Gingerbread and Chocolate Pudding Trifle with Spiced Chantilly Cream

This post may contain affiliate links, please visit our privacy policy for details.

‘Tis the season for all things gingerbread! These individual Gingerbread and Chocolate Pudding Trifles with Spiced Chantilly Cream are sure to be the one Christmas treat you’ll want to make all season long. It’s an easy to make gingerbread spiced sheet cake, layered with a decadent homemade dark chocolate pudding, and finished with a 4 ingredient gingerbread spice Chantilly cream! Every bite is moist, perfectly spiced, with just the right amount of sweetness. It’s literally Christmas in a glass! Finish with mini gingerbread cookies, sugared cranberries, and sugared rosemary for a cute, but sophisticated dessert that the whole family will enjoy!

About The Recipe

Happy Sunday, everyone!

I know today is a bit of a weird day for us to be posting, but I honestly just couldn’t wait to share this recipe with all of you! It’s so festive and so full of flavor…it might just be one of my new favorite treats to make during Christmas!

The best part? They’re individual trifles!

I know trifles aren’t something we really ever share…in fact, I think this might be our first one! But, between you and me, they are one of our favorite desserts to make for ourselves.

In fact, this recipe was inspired out of necessity. My mom and I have been testing a gingerbread spice cake and, while it has tasted delicious every time, it kept sinking in the middle. It took us quite a few times to finally get the cake just right…which means, we had a LOT of cake leftover from test batches!

We didn’t want to waste them. I mean, the cake TASTED amazing, but it was just sunk in the middle.

We thought about so many different things that we could make with gingerbread cake, but our favorite idea was a trifle! It’s just the layers we had a tough time figuring out. There are so many flavors that pair wonderfully with gingerbread…so, how do you choose?

Well, I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for chocolate and gingerbread (not surprising, right?).

Pudding/custard is something my mom and I make almost on a weekly basis for the blog. Chocolate pudding just seemed like the perfect addition, as well as whipped cream, of course!

And to be honest, once these trifles were assembled, they were so hard to resist. Not only are they super cute, but they SMELL amazing!

It was truly love at first bite.

They are full of warming spices, luscious chocolate, and rich cream. This dessert is definitely the definition of decadence! It’s so special and SO delicious.

Every bite will have you feeling the Christmas spirit!

Reasons You Will Love This Gingerbread Trifle

• It’s an individual dessert…which makes it perfect for Christmas parties!
• The cake and pudding can be made ahead of time for easy assembly.
• Perfectly balanced between sweet and spiced.
• Can be decorated with gingerbread cookies.
• A crowd pleasing dessert!

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Cake:

• All-Purpose Flour – We wanted a moist, tender cake but one with enough structure to hold its shape without going to pieces. That’s where the all purpose flour comes in. It has the perfect amount of protein to create that structure.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda – Leavening agents that have different purposes here, baking powder is responsible for the rise while baking soda neutralizes the acid in the molasses so the baking powder can do its job.
• Gingerbread Spice – This is the perfect blend of spices to add warmth, sweetness, and flavor.
• Salted Butter – Adding richness and moisture to the cake, butter also contributes to the overall flavor while eliminating the need for additional salt.
• Brown Sugar – In addition to contributing moisture and sweetness, brown sugar also intensifies the molasses flavor.
• Molasses – You can’t have gingerbread without molasses. It adds a deep, rich flavor that really pulls the whole cake together while also contributing to the sweetness.
• Large Eggs – The binder that holds all the ingredients together, eggs also contribute structure, stability, moisture, and richness.
• Buttermilk – This is the ingredient that really makes this cake sing! It helps the cake rise, giving it a light fluffy texture, makes it tender, and contributes to the flavor as well.

For The Pudding:

• Whole Milk – The fat content in whole milk helps thicken this custard and makes it oh-so creamy.
• Egg Yolks – In addition to binding the filling together and thickening it, egg yolks add richness.
• Corn Starch – Using corn starch here has 2 purposes. It allows us to cut back on the number of egg yolks needed, and it stabilizes the egg yolks to help keep the custard from curdling.
• Granulated Sugar – A neutral flavored sweetener,  granulated sugar also contributes to the texture and structure of this custard.
• Salted Butter – Silky, rich, and decadent are the best words to describe this pudding, and butter is the main contributor in achieving that. The bonus is because it’s salted butter, you don’t have to add extra salt to balance out the sweet.
• Dark Chocolate – Giving this pudding its classic chocolate flavor without being overly sweet is what makes dark chocolate the perfect choice here.

For The Spiced Whipped Cream:

• Heavy Cream – The higher fat content makes the whipped cream sturdier and helps it hold its peaks.
• Powdered Sugar – Powdered sugar dissolves easily to perfectly sweeten this whipped cream.
• Gingerbread Spice – Nothing says Christmas like this blend of spices.
• Vanilla Extract – Adding a subtle undertone, vanilla extract is the perfect choice to enhance the flavor of the sweetened cream.

How To Make This Gingerbread Trifle

Step 1: Make the cake

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and gingerbread spice. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in the molasses.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with milk. Beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Spoon the batter into greased and floured pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Let the cake cool in the pan before turning out.

Step 2: Make the pudding

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch.

Mix in the egg yolks. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat milk until it starts to bubble around the edges.

Slowly whisk the hot milk into egg mixture.

Return to saucepan and cook over medium low heat, stirring continuously, until custard thickens, about 5-8 minutes.

Whisk in butter.

Add vanilla and chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth and chocolate is completely melted.

Strain through a fine meshed sieve into a clean glass bowl. Cover and set aside.

Step 3: Make whipped cream

Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, gingerbread spice, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks form, about 3 – 5 minutes.

Step 4: Assemble

Cube the cake and set aside.

In each glass, fill the bottom of glass with cubed cake. Spoon about ½ an inch of chocolate pudding over the cake. Add ½ an inch of whipped cream over pudding. Repeat layers until you reach the top of the glass.

Decorating Ideas

Since these trifles are finished with a layer of whipped cream, the possibilities are pretty much endless! From sugared fruits to cookies, you can top these trifles with just about anything. Here are a few of our favorite ideas!

• Using a piping bag and tip for the whipped cream.
• Mini gingerbread cookies! Gingerbread men, Christmas trees, mini gingerbread houses, reindeer, stars, and snowflakes are all great shapes to decorate these trifles!
• Sugared cranberries or sugared rosemary.
• Orange twists.
• Pomegranate Seeds (or any fresh berry!).
• Chocolate curls or drizzled with chocolate sauce.

Can I Make This Gingerbread Trifle In Advance?

Actually, yes you can! The cake can be made about 3-5 days in advance and kept in either the fridge or freezer (if frozen, be sure to set the cake out in time to thaw completely at room temperature). The pudding can also be made a day or two in advance. Just be sure to keep the pudding in an airtight container and in the fridge. The whipped cream is best made right before assembly!

How To Store

While these trifles are best eaten the day they’re made, if there’s any leftover, you can cover each glass with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for about 1-2 days.

Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Banana Pudding Cups, Gingerbread Cupcakes with Molasses Ganache, Ginger Molasses Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Layer Cake

When you make this Gingerbread and Chocolate Pudding Trifle with Spiced Chantilly Cream, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

– Still Hungry? –

Here are a few recipes may like!