheesecake filling would go just lovely with the tart lemon filling and what would be even better would be to throw in a few fresh raspberries.  (You know I really love you if I splash out on fresh raspberries.  This time of the year they cost almost six dollars for one cup of berries!)  Yes, this would be THE dessert for Easter dinner. It was just lovely. . .in my mind. Ha, ha.  

By Friday, I was rearing to go.  My back was sufficiently well enough to start baking.  I baked the cake, made the simple syrup, made the lemon and cheesecake fillings and had the whipping cream on standby to finish off the top of the trifle. I even bought fresh raspberries in hopes they wouldn't go moldy by Sunday.  (I have backup frozen berries in the freezer.) Once everything was baked or made it was time to assemble my trifle.  Putting it all together only took a few minutes.  I was so pleased the way it turned out and the taste was amazing. 

There are lots of parts to this recipe but none of them are particularly difficult.  The cake can be made well in advance and frozen until needed. Make the trifle the day before you plan to serve it to let the flavours develop and the cake to settle.  All the recipes follow except the Hot Milk Sponge Cake which is linked. 

Printable recipe at end of post.

Lemon Cheesecake Trifle with Raspberries
Make and assemble the following:

1 recipe Hot Milk Sponge Cake or other sponge type cake
1 recipe simple lemon syrup (recipe below)
½ cup good quality raspberry jam, seedless if you can get it
1 recipe Tart Lemon Filling (recipe below) or 1 lemon pie filling made according to package directions
1 recipe Cheesecake filling (recipe below)
1 cup fresh or frozen whole raspberries
1 cup whipping cream, whipped and sweetened for topping (or 2 cups whipped topping)



Simple Lemon Syrup
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons sugar

In a small saucepan mix the water, lemon juice and sugar together. Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and let cool. 


Tart Lemon Filling
⅓ cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
½ cup cold water 
1 cup boiling water
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest or the amount from 1 large lemon
Yellow food colouring, optional 

Mix cornstarch and sugar in medium size saucepan and add ½ cup cold water and mix until smooth and all lumps are gone.  Add the 1 cup boiling water, stirring until smooth. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and is clear and thick, stirring constantly.  

In a small bowl beat egg yolks and add a little of the hot mixture, stirring as you do.  (This will temper the eggs so they don't cook like scrambled eggs.)  Add the mixed egg yolks back into the hot mixture, stirring constantly to blend.  Add 2 or 3 drops yellow food colouring, if using.  Cook an additional 2 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat.

Add butter, lemon juice and zest stirring gently until mixed.

Cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature.  If not using right away, keep in refrigerator until ready to use.  

Cheesecake Filling

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup milk
1 cup whipping cream, whipped or 2 cups whipped topping

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth; gradually add the milk. Fold in the whipped topping. 

To make the trifle:

1.  Slice the cake cross-wise with a sharp knife to give you two thin layers.  Sandwich the layers together with the raspberry jam.  Cut the cake into 1-inch cubes.  Lay half the cake cubes in the bottom of a large glass bowl.  2.  Brush half the Simple Lemon Syrup over the cake cubes in the bowl.

3.  Pour half the Tart Lemon Filling over the cake.   4.  Carefully spread half the Cheesecake mixture over the lemon filling.  5. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients: cake cubes, simple syrup, lemon filling, cheesecake filling.   6.  Scatter fresh raspberries over the top cheesecake layer.  You may wish to keep a few raspberries for garnish. 

7.  Whip the cream to medium stiff peaks, adding 2 or 3 tablespoons sugar to sweeten and ½ teaspoon vanilla.

8.  Spread and swirl the whipped cream over the raspberries covering any cake that may be peaking through the layers.  

9.  Garnish with a few fresh raspberries.  10.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.  

If you push the jam slices against the inside of the bowl you will have a raspberry red layer show through.

Dig in to the lovely layers of cake, lemon filling and cheesecake filling.  

A rich and special dessert for a special occasion!

To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩