Halloween Trifle

5 from 1 rating

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!

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Additional Time30

Total Time1 40

Course: Specialty Desserts

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16

Calories: 490kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Black Cocoa Sheet Cake

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 190g
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar 266g
1/4 cup dark or black 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 or canola oil 75g
1 large egg + 1 large egg white, room temperature 86g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 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 226g
1 cup powdered sugar 125g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
2 cups 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!

Video

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.

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