White Winter Trifle

Everyone dreams of a white Christmas, or at least I do! If mother nature fails to deliver, one can always find comfort in a delicious, light, and fluffy dessert like this White Winter Trifle! Layers of angel food cake and homemade white chocolate whipped cream combine to make the most purely elegant treat!

Most trifles are layers upon layers of cakes, fruit, chocolate, candy, jellies, etc, but in a world where everyone wants more and more, we need to remember that sometimes less is the better option. Case in point, this gorgeously simple and deliciously tasteful White Winter Trifle.

This is one of those trifles that I would serve with platters of goodies on the side. That way, everyone can build their own flavours. To start with, you cannot go wrong with fruit and berries. Try to use red and green fruits and berries to keep it looking festive. If you have kids at the table, put out bowls of sugared candies, chocolates, and holiday sprinkles for them to fill up on. With this trifle, everyone gets what they want!

Now, in our home, for the most part, we enjoyed this one just as it is! What’s not to love about it? You have layers of angel food cake paired with chocolate ganache! It’s perfect just the way it is! I seem to recall that on the second helping that John.e had of this one, he spooned some of my Spiced Christmas Jam over top. He said that the sweetness was so well balanced with the warm tartness of the jam.

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season. But first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. Over the past seven Christmases, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

Before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more! Welcome, Dear Reader, to my first Christmas series this holiday season! I’m calling this series Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifles.

Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifles Series! Even though this is the first series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

LAYERED DESSERTS ARE THE EASIEST AND THE BEST!

Layered desserts have been popular for many, many years. For those of us who were not blessed with the ability to decorate elaborate cakes or whip up a choux pastry or even master the art of a good meringue, there are layered desserts. Think about it! The popularity of desserts like no-bake cheesecakes, trifles, tiramisus, etc., is proof.

I like to think that a layered dessert can certainly be just as elegant if prepared the right way. Make it simple. Overcomplicated desserts are no fun to prepare or eat. Choose two or three flavour combinations, because too many will just become muddled and the flavours will compete with each other. That’s what I think of trifles. I do love them, but I don’t care for them if they too many ingredients and too many layers. I’ll do my best to keep the trifles in this series uncomplicated.

If you are looking for more layered desserts, look no further! I’ve got you covered right here. Try these Stacked Vanilla Strawberry Shortcakes, for example. Or a breakfast version using waffles! Speaking of strawberry shortcakes, you have got to try these puff pastry flakies – they are probably my favourite dessert of all time.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this White Winter Trifle recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Angel Food Cake – You can make a cake from scratch, or you can buy one in most larger grocery stores.
• Whipping Cream – Please see the next section on whipping cream.
• White Chocolate Chips – Use good quality chocolate.

HOW TO MAKE A WHITE WINTER TRIFLE

Measure the white chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl along with one cup of the whipping cream. Melt the chocolate on low speed in increments of 30 seconds until velvety smooth, stirring between each increment. Once melted, set the chocolate aside to cool completely. Once cool to the touch, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pour the remaining whipping cream into the bowl of the cooled melted white chocolate mixture. Beat until incorporated and light and fluffy. Place half of the cubed angel food cake into a trifle bowl. Top with 1/2 of the white chocolate whipped cream, followed by the remaining cubed cake pieces and then the remaining cream mixture. Refrigerate your White Winter Trifle for 2 hours and garnish before serving.

HEAVY CREAM VS WHIPPING CREAM

Confession time – I use them both interchangeably, depending on what is available at the store, or whatever is on sale! Both of these can be quite costly. If memory serves me correctly, a 250mL carton, or one cup, here in Canada, will run just short of $5! There is a difference in the two, but not enough to concern yourself with when it comes to this White Winter Trifle.

Just in case you’re interested, the most basic difference is the amount of fat contained in both. Whipping cream has 35% fat. It can be whipped into peaks and it’s also rich enough that it won’t curdle when heated in soups and sauces. It’s nearly identical to heavy cream so if a recipe calls for heavy cream and you can only find whipping cream, feel free to use that instead. In contrast, heavy cream, which is sometimes called heavy whipping cream, contains about 38% fat. Either of those would work well in this recipe. I used 35% whipping cream.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN PREPARING TRIFLES

First of all, there are no steadfast rules about how many layers you should or shouldn’t have. My rule of thumb is this – make the trifle big enough to feed your family and/or guests, and use a bowl that is big enough to accommodate the layers. If you have a larger trifle bowl, you can simply add another layer or add more berries or cake to fill it up. Likewise, if your bowl is too small, you can make mini trifles with the leftover ingredients in stemmed dessert bowls.

Trifles cannot be prepared days in advance, nor can they be frozen. Since most trifle recipes are assembly-type recipes, the best thing to do is to prepare them on the day you plan to eat them. However, with that said, every trifle in this series can be prepared a day in advance. If you prepare the trifle a day in advance, it’s a good idea to set the garnish aside and place it onto the trifle just before serving. That way, your trifle will look like it was just freshly prepared.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!