Each year, my mom makes a beautiful trifle for Christmas. I’m pretty sure at one point, she was only making one, but as the popularity of her trifle grew, she is now up to making 6+ for different holiday events, friends, and family. My sister and I grew up begrudgingly helping my mom make these trifles but we both have grown to love them and look forward to a bite of trifle every December.
A trifle is just a layered dessert that is usually made with cake pieces, cream, pudding, and fruit. My mom tops her with a beautiful design of fruit: kiwi, peaches and raspberries. I wanted to make some trifle to share with this blog but a normal trifle can serve a whole family, so I made a mini version! To prepare a regular trifle, the process is just the same.
I highlighted Driscoll’s Berries in my trifle. I absolutely love their raspberries and blackberries so I wanted to have a higher ratio of berries in my trifle than may normally be used. Driscoll’s also sells really beautiful Strawberries and Blueberries that I have used in many many of my previous posts. Berries always add such beautiful color and flavor to a dish!
Note: Driscoll’s sent me coupons for free berries to make this recipe; my opinions are my own.
Ingredients:
- Egg custard mix
- Chocolate pudding mix
- Milk (to make the pudding/custard)
- Pound cake
- A very small amount of white rum (optional)
- Berry jam, jelly, or preserves
- Whipped topping
- Canned sliced peaches, drained and rinsed
- Kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
- Fresh Driscoll’s raspberries and blackberries
Begin by preparing all of your ingredients. Make the custard and pudding according to box directions. Allow to set and refrigerate until ready to use (this will take at least an hour to set). If using frozen pound cake, allow your pound cake to defrost. Wash your berries and peaches. Defrost your whipped topping.
When defrosted, slice the pound cake into small pieces. (If making a traditionally sized trifle, slice them into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices.) Add 1/2 of the sliced pound cake to one plate and the remaining half to another plate. Lightly brush the pound cake on one plate with white rum (you do not want them soaked, just lightly sprinkled). This step is completely optional. Add the jam to one side of the cake slices that were not flavored with liquor.
Alternate the jam slices and the liquor slices in the bottom of your bowl. (to get the effect of the layering, use a clear glass bowl). Be sure to really press the cake against the sides of the bowl so that you can see the jelly. Be sure to also add some of the cake to the center of the bowl to create a complete bottom layer.
Add a layer of chocolate pudding on top. Follow with another layer of the cake, and top that with custard. Add another layer of cake. Continue this process until the bowl is filled.
If you are making the trifle ahead of time, you can cover the trifle at this stage and refrigerate. When ready to serve, top with whipped topping. Add a kiwi slice to the center of the bowl on top of the whipped cream. Add slices of peaches around the kiwi to create a floral pattern. (On my mini trifle, there was not enough room for this, so I added a few cut pieces of the peach around the kiwi). Line the rim of the bowl with the berries, alternating between raspberries and blackberries.
It’s a very pretty dessert, isn’t it? It isn’t exactly pretty once you scoop it out but it sure is delicious! I do like this as mini individual servings so that you don’t have to scoop it out actually. This is a great dessert to bring to a potluck or just to a large gathering because you can make it ahead of time and it’s almost entirely assembly!
