Peppermint Trifle

A temptingly sweet dessert that looks so elegant with alternating layers of red velvet cake, chocolate mousse, peppermint mousse, and peppermint white chocolate morsels! The perfect do-ahead dessert to impress family and friends at your next holiday celebration!

Happy first day of December, everyone! It’s now officially acceptable to play Christmas music nonstop on Pandora, deck your house out with miles upon miles of lights, and decorate sugar cookies EVERY single day without being sneered at by Scrooge McScroogers! That being said, why don’t we celebrate with one of the most quintessential flavors of Christmas–Peppermint!!! Or, to put more of a “Christmas” spin on it–Candy Cane!!!

Trifles are one of my favorite desserts to make for special occasions. They’re simple to put together, perfect for making ahead (even 2-3 days in advance!), easily customizable, and they never fail to impress your guests! 

Still on the fence as to whether you should make a trifle for your next gathering? Well, allow me to introduce you to Exhibit A:

To answer your question, YES, it IS as delicious as it looks!

This peppermint trifle begins with cubes of vibrant red velvet cake which can be any recipe of your choosing. For simplicity’s sake (and the fact that I had to make FOUR other desserts that very same day), I went with a boxed cake mix. You could also substitute the red velvet with chocolate cake, if you prefer! Being that the colors of peppermint are red and white, red velvet seemed like the obvious choice.

 The second layer is a simple, perfectly light chocolate mousse. And when I say simple, I mean simple! It’s chocolate pudding (instant) lightened up with whipped topping–that’s it! So easy, yet nice and light! 

The third layer is a beautifully pink layer of peppermint mousse which starts with these lovely gems of peppermint magic!

These cute candy cane kisses were melted with a bit of heavy cream, mixed until smooth, then folded in with more whipped topping. 

Finally, a generous sprinkling of these melt-in-your-mouth morsels!

Repeat once more, and you’ve got yourself a looker!

Oh, and because my sprinkle obsession got the best of me, I just had to add these cute candy cane sprinkles on top! 

Since I didn’t have a large enough bowl or trifle dish to hold everything, I made the rest into two peppermint parfaits!

Depending on how large your trifle dish is, you may not need to use all of the cake. I had about a cup and a half leftover–perfect for a few Cake Truffles! I served this pretty peppermint dessert at our Thanksgiving gathering, and everyone RAVED about it!

As my aunt put it, “It tastes like Christmas.” 

With it’s perfectly pepperminty flavor, you’ll end up with minty fresh breath, so it’s a great pre-kiss-under-the-mistletoe dessert 😉

Peppermint Trifle

A temptingly sweet dessert that looks so elegant with alternating layers of red velvet cake, chocolate mousse, peppermint mousse and peppermint white chocolate morsels! The perfect do-ahead dessert to impress family and friends at your holiday celebration!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Chilling Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 Servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 9x13 pan of Red Velvet Cake baked and cooled*
• 1 (8 oz) package Candy Cane Hershey Kisses
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• 1 (5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups milk
• 2 (8 oz) containers whipped topping*
• 1 (10 oz) package Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips
• Sprinkles optional

Instructions

 

• Slice the cake into cubes, or break into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
• In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine candy cane kisses and heavy cream. Microwave for one minute. Remove and stir until smooth. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
• Add one 8-oz container of whipped topping to the peppermint mixture. Start by whisking 1 cup of the whipped topping in to lighten it up, then fold in the rest.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the pudding mix and milk together until smooth. Allow to sit and thicken for 5 minutes.
• Incorporate the second 8-oz container of whipped topping into the pudding. Start by whisking 1 cup of the whipped topping in to lighten it up, then fold in the rest.
• In a large bowl or trifle dish, layer half of the cake. Spread half of the chocolate mousse into an even layer. Follow with another even layer of half of the peppermint mousse. Sprinkle half of the peppermint crunch evenly over the mousse. Repeat layering sequence once more.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Trifle will stay fresh covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Notes

*Chocolate cake can be used instead of Red Velvet cake.
*Fresh whipped cream can be substituted for whipped topping. You'll need about 6 cups of fresh whipped cream.
*Depending on how large your trifle dish is, you may not need to use all of the cake. I had about a cup and a half leftover.