A Christmas trifle is the only dessert that lets you dump cake, custard, fruit, and an alarming amount of whipped cream into a glass bowl and call it elegant.
No fancy piping skills. No nerve-racking soufflé collapse. No praying to the pie crust gods. You just layer, chill, and wait for your family to gasp when you carry it to the table. (Go slowly, though. A trifle dropped on the dining room floor is a Christmas memory nobody wants.)
Over the years, I’ve made more of these boozy, creamy, gloriously wobbly creations than I’d care to admit to my cardiologist. Some were triumphs. One involved a questionable amount of sherry and is no longer discussed at family gatherings. But these five? These are the ones that earned a permanent spot on my holiday table, and the ones people start hinting about sometime around Halloween.
So grab your biggest bowl and your longest spoon, and loosen your belt a notch. Here are my five all-time favorite Christmas trifles, ranked by absolutely nothing except how fast they disappear.
From No Bake to Big Bake
These Christmas trifle desserts run from no oven at all to a full day of baking. Each recipe comes with its full ingredient list and its video, so you can press play and cook.
Traditional English Raspberry Almond Trifle
A chef who made trifle for the Queen and her guests over the holidays is behind this traditional English raspberry almond trifle, which is why I tried it. The layers are pound cake sandwiched with jam, raspberries and a real egg custard, with chocolate and toasted almonds on top. There is no baking, just one big glass bowl, and the only cooking is a sugar syrup, with sherry if you want it, and the custard in a pan. The whole bowl serves 6 to 8.
The comments under the video on YouTube keep coming back to the custard, and I am with them. Homemade tastes far better than packet custard or pudding mix, and it is worth the small effort. At holiday parties the bowl goes fast, with almost nothing left.
The recipe is easy to change, too. A Swiss roll, which is a thin sponge rolled with jam, or angel food cake can stand in for the pound cake, and canned peaches work in place of the raspberries. When kids are at the table, I make small single trifles, half with sherry and half without.
Ingredients
- 1 Sara Lee all butter pound cake (10.75oz)
- Half a 12 ounce jar raspberry jam
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 4 tbs sherry (optional)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream (whipped to soft peak)
- 1 Cadbury’s chocolate flake (or 2oz milk chocolate)
- 1/4 cup toasted flaked almonds
SaveRed and Green Jelly Christmas Trifle
If I want a Christmas trifle that takes almost no skill, I make the red and green jelly one, because those two bright layers look like Christmas the second the bowl hits the table. The rest is cake soaked in sweet sherry, vanilla custard, berries and cream. The jelly crystals on the list are just Jell-O powder.
The cake and custard come ready-made, and everything goes in one glass bowl. Each jelly layer has to set in the fridge before the next goes on, so the trifle takes planning but little work.
In the comments under the video on YouTube, first-time trifle makers say their families raved about this trifle at Christmas, and I believe it. One cook found it easy enough at age 74, and another makes only the red layer and still gets asked to bring it. Canned peaches or fruit salad work in place of the berries in the middle. Fresh pineapple, kiwi and papaya stay out of my jelly because they stop it from setting, but canned fruit is fine, since the heat from canning takes care of that.
Ingredients
- 1 Pkt (85 grams) of red jello/jelly crystals
- Mixed berries
- 1 Pkt (85 grams) of green jello/jelly crystals
- 1 Cake
- 1/4-1/2 cup of sweet sherry
- Vanilla custard
- More mixed berries
- 600ml of whipped or whipping cream
- Blueberries and strawberries to decorate
SaveNo-Bake Pecan Pie Trifle
My no-bake pecan pie trifle starts with two store-bought pies and a bowl of cream, and the oven never comes on. The ingredient list is the shortest of any recipe here. You need a knife, a mixing bowl and a trifle bowl, then chunks of pie go in layers with a whipped mascarpone cream and the fridge does the rest. The trifle is best made a day or two ahead, which helps in a busy Christmas week.
In this trifle, stick with the tub of Cool Whip. Fresh whipping cream and regular cream cheese do not hold up. I whip the mascarpone on its own first to soften it, and a packet of instant vanilla pudding powder helps the cream hold its shape.
One cook in the comments under the video on YouTube made this trifle for Christmas dinner, and it was nearly gone by the end of the meal. Others there plan to make the same trifle with cherry, banana cream, pumpkin or apple pies, and one cook did make it with cherry.
Ingredients
- 2 Marie Callender’s pecan pies
- 16 ounce tub Cool Whip
- 2 tubs (8 ounces each) mascarpone cheese
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
SaveChocolate Salted Caramel Trifle
Not one piece of fruit goes into this huge chocolate salted caramel trifle, which is why I make it for the people who skip fruit at Christmas. The trifle is a real baking project, with six parts made separately: chocolate cake soaked with bourbon, brownie, chocolate custard, salted caramel cream, caramel cornflakes and caramel sauce. You need a cake pan, a square brownie pan and a few saucepans, and the trifle serves about 12 with leftovers.
The bourbon is not on the list below, so add it to your shopping list. Caster sugar is superfine sugar, cornflour is cornstarch, and double cream is heavy cream in the US.
Cooks in the comments under the video on YouTube saved me some trouble. Warm the cream before it goes into the caramel to stop hard lumps, line the cake pans with parchment paper, and check the size of your bowl first because this trifle is very big. Some cooks did not care for the cornflakes, so you can leave them out. Leftovers are good for breakfast the next day.
Ingredients
- Chocolate cake: 150ml buttermilk
- Chocolate cake: 150ml cooled down coffee
- Chocolate cake: 130ml veg oil
- Chocolate cake: 2 eggs
- Chocolate cake: 215g plain flour
- Chocolate cake: 240g caster sugar
- Chocolate cake: 40g cocoa powder
- Chocolate cake: 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Chocolate cake: 1/2 tsp salt
- Caramel cream: 150g caster sugar
- Caramel cream: 1 egg
- Caramel cream: 3 egg yolks
- Caramel cream: 3 tbsp cornflour
- Caramel cream: 120ml double cream
- Caramel cream: 480ml milk
- Caramel cream: 1 tsp salt
- Caramel cream: 1 tbsp vanilla
- Caramel cream: 45g of cold butter
- Caramel cream: double cream, the same amount as the cooked cream base
- Brownie: 165g 70% chocolate
- Brownie: 165g butter
- Brownie: 330g caster sugar
- Brownie: 3 eggs
- Brownie: 120g plain flour
- Brownie: 45g cocoa powder
- Brownie: 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Brownie: 1/2 tsp salt
- Chocolate custard: 600ml milk
- Chocolate custard: 4 egg yolks
- Chocolate custard: 2 tbsp caster sugar
- Chocolate custard: 1 tbsp cornflour
- Chocolate custard: 1/2 tsp salt
- Chocolate custard: 150g 70% chocolate
- Caramel cornflakes: 300g caster sugar
- Caramel cornflakes: 200g double cream
- Caramel cornflakes: 1 tsp vanilla
- Caramel cornflakes: 1.5 tsp salt
- Caramel cornflakes: 100g cold cubed butter
- Caramel cornflakes: 140g cornflakes
- Caramel sauce: 220g caster sugar
- Caramel sauce: 120ml water
- Caramel sauce: 245ml double cream
- Caramel sauce: 1 tsp vanilla
- Caramel sauce: 1 tsp salt
SaveVictorian Trifle with Brandy and Port
Over five million people have watched the video of this old Victorian trifle with brandy and port on YouTube, which is why I tried it. That is more than any other video here. This is the fancy kind of trifle a rich family would have served, with sponge and ratafia biscuits soaked in brandy and port under a firm almond custard and piped whipped cream. Ratafia biscuits are small almond cookies, and crystallized fruit is candied fruit.
Nothing goes in the oven. You need a deep glass dish and a 10 to 15 minute soak, and the only pan is for the custard, which gets gelatine or cornflour so it sets. The alcohol is never cooked, so this trifle is for the grown-ups.
Like a lot of cooks, I never have leftover sponge in the house, so plan on buying or baking one. The jam is measured by the teacup, which is part of the fun. The recipe also takes a dig at packet custard and canned fruit, and plenty of cooks in the comments on YouTube admit that is how they make theirs. If flowers go on top, use only the edible kind.
Ingredients
- 100g leftover sponge cake
- 100g ratafia biscuits or macaroons
- 50 ml brandy
- 125ml port or sherry
- 1 teacup of jam
- 100g crystallized fruit, such as ginger and cherries
- 500ml custard (with 2 sheets of gelatine or 2 tbsp of cornflour added so that it sets)
- 100g ground almonds
- 1 1/4 pints whipping cream
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- Slivered blanched almonds, to decorate
- Small cubes of crystallised fruit, to decorate
- Edible flowers, to decorate (optional)
SaveChristmas Trifle Questions Answered
Here is what I tell friends who ask how far ahead to make these Christmas trifle desserts, how long they keep, and what to do without alcohol or a trifle bowl.
How far ahead can I make a Christmas trifle?
Most of these trifles can be made the day before and kept covered in the fridge. Start a jelly trifle at least a day ahead, because each jelly layer has to set before the next goes on. Add the whipped cream on the day you serve the trifle where you can, since the cream holds its shape better that way. The pecan pie trifle is different: it is best made a day or two ahead.
How long do leftovers keep, and can I freeze it?
I figure a trifle stays at its best for about 2 to 3 days, covered in the fridge. That is just a guide, not a promise that the trifle is still safe to eat. The cake soaks up liquid as it sits, so it goes softer. I would not freeze a finished trifle, because custard and cream are likely to separate.
Can I make a Christmas trifle without alcohol?
Yes. You can leave the sherry out of the raspberry almond trifle, or make small single trifles, half with sherry and half without, when only some people at the table want alcohol. For the other trifles, some cooks use fruit juice on the cake, so treat that as something to try. The Victorian trifle soaks its sponge in brandy and port that never get cooked, so keep that trifle for the grown-ups.
What if I do not have a trifle bowl?
Any big clear glass bowl works, and you still get to see the layers through the side. Single glasses work too and are handy for a small table. When looks do not matter, a deep casserole dish does the job.
Pick the trifle that fits your week. If Christmas week is already full, make the pecan pie trifle and let the store do the baking. If you have a free day and a big table, make the chocolate salted caramel trifle. Whichever one you make, clear a shelf in the fridge before you start.
