I call this my “faux trifle” because I substitute whipped cream for custard, a standard ingredient in trifle. Rather, it’s a trifle in technique and appearance: the layering of light, summery dessert ingredients in a glass bowl. For an easy-to-make dessert for a crowd, you can’t beat it: sweet berries, sponge-cakey cookies, and whipped cream.

Steps

1. Gently wash and dry the berries. Slice them into a large bowl and sprinkle with the sugar. Let the berries sit until the sugar has drawn the juices out of the berries, about 20 minutes.
2. Scoop a cup of the berries into a blender, adding all the accumulated juice and the orange liqueur; purée.
3. Put the whipping cream and a sprinkling of sugar in a large bowl. Whip the cream into soft peaks.
4. To assemble the trifle, layer the bottom of a large glass bowl with some of the cookies. Pour half of the berry purée over the cookies, top with half of the cut-up berries, then spoon a layer of the whipped cream over everything. Add another layer of cookies, the rest of the purée, then all of the berries and a final layer of whipped cream.
5. Put this in the refrigerator and leave alone for 2 to 3 hours. To serve, take a large spoon and scoop down to the bottom of the bowl, so that each serving has all the layers of the trifle on the plate.