Hey everyone, today I want to share with you this recipe for miniature cheesecake trifles. This recipe is simple and decadent, and it can be thrown together with minimal effort. In fact, the best part is, you can start to make these little desserts well in advance!
What is a trifle?
A trifle is a layered dessert, originating in England. Traditionally, an English trifle would be made with a sponge cake, alcohol, jelly, fresh fruit, and cream. This trifle is quite different, layering cake and fruit with two different creamy layers, omitting jelly the and alcohol components.
A couple of notes about this recipe
This recipe is actually a combination of several other recipes into one. That said, while you will learn how to put this together, there is one element that I (sadly) do not yet have posted on this blog, and that would be… (drum roll please)… A recipe for chocolate cake! Honestly though, it really doesn’t matter. You can use any recipe for chocolate cake that you have, or sub it for any other type of cake that you might prefer or happen to have on hand.
I do intend to get my chocolate cake recipe up on the blog soon, but… So far I keep finding myself buried in bread dough, and I haven’t quite gotten to that yet. Leave me a note in the comments if you would like me to speed up that process!
A great way to use leftover cake scraps
Many of you know that for a lot of years, I had my own small cake decorating business. (Check out my About Me page to read a little more about that). I made cakes all the time, so I always had cake scraps leftover from trimming the cakes in my freezer (still do, in fact). That said, finding ways to use them was pretty much always on my agenda. Sometimes, I put them to use making cake pops (again, a recipe that needs to find its way to the blog), and other times… Well they would sit in my freezer until just such an occasion as these trifles would arise.
If you don’t have leftovers, no problem. Make a cake!
I realize that not everyone has leftover cake scraps laying around. If that is the case for you, you can just bake a cake and cut it into thin (or thick) layers, like I have done in these pictures. I promise, this dessert is well worth the effort, and if you can’t be bothered to make a cake from scratch– well, a cake mix will serve you quite well for this purpose.
Ways to serve cheesecake trifles
You can make these trifles to serve in place of cake for any occasion. I love them for birthdays, girls’ nights, Mother’s Day, and date nights. You could even make these as a dessert for a shower or wedding, provided that you have fridge space!
How to store mini cheesecake trifles for large events
I recommend storing them in the fridge lined up on trays. Just make sure not to add the top layer of fruit until right before serving so that the trays can sit on top of the glasses/cups without damaging the top layer of cream. If you have room in the fridge, you can stack multiple layers of trays on top of each other, with the base of the trays resting on the rims of the glasses!
How to display cheesecake trifles:
In this post, I have used a glass stemmed dessert dishes, but you can use just about anything. I think these would look completely adorable in small glass jars, and for a larger crowd, I would probably make them in clear plastic cups, just to minimize cleanup.
Can cheesecake trifles be made ahead of time?
YES, and that is one of the things I love about this recipe! You can have your cake baked and frozen weeks ahead of time, and then get these little trifles assembled a day or two before your event. The only thing to keep in mind is that fresh fruit, once chopped and washed, will not last forever; so don’t assemble them more than a couple of days ahead of time (the day before is optimal).
If you’re making these for a wedding, try getting everything assembled and ready a couple of days before, have an assembly party the day before the wedding, and then keep them in fridge overnight to be served the day-of.
Things you will need:
- Ingredients (see recipe card)
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Stand mixer or hand-held mixer
- Spatulas
- Paring knife
- Sharp knife, for cutting the cake
- Colander, for washing fruit
- Clear glass serving dishes
Miniature Cheesecake Trifles
These delicious, beautiful desserts can be layered up ahead of time to make any occasion a little more fancy and sweet. Made with layers of real cream, fresh fruit, cheesecake, and your favourite cake - they can't help but be a hit!
Prep Time 1 hour
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 8 pieces unfrosted cake sliced, in the flavour of your choice (I'm using a classic chocolate cake for this recipe)
- 1 c. whipping cream
- 1 batch cheesecake filling
- 8 handfuls Assorted fresh fruit washed (I used strawberries and blackberries in this tutorial)
- 4 clear glass serving dishes
Cheesecake Filling:
- 8-oz brick cream cheese softened (8oz = about 250g/1 brick)
- 1/3 c. icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 c. whipping cream
Instructions
-
Cut the cake into thin pieces, and wash the fruit. Set aside.
-
Whip the cream until stiff peaks form, and refrigerate until ready to use. Prepare the cheesecake filling (directions below).
-
To assemble the trifles, place a thin layer of cake scraps into the base of your mini trifle dishes. Over that, spoon a generous layer of cheesecake filling (about 1/4 of the amount made for this recipe).
-
Top the cheesecake with a layer of fruit. Cover the fruit with another layer of cake, and then spread 1/4 of the whipped cream on top, to cover. Decorate with fresh fruit.
-
Refrigerate until serving.
For the Cheesecake Filling:
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth again. Add cream and whip until thick and white.
Some other ideas of stuff to layer into trifles:
- German Chocolate Brownies
- Chocolate or Vanilla Pudding
- Cherry or raspberry pie filling
- Chocolate chips
- Skor/toffee bits
- Caramel/Duce De Leche
- Peanut butter cups
- Marshmallows
- Pretzel bits
- Chopped nuts
- Lemon curd
What would the layers be in your perfect trifle? Let me know in the comments! Also, as always, if you make these: tag me in your photos on Instagram @naomicakesofficial! I would love to see your work!!
Bye for now,
–Naomi
This post contains affiliate links.
