Easy Old-School Chocolate Trifle

For a fancy dessert that doesn’t require the skills of a Great British Baking Show contestant, this chocolate trifle has you covered. And while trifles are British in origin, don’t fret: They aren’t nearly as particular as GBBO’s Paul Hollywood.

Built with layers of cake (or brownies), crushed cookies (or toffee), and swoops of whipped cream and pudding, this chocolate trifle recipe is adaptable, easy, and impressive. Here’s how to take a few store-bought ingredients and turn them into a show-stopping dessert.

• It’s the easiest dessert ever. Use store-bought ingredients to make this easy, yet impressive dessert for the holidays.
• You can make it ahead. Not only can you make this chocolate trifle in advance, but you also most certainly should! Trifles need time for the flavors to come together and for the moisture from the pudding and cream to soak into the cake and cookies.

• Chocolate cake or brownies: No need to make the cake or brownies from scratch, unless you really want to. (In that case, I’d recommend this recipe for brownies and this one for chocolate cake.)
• Chocolate pudding: Pick up two (3.9-ounce) boxes of instant (not cook and serve) chocolate pudding. If your store only has the larger (5.9-ounce) boxes, that’s ok! Just get one box and know that the pudding layers will be slightly thinner.
• Whipped cream: Thaw 1 container of frozen whipped topping or make homemade whipped cream with 2 cups cold heavy cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Crunchy crumbles: Crushed chocolate crème sandwich cookies (you know the ones), chocolate covered English toffee bars or a combination to add crunch throughout the layers.

The beauty of a chocolate trifle is in its layers. For the most striking effect, assemble the dessert in a large glass bowl or a tall-sided glass trifle dish.

1. Cake layer. Begin with pieces of baked chocolate cake or brownies. Arrange them around the edge of the trifle dish first before filling in the center.
2. Pudding layer. As you spoon on a layer of chocolate pudding, pay close attention to creating a defined layer around the edge of the bowl for the prettiest presentation.
3. Crunchy layer. Next, move onto the crunchy layer — either crushed chocolate crème sandwich cookies or English toffee candy bars.
4. Whipped cream. Top with whipped cream, remembering to spoon the cream around the edge of the bowl first.
5. Repeat. Assemble the layers one more time, ending with a cloud of whipped cream.
6. Garnish. Sprinkle the top with any crumbs from the cookies, candy bars, cake, or brownies that remain on your cutting board.

• Pudding: 1 (5.9-ounce) package can be substituted, but the pudding layers will be slightly thinner. Prepare according to package instructions with 3 cups cold whole milk.
• Whipped topping: Homemade whipped cream can be substituted. Place 2 cups cold heavy cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer or hand whisk and large bowl.) Beat the sweetened cream to stiff peaks.
• English toffee candy bars: 2 (8-ounce) bags toffee bits, such as Heath Bits o’ Brickle, can be substituted for the English toffee candy bars. Reserve 1/4 cup toffee bits for garnish before assembling. Use the remainder for the first two layers, and sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup toffee bits as garnish.

• Make ahead: The cake or brownies can be baked up to 2 days in advance, wrapped, and stored at room temperature. The trifle can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day in advance. Save the final decorative sprinkle of crumbs until just before serving so the top is fresh and festive.
• Storage: Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. To do this, cover the top of the trifle with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The final layer of whipped cream may flatten upon refrigeration, but it’s nothing a swoosh with the back of a spoon or a few cake crumbles can’t fix!

• Pumpkin Trifle
• Tropical Fruit Trifle
• Banana Pudding Trifle
• Red, White, and Blue Trifle
• Mixed Berry Shortcake Trifle