Gingerbread Trifle

Gingerbread trifle is the best holiday dessert for a crowd! This festive trifle has layers of creamy French vanilla pudding, caramel sauce, soft gingerbread cake, and fluffy whipped cream.

Why this recipe works

This gorgeous gingerbread trifle will be the star of the Christmas dessert table! This beauty is quick and easy to assemble and uses simple ingredients. It’s made with 3 main layers of pudding, whipped cream, and gingerbread cake with caramel drizzled in between for good measure.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CAKE – You can typically find boxed gingerbread cake mixes at the store during the holidays, but if you can’t seem to find it you can make one from scratch or purchase a premade cake and cube it. We used one standard homemade gingerbread cake. The gingerbread cake is a bit heavier than a typical American cake and holds up well for cutting into cubes and being layered with moist pudding and whipped cream.

PUDDING – French vanilla instant pudding is typically sold in 3.4 oz. packets. If you would like to substitute a 5.1 oz. box of vanilla instant pudding (or if you find a 5.1 oz. box of French vanilla) mix with just 3 cups of milk instead of 3 ½. You can use cook-n-serve pudding if desired, it just tacks on extra steps and time.

CARAMEL – Store-bought caramel works perfectly well in this trifle but if you really wanted to go the extra mile you can make your own homemade caramel sauce.

WHIPPED CREAM – Fresh whipped cream is super simple to make with only two ingredients (heavy whipping cream and granulated sugar). You can substitute with Cool Whip if preferred.

GARNISH – Gingerbread trifle is the perfect vehicle for homemade gingerbread cookies orgingersnap cookies to perch on top of!

How to Make Gingerbread Trifle

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Cut cooled gingerbread cake into 1-inch cubes.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk and pudding mix until pudding begins to thicken. Set aside.
3. To make the whipped cream, whip the heavy cream with a whisk until soft peaks form, then add about ¾ cup sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Don’t overwhip.
4. Cover the bottom of a trifle dish with cake pieces. Layer ½ of the pudding mixture and ⅓ of the whipped cream over the gingerbread layer.
5. Drizzle with about ½ cup of caramel sauce.
6. Add another layer of gingerbread cake and the remaining pudding mixture.
7. Dollop or pipe another layer of whipped cream and caramel sauce on top of the trifle.
8. Now finish off the trifle however you like. We mounded the remaining pieces of gingerbread cake in the center and piped some whipped cream swirls around the perimeter, accenting with gingerbread men and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Store the gingerbread trifle sealed with a lid or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The longer the trifle sits, the more it will absorb the surrounding ingredients – though the cake holds up pretty well to the moisture, it will get soggier each day.

You can prepare the pudding and the gingerbread cake in advance and store them in air-tight containers separately (pudding should be stored in the fridge) up to a day in advance. The whipped cream should be made right before assembly. Assemble the trifle the morning of or a few hours before serving.

Absolutely. French vanilla, vanilla, eggnog, butterscotch, or white chocolate are good options to use in gingerbread trifle!

There are so many different ways to customize this trifle. You can incorporate gingersnap or Biscoff cookies into the trifle (crushed or whole) or sprinkle in some nuts for crunchy texture. Substitute the pudding with a different flavor and garnish it however you like. It’s especially fun if you have a cookie-baking day and top it with gingerbread men or mini decorated gingerbread houses. Have fun with it!

Serving Suggestions

This gorgeous gingerbread trifle can be decked out with tons of different garnishes. Topping ideas include whipped cream, crushed gingersnap cookies, sprinkles, homemade gingerbread men or houses, Biscoff cookies, crumbled or cubed cake, extra caramel drizzle, or a light dusting of either cinnamon or allspice.

If you would like, you can prepare the trifle in individual dishes for parties. Follow the same steps but assemble in smaller layers in each cup (you’ll want to cube or crumble the cake smaller as well). These mini dessert cups would be great for individual servings.

More Trifle Recipes

• Pumpkin Trifle
• English Trifle
• Banana Trifle
• Chocolate Peppermint Trifle

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