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image of an oreo trifle made with dark chocolate cake bits and oreo whipped cream
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4.92 from 34 ratings

Oreo Trifle

This easy Oreo trifle is the perfect make ahead dessert! It comes together so quickly, and is made with fluffy chocolate cake, crushed Oreos, layers of pudding and whipped cream!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Additional Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Specialty Desserts
Cuisine: American
Servings: 30
Calories: 336kcal

Ingredients

Chocolate Sheet Cake

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 190g
  • 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar 266g
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 25g
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder 3g
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 9g
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt 2g
  • 3/4 cup hot water 180g
  • 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso or coffee 3g
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature 120g
  • 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 75g
  • 1/4 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature 64g
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature 112g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g

Chocolate Pudding

  • 2 3.9 oz packages of instant chocolate pudding
  • 4 cups whole milk 980g

Oreo 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 480g
  • 2/3 cup crushed Oreos 66g

Additional Ingredients

  • 3 cups chopped Oreos 300g
  • 14 whole Oreos garnish

Instructions

Chocolate Sheet Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 325°F/162°F. Line a 9x13-inch (quarter sheet) pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
  • Place two flower nails in the center of the pan with the flat side resting flat against the cake pan. Make sure they are a few inches apart and spray thoroughly with non-stick spray too.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.
  • In a separate bowl, stir together 3/4 cup hot water and 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder.
  • Add 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 large eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla extract 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.
  • Add in the rest of the dry mixture and whisk until just combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan. Reposition the flower nails so that they’re evenly spaced across the pan.
  • Bang the pan on your counter a couple times to remove any air bubbles, then bake for 32-37 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 onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into 1-inch cubes.

Chocolate Pudding:

  • While the cake bakes and cools, make the chocolate pudding.
  • Pour two 3.9 oz. packages of instant chocolate pudding mix into a large bowl.
  • Add 4 cups of cold milk into the bowl and whisk until smooth.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to set.

Stabilized Oreo Whipped Cream:

  • Next make the stabilized Oreo 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.
  • Add 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, then turn the mixer to a medium high speed and gradually pour in 2 cups of cold heavy cream. I like to do this in 4 additions and focus on pouring the heavy cream down the side of the bowl to prevent splattering.
  • As soon as you've finished adding the heavy cream, pour in 2/3 cup crushed Oreos.
  • The whipped cream should thicken and take shape shortly after this (mine usually does within about 30 seconds of mixing in the heavy cream). Take care not to over-mix your whipped cream frosting!! It will become soupy and sadly you won't be able to fix it.
  • Once the whipped cream is able to keep its shape and form a nice peak, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you're ready to use it.

Assembling this Oreo Trifle:

  • Place about half of the cubes of chocolate cake into the bottom of a trifle dish, fully covering the bottom.
  • Add an even layer of chocolate pudding over the cake bits, using about half the pudding mix.
  • Create the next layer using 1 cup of whole or crushed Oreos.
  • Top with 1/2 of the whipped cream and use an offset spatula to create an even layer.
  • Repeat with remaining ingredients to create an additional layer of ingredients.
  • Add a garnish of whole Oreos and dollops of Oreo whipped cream to the top of the trifle and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Tips For Making the Best Oreo Trifle:

  • Add the pudding before it's fully set so that it can really fill between the cake bits and be absorbed by them.
  • 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.
  • Use whatever flavor of Oreos are your favorite! This trifle would taste great with just about any flavor, including peanut butter, birthday cake, or even double chocolate Oreos!

Making this Oreo 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 assemble 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! This recipe feeds about 30 people, so you may want to cut it in half if you plan to make individual trifle cups.
The amount of ingredients you need will vary based on the size of your trifle dish. Please adjust as needed :)

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 277mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g