Boston Cream Pie Trifle tastes just like the classic cream filled cake, but is prepared as a deconstructed dessert in pretty layers of cake, pudding, and chocolate.
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Boston Cream Pie Trifle is a fun twist on the classic custard-filled New England cake, made with layers of soft cake cubes, creamy pudding, and smooth chocolate ganache. This hassle-free dessert takes half the time and effort to cook as its cream pie counterpart.
Our easy Boston Cream Pie Trifle recipe takes all the delicious tastes and textures found in my Boston Cream Poke Cake and Boston Cream Cupcakes and turns them into a beautifully arranged layered dessert. For a fruity twist, try my Strawberry Shortcake Trifle.
While many Boston cream pie-inspired desserts are deep fried (hello donuts) or prepared as a cream-filled pastry (like an eclair or cream puff), I prefer to construct my Boston Cream pudding dessert like a savory lasagna, with layers of cubed cake, vanilla filling, and chocolate frosting, all stacked until it reaches the top of the trifle dish.
This Boston cream layered dessert is best chilled over hours so the cake has time to soak up the moisture from the pudding and there’s vanilla and chocolate flavors in every forkful.
Why We Love Boston Cream Pie Trifle Recipes
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Delicious deconstructed dessert is a beautiful display of different tastes and textures, all layered in a glass bowl.
- Prepared as pretty presentation of sweet stackable layers instead of served as a slice.
- Light and refreshing treat that’s cool for summertime snacking but can be enjoyed during any season.
- Perfectly portable for holiday parties, potlucks, or any time you are feeding a crowd.
Boston Cream Pie Trifle Ingredients
- Yellow cake mix (plus ingredients called for on the box)
- French vanilla instant pudding mix
- Milk
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy cream
- Butter
- Pure vanilla extract
- Frozen whipped topping: You can use Cool Whip, canned whipped cream, or homemade whipped cream. Make sure to bring it to room temperature.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Pick Your Pudding: You can substitute instant vanilla pudding or white chocolate pudding for the French vanilla flavor.
- Choose Your Chocolate: You can use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Hot fudge sauce can be used in a pinch.
- Switch The Cake Squares: Feel free to use cubes of white, vanilla, or angel food cake instead of yellow cake.
- Make Them Mini: I don’t blame you if you don’t want to share your trifle treat! For individual trifles, swap the trifle dish for mason jars and make them mini-size (like my S’mores Trifle).
- Skip a Step: Want to make this an even easier recipe? Go to your grocery store bakery and grab a pre-made cake!
How to Make Boston Cream Pie Trifle
- Bake The Cake: Bake the cake according to the package instructions. Cool completely and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Prepare The Pudding: Whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until set.
- Make The Chocolate Mixture: Heat the heavy cream until it simmers and small bubbles begin to appear. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let it sit for a minute to soften, then add the butter and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth and glossy.
- Assemble: Add a single layer of cubed cake to the bottom of a trifle dish, spread pudding on top, and drizzle a layer of chocolate ganache on top. Repeat the layers and finish with a final layer of chocolate. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Serve: Pipe dollops of whipped topping around the outside edge and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Boston Cream Pie Trifle
- Whole milk or 2% milk works best for this recipe. Milk alternatives do not work well as they affect how the pudding sets up.
- Make sure you use instant pudding mix and not the cook-and-serve kind.
- My trifle bowl was 3.25 quarts or 104 ounces. You may end up with extra cake cubes, depending on the size of your trifle bowl.
How to Store Boston Cream Pie Trifle
- To Store: This trifle is best served chilled. You can store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this trifle.
How to Prepare This Trifle in Advance
You can make this trifle a few days ahead of time. This recipe calls for a minimum of 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving to allow the cake to soak up the pudding and chocolate flavors. It’s a great make-ahead dessert recipe. Remember, the longer the trifle is left to chill, the better the flavors will be melded!
More Easy Trifle Recipes
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Boston Cream Pie Trifle
Serves — 12
Boston Cream Pie Trifle tastes just like the classic cream filled cake, but is prepared as a deconstructed dessert in pretty layers of cake, pudding, and chocolate.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rest and Chill Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces box yellow cake mix (prepared according to box instructions)
- 6.8 ounces (2 3.4 ounce) boxes of French vanilla instant pudding mix
- 4 cups cold milk
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup thawed whipped topping or canned whipped cream
Instructions
- Bake the yellow cake according to the package instructions. Once baked, let it cool completely. Once cooled cut the cake into 1 inch cubes.15.25 ounces box yellow cake mix
- Add the French vanilla pudding mix and cold milk to a medium size mixing bowl (2-3 quarts). Whisk together, or use a handheld mixer on low speed, the pudding mix and milk according to the package instructions. Let it chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, until set.6.8 ounces (2 3.4 ounce) boxes of French vanilla instant pudding mix, 4 cups cold milk
- For the chocolate filling and topping, start by heating the heavy cream in a 1-2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer (small bubbles begin to appear) but do not boil.1 cup heavy cream
- Place the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate in a medium size heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to soften the chocolate. Then, add the butter and vanilla extract.2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Stir the chocolate mixture until it becomes smooth and glossy. Allow it to cool slightly.
- Add a single layer of cubed cake to the bottom of a trifle dish or a large glass bowl. (My trifle bowl was 3.25 quarts or 104 ounces)
- Spread half of the prepared French vanilla pudding over the cake layer.
- Drizzle a layer of the chocolate filling over the pudding layer.
- Repeat the layers: add another layer of cake cubes, the remaining pudding, and finish with a final layer of chocolate filling.
- Loosely cover and refrigerate the trifle for at least 2 hours or until chilled and set. (Remember the longer the trifle is left to chill the better melded the flavors will be)
- Before you are ready to serve, if using the thawed whipped topping, add the 1 ¼ cup whipped topping to a piping bag fitted with a star shaped tip. Pipe small amounts of the whipped topping around the outside edge of the chocolate top layer. If using the canned whipped cream, follow the same instructions for the whipped topping. Serve immediately.1¼ cup thawed whipped topping
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: This trifle is best served chilled. You can store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this trifle.
- Whole milk or 2% milk works best for this recipe. Milk alternatives do not work well as they affect how the pudding sets up.
- Make sure you use instant pudding mix and not the cook-and-serve kind.
- My trifle bowl was 3.25 quarts or 104 ounces. You may end up with extra cake cubes, depending on the size of your trifle bowl.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 473IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 214mg | Iron: 3mg
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