Sometimes the best desserts are the simplest! This chocolate Halloween trifle is spooky, packed with Halloween spirit and absolutely scrumptious.
It’s made with bits of black cocoa cake, vanilla pudding, and a homemade whipped cream. I also love to mix in bits of my favorite Halloween candies along with some chocolate chips!
What Is a Trifle?
To be honest, I had to google the proper definition of a trifle. I knew that trifles usually involve bits of cake, whipped cream, and some type of fruit.
However, I wasn’t quite sure about the rest. I also didn’t know the proper order of the layers.
After a bit of sleuthing (thank you wikipedia), I learned that traditional English trifles are made with sponge cake or ladyfingers soaked in sherry or fortified wine.
Custard, fruit, and jam are then layered on top of the cake and sometimes topped with whipped cream.
Most trifles these days are made a bit differently though! There also are about a million variations out there, from mixed berry to Oreo trifles.
Keeping Things Simple – How I Like to Make Trifles
The best thing about trifles is that you can make them with whatever you want and build them however you like.
I chose to use vanilla pudding instead of custard to keep things simple. I also felt like vanilla pudding was more fitting for this Halloween trifle!
However, if you want to make your entire trifle from scratch, here is a great custard recipe.
I also decided to skip the sherry. Most sponge cakes need additional moisture of some sort, whether it’s from a soak of simple syrup or sherry!
My halloween trifle recipe uses a half batch of my chocolate sheet cake recipe, which is already plenty moist.
I find that the pudding kind of soaks into the bits of cake, so there’s definitely no need to add any additional liquid.
The Perfect Make Ahead Dessert
When you’re able to pile your fillings into a trifle dish, you don’t have to spend much extra time on the decoration of the dessert.
As long as you create even layers of filling, your trifle will be a work of art by the time you finish.
I did add on some Halloween sprinkles and gummy eyeballs, but I promise it only took me about 2 minutes to add these “decorations.”
Trifles are great make ahead desserts and can easily be made in advance.
Just be sure to fully cover the trifle with plastic wrap to make sure it’s protected in your fridge.
Halloween Trifle Ingredients & Substitutions:
This Halloween trifle recipe uses quite a few ingredients and I know you might not have all of them on hand.
Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered. Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make:
- All Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten free flour blend if needed.
- Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the texture of the cake.
- Black Cocoa – I love using black cocoa (I order black cocoa on Amazon) because it naturally colors both the cake. If you can’t get black cocoa, you can use dark cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder in its place. You can also use regular cocoa powder and add in a bit of black gel food coloring.
- Buttermilk – Use full fat yogurt, sour cream, whole milk in place of the sour cream, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free.
- Instant Espresso or Coffee – This ingredient is optional, so if you hate coffee, you can omit it. However, you can’t really taste the coffee once the cake is baked! I just like adding a bit of coffee because it enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Vegetable Oil – You can use any flavorless oil in this recipe. Canola or sunflower oil would work great.
- Eggs – If you have an egg allergy you can use flaxseed eggs instead!
- Heavy Cream – If you want to make vegan whipped cream, you can use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream in this recipe.
Using Different Sized Trifle Dishes
The quantities in this recipe are based on a trifle dish that is 8 inches in diameter.
You can also make individual trifles in stemless wine glasses for easy serving! The number of individual trifles you can make will vary based on the size of your cups.
Tips For Making the Best Halloween Trifle:
- Cut your cake into equal sized squares or crumble it with a fork to make it easy to create even layers in your trifle
- Carefully spoon and smooth your layers of pudding and whipped cream with an offset spatula to give your trifle a gorgeous finished look
- I recommend making your whipped cream from scratch. It only takes a few minutes to make and tastes so delicious!! However, if you’re short on time, cool whip will work too!
- While making the trifle, get down at eye level with the trifle dish or glasses to make sure the layers are even and the same thickness.
Making This Halloween Trifle in Advance & Storage Tips
Make this trifle in advance to make life easier! It can easily be made a day or two before an event or party. Just be sure that you tightly wrap the trifle container with plastic wrap to keep it fresh.
Wait to decorate the top until right before you plan to serve it. Otherwise the sprinkles can bleed.
Leftover trifle can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days if tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. After that the whipped cream will lose its shape.
You can also make the sheet cake up to two weeks in advance and freeze it, then cut it up and assembled the trifle the day of.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try this Halloween trifle recipe, please leave a rating and comment below.
And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your delicious creations!
Other Recipes You Might Like:
Halloween Trifle
This easy Halloween trifle is the perfect make ahead dessert! It comes together so quickly and is made with fluffy chocolate cake, vanilla pudding & homemade whipped cream!
Ingredients
Black Cocoa Sheet Cake
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (190g)
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar (266g)
- 1/4 cup black or dark cocoa powder (25g)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder (3g)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda (9g)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt (2g)
- 3/4 cups water, warm (180g)
- 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso or instant coffee (3g)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature (180g)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (75g)
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg white, room temperature (86g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
Vanilla Pudding Filling
- 1 package instant vanilla pudding (3.9 oz. box)
- 2 cups whole milk (480g)
- Purple gel food coloring - optional
Homemade Whipped Cream
- 1 cup (8 oz. block) full fat cream cheese, cold (225g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (125g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
- 2 cups heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, cold (575g)
- Green gel food coloring - optional
Additional Ingredients
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate chips (180g)
- 1 bag of your favorite fun-sized candy bars, chopped
- Gummy Eyeballs
- Halloween colored sprinkles
Instructions
Black Cocoa Sheet Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8 in. x 8 in. square pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt together. Set aside.
- In a separate, large bowl, stir together 3/4 cups hot water and 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder.
- Add 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 large egg + 1 large egg white, and 1 tsp vanilla into the coffee mixture and whisk together until smooth.
- Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk together until just combined.
- Pour in the rest of the dry ingredients and whisk again until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan. Bang the pan on your counter to remove any air bubbles, then bake for 35-45 minutes. Rotate your pan halfway through to help the cake bake evenly.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then carefully remove it from the pan to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into small cubes.
Vanilla Pudding:
- While the cake bakes and cools, make the chocolate pudding.
- Pour one 3.9 oz. packages of instant vanilla pudding mix into a large bowl.
- Add 2 cups of cold milk into the bowl and whisk until smooth. Once combined, mix in purple gel food coloring if desired.
- Cover with saran wrap and place in the fridge to set.
Stabilized Whipped Cream:
- I recommend making the whipped cream right before you assemble your trifle for best results and maximum fluffiness.
- Place 1 cup (8 oz. block) of cold cream cheese into a mixing bowl and mix on a medium speed until smooth.
- Pour in 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix on low at first to avoid powdered sugar clouds / explosions. Increase the speed to medium high once the powdered sugar is incorporated and mix for about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed throughout this process.
- Add in 1 tsp of vanilla extract and a generous squirt of green gel food coloring. Then turn the mixer to a medium high speed and gradually pour in 2 cups of cold heavy cream.
- Watch the whipped cream closely once the heavy cream is fully mixed in. It should thicken and take shape shortly after this. Take care not to over-mix your whipped cream frosting or else it will become soupy.
- At this point the whipped cream should keep its shape and form a nice peak.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.
Assembling This Halloween Trifle:
- This trifle can be made in 16 glasses/cups or in an 8-inch trifle dish. Place pieces of chocolate cake into the bottom of a trifle dish or individual-sized cups to fully cover the bottom.
- Add an even layer of purple vanilla pudding over the cake bits, using about half the pudding.
- Top with a layer of green whipped cream and use an offset spatula to create an even layer.
- Cut up the mini candy bars and add a layer of candy bits and mini chocolate chips over the whipped cream.
- Repeat these layers with remaining ingredients, ending with the whipped cream on top.
- Top the trifle with Halloween sprinkles and gummy eyeballs, then enjoy!
Notes
Tips For Making the Best Halloween Trifle:
- Cut your cake into equal sized squares to make it easy to create even layers in your trifle
- Carefully spoon and smooth your layers of pudding and whipped cream with an offset spatula to give your trifle a gorgeous finished look
- I recommend making your whipped cream from scratch. It only takes a few minutes to make and tastes so much better than store bought whipped cream! However, if you're short on time cool whip will work just fine in this recipe too!
- Use whatever candy bar is your favorite! This trifle would taste great with just about any type, including snickers, butterfingers, 3-Musketeers or Reese's!
Making This Halloween Trifle in Advance & Storage Tips:
- Make this trifle in advance to make life easier! It can easily be made a day or two before an event or party. Just be sure to tightly wrap the trifle container with plastic wrap to keep it fresh.
- Leftover trifle can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days if tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. After that the whipped cream will lose its shape.
- You can also make the sheet cake up to two weeks in advance and freeze it, then cut it up and assembled the trifle the day of.
Using Different Sized Trifle Dishes
The quantities in this recipe are based on a trifle dish that is 8 inches in diameter.
You can also make individual trifles in stemless wine glasses for easy serving! The number of individual trifles you can make will vary based on the size of your cups.
Nutrition Information
Yield
16Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 490Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 65mgSodium 331mgCarbohydrates 54gFiber 3gSugar 37gProtein 8g
10 Spooky Halloween Trifles That’ll Steal the Show at Your Party
Sunday 18th of August 2024
[…] This eye-catching Halloween Trifle from Chelsweets is as colorful as it is delicious. Layers of vibrant orange and purple cake, fluffy whipped cream, and Halloween sprinkles make this dessert a fun, festive option. Perfect for a sweet treat that doubles as a party centerpiece!https://chelsweets.com/halloween-trifle/ […]
Denise Ricci
Monday 9th of October 2023
What brand of gel food coloring do you use to get such vibrant colors? Does the coloring impact the taste?
Chelsweets
Sunday 15th of October 2023
Hi Denise,
I personally love using Americolor and Chef Master gel food coloring, both work so well! I order them on Amazon, but I think you can also get them at most craft stores. I don't find that the gel food coloring impacts the taste! The only times I can taste the coloring is if something is colored really bright red or black. Hope that helps, happy baking!