This Easter Trifle recipe is a flavorful, colorful Spring dessert made with layers of cake, pudding, cool whip, and Easter candies! An easy to make trifle dessert that everyone will enjoy! Using only 5 ingredients, this no fail dessert is the showpiece at your Holiday gathering!
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If your family is like mine, we all get together each Holiday and eat way too much. From tasty appetizers to a main course, side dishes, and of course…dessert…. we load up and have happy tummies! I love volunteering to bring the dessert because let’s all agree, that’s what everyone wants and the real MVP of the meal, right?! In the past, I have brought Carrot Cake, Cadbury Mini Eggs Blondies, Peeps Bars, Birds Nest Cookies, and even Peep Rice Krispie Treats. This year however, I decided to step up my game and bring an Easter Trifle! Not only did everyone dive in and enjoy, but it made for a festive centerpiece decoration until we were ready to move to dessert!
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Why You’ll Love this Easy Easter Trifle Dessert
- Easy to prepare– using boxed cake mix, Instant pudding mix, and cool whip, this Easter trifle comes together in no time
- Customizable to fit anyone’s tastes– you can adapt this to fit your desires from adding chocolates, different candies, flavored cake, etc.
- Can be made ahead of time– to save on time, prepare this trifle the day before needed and simply store in the refrigerator
- Feeds a large crowd- since this is made in a large glass bowl, you can feed a lot of people by simply scooping into bowls with a spoon until gone
- A festive decoration until ready to eat– layers of Peeps, candies, and cake…this not only tastes great, but it LOOKS great too
Easter Trifle Ingredients Needed
For exact ingredient amounts and step by step directions, see printable recipe card at bottom of this post.
- Cake Mix– plus cake ingredients as per package directions (Your choice for color – I used white cake mix and added food coloring. You can use lemon, funfetti cake, or strawberry as well!)
- Instant Pudding– instant vanilla pudding plus milk as per box
- Cool Whip– if you prefer homemade whipped cream, that works great too
- Food Coloring– I love using pastel colors as they bring all the Spring feels, however, any colors work
- Easter Candies– have fun with this part, Peeps, jellybeans, Cadbury Easter egg candy, edible candy grass, etc.
How to make a Cake Trifle for Easter
- Bake your cake first as instructed on the box. Add food coloring if desired.
- Make your vanilla instant pudding as instructed on the box.
- Add food coloring to half of the whipped topping if you desire additional colors.
- In a trifle dish, bowl, or individual glasses, layer the cake on the bottom. You can cut it up in squares/cubes and mush it together or just break it up with your hands. Press down.
- If desired, wipe the sides of dish before adding the next layer for a clean look.
- Add another layer of pudding, to cover the cake.
- Add a layer of whipped cream.
- Repeat as you have room for in your dish. Be sure to end with a layer of whipped cream on top.
- Add decorations of M&Ms, sprinkles, coconut, Peeps, Cadbury eggs, Easter egg candies, etc. to the top of the trifle. For an added fun twist on this Easter dessert, stand the peeps up on the side of the bowl while making one of the layers so the peeps are IN the bowl as well. Chill a minimum of 4 hours.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Make sure you use INSTANT pudding in this recipe as it sets up quickly.
- To make this a chocolate trifle, simply use chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos, and add in some chocolate candies throughout. This makes it more of an dirt cake chocolate Easter trifle, which is delicious.
- You can color coconut using green food coloring and this will resemble grass.
- To make individual servings, you can make this using small glasses as compared to a large bowl.
- If you are preparing the trifle ahead of time, omit the decorations on top until ready to serve so the colors don’t run and get mushy.
What to serve with your Easter Trifle
My family has recently moved to doing a brunch instead of Easter dinner, so we have been making things like Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Casserole, French Toast Casserole, Breakfast Sliders, Crustless Quiche, and a yummy fruit salad to enjoy before digging into this dessert. However, if you enjoy a classic Easter supper, you could try my Cornbread Casserole, Creamy Macaroni and Cheese, Smoked Pork Tenderloin, and Easy BBQ Baked Beans before the real star of the show…. this trifle!
How to store this Easy Dessert Trifle
- Cover the trifle with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
- Unfortunately, this dessert does not freeze well.
- Do not keep at room temperature longer than about an hour as the whipped topping begins melting and making this dessert a bit mushy.
FAQ’s
Can I make this Easter trifle ahead of time?
Absolutely! I don’t recommend making this any earlier than 24 hours in advance as it begins to get a bit soggy/mushy after that, but simply prepare as directed, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until ready to enjoy!
How do I make this into individual servings?
It takes a bit more work, however, prepare these in small glass cups, Easter serving bowls, or dishes to make individual portions for a crowd.
What decorations do you suggest I use in this dessert?
There are so many options to try in this sweet treat, however, here are some of my favorites:
- Spring colored sprinkles
- M & M’s
- Peeps
- Jellybeans
- Cadbury Candy Eggs
- Coconut colored with food coloring
- Edible candy grass
- Chocolate Bunny
What is the order of a trifle?
The best part of a trifle is the layers! However you choose to start, you can’t go wrong meaning, there is no “correct” order. I typically start with the cake, then go to pudding, and cool whip, however, if I get going quickly, I mess up the order and just go however it happens. Tear the cake into small pieces and fill in the gaps each layer. However your trifle ends up, it will taste delicious!
More Trifle Recipes to try
Strawberry Brownie Trifle– includes layers of brownies, pudding, and fresh strawberries throughout! Perfect for parties, gatherings, or when that sweet tooth craving hits!
Death by Chocolate Trifle– after one bite, you’ll think you died and went to Heaven! Layers of cake, chocolate pudding, and more…. what’s not to love?!
Lemon Pound Cake Fruit Trifle– includes lemon pound cake, fresh berries, a lemon pudding mixture, and whipped cream.
Oreo Chocolate Brownie Trifle– combines these two amazing flavors with pudding and cool whip to make an exceptional sweet treat perfect for any gathering!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle– the perfect dessert for a crowd! A creamy peanut butter mixture combined with peanut butter cups and brownies make a decadent dessert recipe everyone will love!
This Easter Trifle Dessert is a delightful and festive treat that is sure to impress your family and friends this holiday season. With its layers of cake, pudding, candies, and whipped cream, it is not only visually stunning but also incredibly delicious. Whether you stick to traditional flavors or get creative with different ingredients, there are endless possibilities for customizing this dessert to suit your taste preferences. So why not add a touch of sweetness to your Easter celebration with a homemade trifle that will have everyone coming back for seconds?
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Easy Easter Trifle Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box cake mix plus cake ingredients as per box (Your choice for color - I used white cake mix and added food coloring. You can use lemon or strawberry as well!)
- 2 boxes vanilla pudding Instant pudding plus milk as directed on the box
- 16 oz cool whip
- food coloring optional
- decorating ingredients of your choice sprinkles, peeps, M & M's, coconut, jelly beans, etc.
Instructions
- Bake your cake first as instructed on the box. Add food coloring if desired.
- Make your pudding as instructed on the box.
- Add food coloring to half of the Cool Whip if you desire additional colors.
- In a trifle dish, bowl, or individual glasses, layer the cake on the bottom. You can cut it up in squares and mush it together or just break it up with your hands. Press down.
- If desired, wipe the sides of dish before adding the next layer for a clean look. Add another layer of pudding, to cover the cake. Add a layer of whipped cream. Repeat as you have room for in your dish. Be sure to end with a layer of whipped cream on top.
- Add decorations of M&Ms, sprinkles, coconut, Peeps, Cadbury eggs, etc. For an added fun twist, stand the peeps up on the side of the bowl while making one of the layers so the peeps are IN the bowl as well.
Shari says
It was fun making this Easter trifle. Turned out so adorable … and was delicious as well!
Kristin says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed and had fun with it! My kids love helping me assemble trifles! Hope you had a wonderful Easter!