Dress up any occasion with a homemade creamy chocolate trifle! This simply delicious dessert will make you feel like a professional without all the work!

Chocolate Trifle

If you want to taste pure heaven on Earth, then you’ve got to make this Chocolate Trifle!

Trifles are my new go-to dessert! They’re fancy enough for any special occasion but easy enough for me to make even on the busiest night.

This chocolate trifle recipe is made up of a rich chocolate cake, creamy whipped topping, and chocolate pudding. Wow, it’s delicious! 

And guess what? It’s made with boxed cake mix and pudding mix! But trust me, it’s so delicious that everyone will think it’s 100% from scratch!

Whether you’re trying to impress some guests or just want a good family night treat, this chocolate trifle recipe is the way to go. 

Chocolate Trifle Recipe

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Total time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients for Chocolate Trifle

• Chocolate cake mix
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 5.1 oz box instant chocolate pudding
• 3 cups milk, cold
• 1 8 oz tub whipped topping, thawed

For Serving

• Chocolate sprinkles 
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Chocolate mint chips

The Following Tools Will Be Helpful When Making These!

• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• 13×9 glass baking dish

How to Make Chocolate Trifle

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• The first step in making your chocolate trifle is making your chocolate cake. To do that, you’ll want to start by preheating your oven according to the cake mix directions. 
• You should also get a 13×9 glass baking dish and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
• Next, add the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and cake mix to a bowl and mix until the batter is well combined. 
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared 13×9 dish and bake in the preheated oven according to the cake mix directions.
• When the cake is finished, let it cool completely and set it aside.

• Next you should make your pudding. Add the pudding and milk to a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk together until the mixture is completely smooth. 
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until the pudding is set, about 2-3 hours. 
• While the cake is cool and the pudding is set, you can begin assembling your trifle. Start by cutting the cake into bite-sized pieces and setting them aside.
• Next, grab your trifle container or containers and start layering the cake, pudding, and whipped topping. 
• Top the trifles with berries, chocolate chips, nuts, or whatever you like and your chocolate trifles are ready to serve!

Tips Tricks and FAQs

• If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use milk or water instead. But keep in mind that the buttermilk gives the cake a super rich and moist texture. So milk or water may lead to a dryer cake. You can also add 1-2 tablespoons of white vinegar to your milk and let it sit for a few minutes to make your own buttermilk if you don’t want to miss out on that moist texture!
• I highly recommend making the cake and pudding the day before you want to serve your trifle. This recipe has a lot of waiting time so it’ll make your life so much easier to make the cake and pudding beforehand and let them sit and cool overnight. That way, when you go to make your trifle you will just have to layer everything together. 
• My favorite way to top this chocolate trifle off is with a yummy sauce! I can never decide on my homemade strawberry sauce or caramel sauce because they are both so good paired with this chocolate cake and pudding! Which sauce is your favorite for trifles? Let me know in the comments!

What serving container is best for a chocolate trifle?

You can serve trifles up in a lot of different containers. If you’re sitting down at a table with guests, making a large trifle in a beautiful glass dish is always a good way to go.

If you want to do individual servings, try some goblet-style glass cups or even margaritas glasses. My kids love having their own personalized desserts!

Storage

Unfortunately, trifles do not make great leftovers. I wouldn’t suggest storing the leftovers after it’s all put together. 

However, if you know you are going to have extra you can leave the cake, pudding, and whipped topping separate. In their own individual containers in the fridge, they should each last 3-4 days. So when you’re ready to have some more trifle, just grab a container and quickly layer what you need!

Check out these other great chocolate recipes:

• 3-Ingredient Chocolate Sauce
• Double Chocolate Cupcakes from Scratch
• The Best Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Love what you see? Leave a comment and don’t forget to rate it below! We always love knowing how your recipe turns out! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @micheletripple to show me your finished product!