How to Make a Fruit Trifle Recipe

Treat your guests to individual trifles.

Make a fruit trifle for a simple dessert that will impress your brunch or dinner guests. This fruit-filled dessert provides a light, airy and elegant finish to any meal. While it might sound complicated, a trifle just combines three or more ingredients into one dish. If you don't have time to prepare a cake, use store-bought lady fingers, pound cake or angel food cake for a no-bake dessert.

Things You'll Need

• Fruit
• Paper towels
• Cake
• Knife
• Instant pudding
• Frozen whipped topping or whipped cream
• Trifle dish
• Chocolate shavings

Instructions

1. Prepare your favorite fruit. Fresh peaches, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries work well with this dessert. Gently rinse berries; pat them dry with paper towels. Slice bigger fruit into bite-size pieces.

2. Prepare the cake according to your recipe or cake mix instructions -- it doesn't matter what type of cake pan you use. Let the cake cool completely. Cut the cake into 1-inch squares.

3. Prepare your pudding according to the package directions. Vanilla, banana and cheesecake puddings work well with fruit trifles.

4. Layer a third of the cake squares on the bottom of your trifle dish. Add a third of the pudding. Top the pudding with a third of your fruit. Repeat two more times.

5. Top your trifle with frozen whipped topping or whipped cream. Garnish with fruit and chocolate shavings.

Tips & Warnings

• Chill the trifle in your freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

• Use canned fruit if you don't have fresh fruit; examples include mandarin orange slices, pineapple chunks and fruit cocktail. Drain the liquid before adding the fruit to your trifle.

• Use white chocolate mousse instead of vanilla pudding for a richer dessert.

References

• Kaboose; Holiday Trifle; Stella Zedman
• "Taste of Home"; Six-Fruit Trifle Recipe; February/March 2005

Resources

• Food Network; White Chocolate Mousse; Gale Gand