14 Impressive Holiday Trifle Recipes That Are Easy to Make Let these delicious trifles be the star of your holiday dessert table. Close If there's one thing every holiday table needs, it's a delicious dessert. But if you don't have time to make one in between wrapping presents, entertaining loved ones, and all the other to-dos that come with the holiday season, consider making a trifle. These tiered confections look impressive—especially if they're served in a footed glass bowl—but the secret behind them is that they are easy to make. The key to a beautiful trifle is not really about the making, it's about the assembling. One non-negotiable is the serving dish. It doesn't have to be tall or footed, but it does need to be glass. Trifles are a dessert you need to see—there are layers, and we don't want to hide them. And while those layers may look fancy, they don’t take much time to perfect. Sure, some recipes call for baking sponge, almond, or another cake to layer with fruit, custard, whipped cream, and other delicious surprises, but many of our trifle recipes call for store-bought cake, such as pound cake. Another thing to love about the trifle is how well it takes on different flavors. We have fruit-first versions from berries to peaches, boozy versions with sherry and brandy, and holiday trifles with chocolate and peppermint. Ahead, we're sharing some of our favorite holiday trifle recipes that will be the star of your dessert table. 16 Make-Ahead Desserts for Entertaining (or Just Because) 01 of 14 Chocolate Cream-Puff Trifle Credit: Linda Pugliese We've combined the holiday classic with another crowd favorite: cream puffs! They're layered with anisette-soaked fruit, ricotta cream, and blood-orange marmalade. The best part? Everything can be made ahead. View Recipe 02 of 14 Pomegranate-Coconut Trifle Credit: Ryan Liebe Make magnificent trifle the centerpiece of your holiday dessert buffet. It has a pomegranate gelatin layer, a velvety coconut custard layer, and a coconut-water gelatin layer studded with pomegranate arils. Store-bought lady fingers keep each layer separate, and the trifle is finished with whipped cream and toasted coconut. View Recipe 03 of 14 Strawberry-Banana Pudding We call this dessert a pudding, but it can also be labeled a trifle. As you see, with its layers of fruit and vanilla pudding it has the aesthetic of a trifle, but as there is no cake or ladyfingers between the layers, it's a gluten-free take on trifle. View Recipe 04 of 14 Christmas Trifle Store-bought pound cake, lemon curd, and frozen sliced peaches are time-savers in this lovely layered Christmas dessert. View Recipe 05 of 14 Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Trifle Credit: Jason Donnelly Dip into spectacular layers of milk-chocolate pudding and snowy white-chocolate mousse balanced by chocolate-liqueur-soaked cake. Crumbled candy inside and on top adds crunch. View Recipe 06 of 14 Lemon Trifle Impress guests with layers of lemon curd, whipped cream, and ladyfingers soaked in sweet dessert wine. We served this one in ceramic, but it looks spectacular in a glass trifle bowl as well. View Recipe 07 of 14 Raspberry Trifle Frozen raspberries macerated in sherry and lemon zest give a lively kick to the layers of this festive, coconut-crowned trifle. View Recipe 08 of 14 Cranberry Trifle With layers of sweetened cranberries, buttery pound cake, and fluffy whipped cream, this trifle is a truly easy and dazzling dessert. You can prepare all the components ahead of time and assemble it shortly before serving. View Recipe 09 of 14 Frozen Chocolate-Mousse Trifles Chocolate angel food cake soaked in brandy and layered with chocolate meringue in these individual trifles will have your dinner guests swooning. View Recipe 10 of 14 Waffle-and-Strawberry Trifle Credit: Johnny Miller Hosting a holiday brunch? Consider serving this breakfast trifle. Save time without sacrificing flavor by using frozen waffles but making the creamy vanilla pudding from scratch. View Recipe 11 of 14 Lemon Cloud Trifle Credit: Ken Kochey What is a lemon cloud, you ask? It's a mixture of homemade lemon curd, freshly whipped cream, and egg whites that makes a delicious foil for angel food cake and sherry syrup. View Recipe 12 of 14 Sherry Trifle With Brandy Custard Layers of brandy-spiked pastry cream, ladyfingers, raspberry jam, toasted almonds, and amaretti cookies make a lovely chorus of flavors and textures in this holiday trifle. The piece de resistance? The whole thing is doused in sherry. View Recipe 13 of 14 Stone-Fruit Trifle With Lemon Mousse For the star dessert, make this trifle with peaches or nectarines. The stone fruit is caramelized to accentuate its flavors and layered with a lemon cream made by combining lemon curd with whipped cream. It's an adaptable recipe—you can make the lemon curd and an almond sponge for the trifle or you can opt for store-bought curd and pound cake. View Recipe 14 of 14 Grand Raspberry Trifle This delicious trifle combines fruit, jam, juice-drenched pound cake, and whipped cream. Serve it in a big trifle dish like the one pictured, or split it into single-serving ramekins for a creative presentation. View Recipe Updated by Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the decorvow recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years. 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