This recipe for easy Irish trifle is the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dessert, or for any time you want a pretty fruit and pudding filled treat.
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Why we love this recipe
In our house Saint Patrick’s Day is simply known as “The Day,” and it wouldn’t be complete without a bowl of my mama’s AMAZING trifle. Although I am also here to tell you that trifle is fabulous the other 364 days of the year as well, even if you aren’t having Irish Corned Beef with it.
This beautiful and easy trifle recipe requires zero baking, and is a light and festive way to end any meal. Packed with gentle fruit and cake flavors, it combines the best parts of various different desserts.
And even with all that going on, it’s a relatively light dessert, which is the perfect ending to a St. Patrick’s Day feast.
What is trifle?
If you’ve never had trifle before, it is a conglomeration of soft cake and jam and pudding and whipped cream and fruit. It’s a very flexible little dessert that (did I mention this already?) requires zero baking, and if you want to customize it with your own favorite fruit flavors, then go for it!
We like it with raspberries or strawberries, but you could use peaches or blueberries – we Irish are nothing if not flexible.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Cake: Trifle is traditionally made with soft light ladyfinger cookies, which you can often find in the bakery section of your supermarket, but you can also use pound cake, sponge cake or angel food cake cut into rectangles.
- Jam: You can use jam, jelly or preserves. Strawberry and raspberry are the traditional flavors, but use your favorite!
- Sherry: You need cream sherry (which is the sweeter version) for this recipe.
- Coarse sugar: This decorative sugar is optional but oh so pretty! Look for it in the baking aisle.
- Berries: You can use strawberries, raspberries or even blueberries for this garnish.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
Here’s how you make this recipe
STEP 1: Traditional trifle calls for ladyfinger cookies, which are a a sponge cookie that you can usually find right in your supermarket. If you can’t find them, just cut up pound cake or sponge cake into about 1 inch by 3 inch slices and you are all set. See? Flexible! Now, cut the cookies in half and spread the insides with jam so you have cookie and jam sandwiches.
STEP 2: Sprinkle the cake sandwiches with a little cream sherry.
STEP 3: Line a pretty bowl with the sandwiches (we like to use a glass bowl so you can see the different layers that are going to happen!). Go all along the bottom and almost all the way up the sides, pressing as you go. Don’t worry if some of the jam smooshes out.
STEP 4: Next, take a bowl of strawberry Jello that you have cleverly made ahead of time and whip it into foam with an electric mixer. This is immensely satisfying!
STEP 5: Spread that whipped gelatin over the cake sandwiches.
STEP 6: Take a bowl of vanilla pudding that you have cleverly made ahead of time and spread it over the Jello foam.
STEP 7: Whip some heavy cream and powdered sugar into soft peaks and spread it on top of the pudding. Look at those pretty layers!
STEP 8: As a finishing touch, garnish it with whatever fruit you have picked. My mama also sprinkles it with colored sugar, which is not required but is oh so pretty.
Recipe FAQs
If you absolutely, positively can’t make whipped cream from scratch (and I understand that there can be days like that!) then yes! If that’s the only thing standing between you and trifle, go for it!
You definitely can…either swap in a little cranberry juice, or just leave it out altogether. It will still be scrumptious.
If you are really lucky, the baking aisle of your supermarket will have it. Otherwise, check a craft store like Michaels, or you can order it here from Amazon. It does make things extra festive!
You can make it early in the day that you are serving it, but not before that as we don’t want the cake to get soggy. DO make the gelatin and the pudding the day before. And add the berry garnish and the decorative sugar right before you serve it.
Pop your question in the Comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
Now all you need to do is scoop it out, making sure everyone gets their fair share of all the ingredients, and dig in. Hurray for trifle!
Want to round out your meal?
Well, OF COURSE I’m going to suggest my mama’s absolutely perfect recipe for Irish corned beef! And if you have never had Irish Boxty potatoes, you are in for a treat.
Other fruit filled desserts that we love
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Easy Irish Trifle
This recipe for easy Irish trifle is the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dessert, or for any time you want a pretty, fruit and pudding filled treat.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: Irish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 16 ladyfinger cookies (or you can use pound cake or sponge cake cut into 2 x3 inch pieces
- 1 cup raspberry or strawberry jam
- 1/4 cup sherry
- 1 package of raspberry or strawberry gelatin, prepared according to package directions and fully set
- 1 package vanilla pudding, prepared according to package directions
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- Fresh raspberries or strawberries for garnish
- Coarse pink sugar for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the ladyfingers in half length-wise (or use two small slices of cake in place of each ladyfinger). Spread generously with jam and put together like a sandwich. Line a serving bowl with the sandwiches, all along the bottom and up the sides. Sprinkle with the sherry.
- Using an electric mixer, whip the set Jello into a foam. Spread the foam over the sandwiches. Spread the prepared pudding over the foam.
- Put the cream and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl and beat with a mixer until soft peaks form. Spread over pudding.
- Garnish with fruit and colored sugar and serve!
Notes
-
- Cake: Trifle is traditionally made with soft light ladyfinger cookies, which you can often find in the bakery section of your supermarket, but you can also use pound cake, sponge cake or angel food cake cut into rectangles.
-
- Jam: You can use jam, jelly or preserves. Strawberry and raspberry are the traditional flavors, but use your favorite!
-
- Sherry: You need cream sherry (which is the sweeter version) for this recipe.
-
- Coarse sugar: This decorative sugar is optional but oh so pretty! Look for it in the baking aisle.
-
- Berries: You can use strawberries, raspberries or even blueberries for this garnish.
Tracy says
Love this recipe! It came out amazing and it reminds me of the episode of friends where they make trifle. Amazing!
Ha! I remember that episode!
Rachel Darcy says
Love trifle. My English mother made it a lot. She added sliced bananas near the jello/cake.
Fresh custard is traditional here, in the U.K., top of the jello. Bananas and custard together is an old fashioned dessert here. We can also buy both canned and fresh custard here.
It’s very easy to find ready made trifles in the supermarket, in both large and individual portions. They are my go to sweet treat. Have a look on the Waitrose supermarket site for an eyeful of different trifles and also the Marks and Spencer site. Trifles are very popular at Christmas in the U.K.,
Yes, trifle is much easier to come by in the UK! Love the sliced bananas!
Wendy says
Thank you. It’s somehow comforting to reach out in this blog and get a response. Please keep up with your food blog and family stories. Also, thank you Kate’s mom! Xoxoox
Oh Wendy, you reach out whenever you need to. You’re in my prayers – xoxo back!
Wendy says
I just want to say thank you for such a wonderful blog. I’ve made MANY of your recipes and each one has been excellent! I also enjoy reading about your family. Your website has been an escape lately. My 27 year old son passed away unexpectedly 3 weeks ago. To get my mind in a good place, your blog is one of the things I’ve turned to. Thank you.
Oh Wendy! My heart is breaking for you – I am so very, very sorry! I have you and your son in my prayers, and thank you for taking the time to let me know that you are finding a bit of peace here. Sending so much comfort and strength your way. xoxo
Mary Kate Morgan says
Kate’s Mother here…..My brother was taken from us suddenly when he was 21. You have my company in your sorrow. The blessing is that I hold my Tom in my heart as a wonderful young man and can imagine the good things he would have accomplished. You will do the same….. Bless you and your family.
Heather says
Sounds yummy! Quick question… where does the sherry go?
Thanks!
Whoops! Mother of the bride confusion while I was typing – you sprinkle it on the cookie sandwiches after they go in the bowl. Recipe updated and thank you! ?
Beth Lauver says
Kate, a happy, holy marriage as the product of two families and the foundation for a new one truly makes the world a better place. I said a prayer for the bride and groom and their life together as I’m making your mom’s Irish brown bread for my O’Connell clan’s gathering on The Day. Slainte!
Beth, this means the world to me – thank you! :)
Martha in KS says
Enjoy the wedding!
Oh, we DID! :) xoxo
Kathie Kelling says
Getting ready for my annual Irish Supper Club which will be on March 23rd this year. Serving Guinness Beef Stew and Ocean Fish Pie. If I get ambitious, there’ll be scones and brown bread. Dessert is Blackberry Cobbler. I do like Trifle but just made Tiramisu last month which is kind of a cousin.
My mom and I were just talking about how tiramisu and trifle are cousins! Sounds like your Supper Club will be scrumptious!