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–+ servings
A glass trifle bowl filled with cream and raspberries, topped with berries. On a table with raspberries and lemons.

Easy, No-Bake Lemon Raspberry Trifle (video)

1 hour prep + 0 minutes cook
12 cups
The most delicious and stunning easy, no-bake lemon raspberry trifle with lady finger cookies, lemon curd, raspberries, and cheesecake filling!

Ingredients 
US Customary - Metric

For Creamy Lemon Filling:

  • 16 oz cream cheese, softened at room temp
  • zest from 2 large lemons
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 cup lemon curd, from prepared lemon curd
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream, well-chilled

Trifle Fillings:

  • 6 cups fresh raspberries
  • 2 cups raspberries, crushed (can use fresh or frozen berries)
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups raspberry lemonade
  • 26 to 30 pieces lady finger cookies

Additional Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, well-chilled
  • 1 large lemon, cut into wedges; for garnish
  • fresh mint leaves , for garnish

Instructions

Preparing Lemon Curd:

  • Begin by preparing my Homemade Lemon Curd. I have that recipe posted below this one. Or you can also use store-bought lemon curd for this recipe.
  • You can prepare the lemon curd ahead of time, up to 1 week, and keep it stored in the refrigerator. Use ½ cup of lemon curd for the creamy filling and the remaining curd for the trifle layers.  

Making Creamy Lemon Filling:

  • Place the softened cream cheese (or chilled mascarpone cheese) into a large mixing bowl. Add the zest of 2 large lemons, vanilla extract, lemon curd, and powdered sugar.
  • Use a mixer to cream everything together until no clumps remain.
  • You’ll need 2 cups of heavy cream for this step in the recipe. First, pour in 1 cup of cream and mix until it’s well combined with the cream cheese mixture.
  • Switch your mixer attachment to a whisk and add the second cup of cream. Whisk for a few minutes, until stiff peaks form.

Preparing Trifle Fillings:

  • Wash and dry the raspberries for the trifle.
  • Prepare the crushed raspberries next. Place 2 cups of berries in a large bowl and use a fork to crush them. You can add sugar to the berries, if desired.
  • Pour the raspberry lemonade into a small casserole dish; you’ll use it for dipping the cookies.

How to Make Raspberry Trifle:

  • Assemble the dessert in a glass trifle bowl or 9x13-inch casserole dish.
  • Begin with a layer of lady finger cookies. Working with 2 to 3 cookies at a time, soak them moderately in raspberry lemonade and arrange them in a single layer on the bottom of the dish.
  • Spoon crushed raspberries over the cookies, then add a generous amount of lemon cream filling over the top and level the cream with a spoon.
  • Add several spoonfuls of lemon curd over the cream and spread it evenly. Next, add a layer of fresh raspberries.
  • Repeat this process, filling up the trifle bowl or casserole, finishing with a layer of fresh raspberries on top. The layers will repeat 3 times when using a trifle bowl, or 2 times when using a casserole dish.

Garnishing the Trifle:

  • You will have about 1 to 1 ½ cups of lemon cream filling left over. To this filling, add an additional ½ cup of chilled heavy cream.
  • Whisk the filling and cream together until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream into a pastry bag tipped with a large star tip; I used Ateco tip number 847.
  • Pipe large dollops of whipped cream over the raspberries.
  • Garnish the trifle with more raspberries, fresh mint leaves, and small lemon wedges.

Serving Suggestions:

  • Chill the trifle in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight, prior to serving.
  • For serving, use a large spoon and scoop the trifle into small bowls. Garnish each serving with additional raspberries and mint leaves, if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 1278IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 1mg