This stunning Chocolate Trifle is the perfect quick and easy Christmas dessert! It can feed a crowd, be made ahead of time and requires almost zero effort.
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Festive christmas trifle with chocolate and whipped cream in a trifle bowl with lit sparklers
Today is my blog’s sixth birthday! And I only realised it this morning which made me feel pretty awful – I usually plan a big cake or festive dessert to celebrate the occasion.
By the time realisation dawned, it was far too late to bake something from scratch. But fear not… it’s (cheat’s) chocolate trifle to the rescue!
This spectacular chocolate pudding is a perfect last-minute dessert if you cunningly employ a few shortcuts.
It requires zero cooking and zero baking making it just the thing for novice cooks – or even those who can’t boil an egg!
Although this chocolate trifle is perfect for Christmas, it is also suitable for any large celebration or kid birthday party as it feeds up to 10 people easily. Plus you could have the kids decorate the final layer if you like.
What is a trifle?
I must admit the first time I heard of trifle was probably through that famous Friends episode in which Rachel attempts to make a ‘Traditional English Trifle’ from scratch.
As you may recall she accidentally combines the trifle recipe with the one for Shepherd’s Pie making a dessert that “tastes like feet!” (even though Joey didn’t seem to mind).
A proper trifle is a layered dessert made of cake or ladyfingers soaked in sherry, vanilla custard, fruit and lashings of whipped cream. Sometimes there’s jelly involved too! The layers are repeated if the trifle dish is really deep.
What is in my cheat’s chocolate trifle?
Though I always advocate baking from scratch – and indeed cooking most meals from scratch – I have embraced convenient store-bought products with both arms in this recipe.
Ideally you should use a trifle bowl for this recipe but any large bowl can be used as well.
- Cake layer: store-bought Swiss Roll or you can use any chocolate cake or even brownies.
- Instead of Sherry (which would be all wrong here) I have used Baileys Irish Cream. If you don’t want to include any alcohol you could replace this with a little coffee.
- Custard layer: I used store-bought vanilla custard and mixed it with chopped chocolate and Nutella… I need not tell you it tastes amazing! If ready-made custard is not available you can use instant pudding mix.
- I added a layer of crushed Oreos over the custard… because why not! You could skip that or replace the Oreos with other types of cookies or more cake.
- Whipped cream: this is literally the only bit of actual hands-on effort. I whisked double cream, Baileys, vanilla and icing sugar together until it held medium peaks. I would advise against using Cool Whip or anything of that type if you can.
- Toppings: chocolate shavings, Maltesers, icing sugar and chocolate syrup. But you could use whatever you like here.
How to make chocolate trifle
Step 1: Pour the custard into a bowl and add chopped chocolate and 2-3 heaped tablespoons Nutella. Heat in the microwave for one minute, stir and heat for another minute.
Stir together until the chocolate melts and custard is smooth. If you have time you should chill the custard while you prepare the rest of the trifle so it has time to firm up a little.
Step 2: Slice one Swiss Roll cake and line the bottom and sides of a trifle bowl (or a large glass bowl). Cut small pieces of cake to wedge in any small gaps. Drizzle the Baileys over the cake – it will absorb quickly.
Step 3: Pour the custard over the cake-lined trifle bowl and chill (if you have time).
Step 5: Scatter the chopped Oreos over the custard if using.
Step 6: Put the icing sugar, double cream, Baileys and vanilla in a large bowl and use a hand mixer to whisk on very low speed to combine. Increase the speed to maximum and whisk until you have medium -firm peaks. You can also do this in a stand mixer.
Step 7: Pipe (or spoon) the cream over the trifle. If you are making this in advance then chill after you pipe the cream and add any toppings just before you serve.
Step 8: Drizzle with chocolate syrup, scatter with chocolate shavings, Maltesers and dust with icing sugar.
MORE RECIPES FOR CHOCOLATE LOVERS
Christmas tree brownies
Chocolate Orange Cake
Molten chocolate lava cakes
HAVE YOU MADE MY CHOCOLATE TRIFLE?
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Make sure to also check out my Easter Trifle made with, what else, hot cross buns!
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Easy chocolate and Nutella trifle
Ingredients
- 500 g | 1lb 1oz store-bought vanilla custard (or pudding mix)
- 150 g | 1 cup dark chocolate chips (or chocolate, finely chopped)
- 3 tbsp Nutella
- 450 g | 1 lb Swiss roll cake , sliced
- 3 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream or coffee
- 10 Oreos , roughly chopped
- 500 ml | 2 cups double (heavy) cream
- 200 g | 1 ½ cups icing sugar
- 3 tbsp Baileys
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Chocolate syrup , to drizzle
- Chocolate shavings , to decorate
- Maltesers or chocolate truffles , to decorate
- Icing sugar to dust (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the custard into a bowl and add chopped chocolate and 2-3 heaped tablespoons Nutella. Heat in the microwave for one minute, stir and heat for another minute.
- Stir together until the chocolate melts and custard is smooth. If you have time you can chill the custard while you prepare the rest of the trifle.
- Slice the Swiss Roll and line the bottom and sides of a trifle bowl (or a large glass bowl). Cut small pieces of cake to wedge in any small gaps.
- Drizzle the Baileys over the cake - it will absorb quickly.
- Pour the custard over the cake-lined trifle bowl and chill (if you have time).
- Scatter the chopped Oreos over the custard.
- Put the icing sugar, double cream, Baileys and vanilla in a large bowl and use a hand mixer to whisk on very low speed to combine. Increase the speed to maximum and whisk until you have medium -firm peaks. You can also do this in a stand mixer.
- Pipe (or spoon) the cream over the trifle. If you are making this in advance then chill after you pipe the cream and add any toppings just before you serve.
- Drizzle with chocolate syrup, scatter with chocolate shavings, Maltesers and dust with icing sugar.
Video
Notes
Nutritional Info
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Rumana Akhtar says
how big is the dish?
Lucy Parissi says
I used a medium sized bowl it has around 7.5 cups capacity. You could use a bigger bowl and double the layers if preferred – you might want to double the ingredients too if it is a very deep dish
Lathiya says
The chocolate Nutella trifle is double celebrating moment for chocolate lovers…sometimes cheat way to use store bought items using in our dish is awesome to make the dish easy
mandy says
What a fabulous recipe Lucy! This both looks and sounds gorgeous and I think would be extremely popular in my house especially with the small people.
Mayuri Patel says
Happy 6th Anniversary. Perhaps not getting time to bake a festive cake worked out well; otherwise how would you have tempted us with this stunning dessert and the clicks are awesome.
Bev says
I’ve never had a trifle before but The Great British Bakeoff made me want to try making one. Yours is absolutely stunning and while I feel a little intimidated I am so excited to get to baking!
Lucy Parissi says
Well this one doesn’t involve ANY baking! It’s very much a cheat’s trifle 😉
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
This looks amazing and I love the flavours you have used. Anything with Nutella in it has my vote!
Lucy Parissi says
mine too! 😉
Hazel says
This looks stunning and happy 6th Blogversary 🙂