This Christmas Trifle Recipe is the ultimate Holiday Dessert! The Christmas Trifle is made with all the flavors of the holiday season, gingerbread, gingerbread cookies, red velvet, peppermint, vanilla pudding, and whipping cream! There are so many delicious elements to this dessert, it is sure to be a family favorite! The beauty of trifles is that they are easy to assemble and even easier to serve!
The Elements of The Christmas Trifle
Really, The Christmas Trifle is two desserts in one. I chose to combine the two most popular elements of Christmas (in my opinion) gingerbread and peppermint.
Now, you may not think that gingerbread and peppermint should be paired together but I am here to tell you that they can and they should! An unexpected pair that compliments each other so well!
This trifle has many layers and I’ve tried to make the process of making this recipe as simple as possible! That’s why I chose to use boxed cake mixes for the cake layers.
Tips for making The Christmas Trifle
- Save time by using a cake mix for the cake layers. Boxed gingerbread mix & boxed red velvet mix are both ridiculously easy to bake and make up the cake layers for this trifle! I love the color contrast of the red, brown, and white layers.
- Use premade gingerbread cookies. Adding the gingerbread cookies helps to add a little bit more bite and crunch to this layered dessert! You can use any gingerbread flavored cookies! I like using gingersnaps and gingerbread men.
- Use homemade whipping cream & vanilla pudding. I always say homemade is the best! But, if you want to save a prep step, you can use cool whip and premade vanilla pudding instead.
- Make sure the trifle sits for at least an hour before serving. A trifle needs time to rest in order for the flavors to blend and the cake to soften.
Lovely Holiday Flavored Layers
Trifles are best when they have lots of layers! They look so pretty with the visible layers through the glass bowl. But, having more layers means more dimensions of flavor!
For this Christmas Trifle, I started with a layer of gingerbread cake. I topped the cake with a layer of crushed gingerbread cookies. Then, I added the layers of vanilla pudding and whipped cream.
The next set of layers is a layer of red velvet cake. I topped that cake layer with a layer of crushed peppermint candy canes. then, I added the layers of vanilla pudding and whipped cream.
I then repeated both of those layers one more time until I reached the top of the bowl.
I finished the trifle off with the whipping cream. I then topped the whipping cream with more crushed candy canes and more gingerbread cookies!
Where I Purchased My Ingredients
The gingerbread & red velvet cake mix, I found at Walmart. If you can’t find a gingerbread mix, you can also buy a spice cake mix and add 1 teaspoon ginger and 1/4 cup of molasses to it!
The cute gingerbread cookie men I found at Trader Joes. If you can’t find the men, any gingersnap cookie will work! You want the crunch!
The bits of peppermint I made by blending a few peppermint candy canes in my food processor.
The pudding and whipping cream I made from scratch.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with @TheAlexDaynes on Instagram! I love to see what you’ve been cooking. It always makes my day!
Like this recipe and want to save it for later? Pin it to Pinterest here!
The Christmas Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 box Red Velvet cake mix
- 1 box Gingerbread (or spice cake) cake mix
- 2 cups prepared vanilla pudding
- 2 cups homemade whipping cream
- 1 cup crushed gingerbread cookies
- 1 cup crushed peppermint candy canes
Instructions
- Prepare the Red Velvet & Gingerbread cake mixes as directed on the boxes in 9-inch rounds.
- Prepare the vanilla pudding and homemade whipping cream and set aside.
- When the cakes are baked and cooled, place one of each flavor in a separate gallon-sized ziplock baggie. Wrap and store the other rounds for another time. Crumble the cakes up in the bags with your hands.
- Start by adding half of the crumbled bag of gingerbread cake to the bottom of a trifle dish. Add 1/2 cup of the crushed gingerbread cookies on top of the cake layer. Top the layer of cookies with 1/4 cup of the vanilla pudding. Top the pudding with 1/4 cup of the whipped cream.
- Next, add half of the crumbled bag of red velvet cake on top of the whipped cream. Add 1/2 cup of the crushed peppermint candy canes on top of the cake layer. Top the layer of peppermint candies with 1/4 cup of the vanilla pudding. Top the pudding with 1/4 cup of the whipped cream.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 one more time.
- When you've reached the top of the trifle, finish the top with the remaining whipping cream. Garnish with additional crushed peppermint and gingerbread cookies.
- Store in the fridge for a minimum of one hour or up to overnight. Serve cold. Enjoy!
Notes
*Boxed cake mixes make two 9 inch rounds. You only need one of each flavor for this recipe. Store the extra cake layers in the freezer wrapped in plastic for another day.
If you want to only prepare one cake mix, choose a flavor! Gingerbread or Red Velvet. Then simply crumble both cakes up and use them as the cake layers, but still, alternate adding crushed gingerbread cookies and crushed peppermint candies.
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