Fruit trifle is a delicious summer dessert with layers of tropical fresh cut fruit, creamy custard with the taste of sweet mango juice, soft cake and a layer of fluffy whipped cream. A fruity dessert that takes only 30 minutes.
Today I share with you my dear aunt's recipe for an amazing and decadent fruit trifle with custard. Her secret is mango juice and three fabulous fruits which are the perfect combination to make the best trifle recipe.
The fresh fruit chunks burst with juiciness and flavor with each bite along with cubed cake pieces and an indulgent whipped cream. This dessert although easy to make will impress everyone. It will be the first sweet treat to go and everyone will be asking for more!
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
- Simple dessert that looks fancy.
- Easy to swap out and use your favorite fruits.
- Feeds a crowd.
- No bake dessert.
- A beautiful dessert that everyone will enjoy.
- Great way to use leftover fruit, custard or cake.
A summer fruit trifle looks like an impressive work of art. It will add the wow factor to your buffet or dessert table. This easy no bake dessert comes together quickly and can be made ahead of time.
📝 Ingredients
- Cake: Sponge cake, pound cake or angel food cake.
- Custard: Follow the package instructions to prepare.
- Mango juice: Go with a high quality mango juice, it really makes all the difference.
- Fresh fruit: Grapes, bananas and mangos.
- Heavy whipping cream: Used for the whipped cream
- Greek yogurt: Adds tanginess to the whipped cream.
- Sugar: Sweetens the homemade whipped cream.
- Vanilla extract: A teaspoon of vanilla extract is a must for the whipped cream.
🥄 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Prep by cutting the fruit and cut the cake into cubes. Prepare the custard as directed on the package.
- In the bottom of a trifle dish or serving bowl, add about 1 cup of the hot custard mix. Next, add ⅓ of the cake pieces and pour ⅓ cup of the mango juice over the cake pieces.
- Top with ⅓ of the fruit.
- Repeat laying the custard, cake, juice and then fruit until all ingredients are used.
- Prepare the whipping cream by beating heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in the yogurt until combined. Pour the whipping cream on top of your layered trifle bowl.
- Garnish with any leftover fruit.
- Refrigerate for a couple of hours to let the cake soak up the mango juice before serving.
💡 Expert Tips
Time saving tip: Make this trifle dish super easy by using store bought angle or pound cake. You might also use a tub of thawed cool whip or make chantilly cream. This will make the dish take about 5 minutes to put together.
- If you don't have a trifle dish, a deep serving bowl works just fine. I prefer glass as then everyone can see the many layers of fruit, custard and cake. You can also make single serving trifle by using tall wine glasses.
- In place of custard, you can use 1 (3oz) cook & serve vanilla pudding.
- It is very important to keep the custard hot. If it gets cold while you are laying your trifle, you may want to reheat it gently on the stove top or in the microwave.
- Although you can serve this immediately, for best taste, it is recommended to place it in your refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving to allow the juices to soak into the cake.
- Short on time, you can use store bought whipped topping.
⌛ Make Ahead
- Fruit trifle with custard is the perfect make ahead dessert. This can be prepared ahead of time and kept in your refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight allowing the cake to soak up all the flavors of the custard and fresh fruit.
👩🍳 Variations
- In place of pound cake, you can use savoiardi biscuits, sponge cake, angel food cake, jelly roll, lady fingers or even brownies.
- In place of the tropical fruits, you can use your favorite cut up fruits like sliced strawberries, blueberries, kiwi.
- Use any flavor of pudding you like in place of the custard.
- For a more tropical trifle, you may want to use coconut pudding or sprinkle it with toasted coconut flakes.
- You can make a piña colada version by using coconut pudding with pineapple chunks.
🧺 Storage
- If you have leftover fruit trifle with custard, it's best to cover with a thin piece of plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.
- It is recommended to eat the trifle within 3 days to ensure freshness.
💬 FAQs
Traditionally, an English trifle has three to four layers. You can make your trifle have as many or as little as you want. It will still taste amazing.
Yes! Fruit trifle is perfect to make the night before your special occasion as it will then sit in the refrigerator soaking up the mango juice as well as the fresh cut fruit juices making your trifle extra yummy.
In place of pound cake, you can use cubed up angel food cake, sponge cake, brownies, jelly roll cake, biscuits, lady fingers. Go with whatever flavor and tastes you will enjoy the most.
We love mangos, grapes and bananas! But you could also add in strawberries, cherries, kiwi and blueberries.
📣 Related Recipes
- This easy peach cobbler with cake maix is made with just 3 ingredients, you can use fresh or canned peaches.
- Another no bake dessert that will use all those delicious strawberries.
- Baba Cake is a decadent and indulgent French dessert that has found its way through Egypt. Airy, light yeast cake saturated with syrup and served with Chantilly cream and fresh fruits. A delightful dessert for special occasions.
- If you're looking for a delightful way to incorporate fresh fruits into a delectable dish, look no further than this irresistible creamy fruit salad recipe.
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🥣 Equipment
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Fruit Trifle
Equipment
- 1 trifle dish or deep glass bowl
Ingredients
- 1 9” pound cake or angel cake
- 4 ½ - 5 cups prepared custard
- 1 cup mango juice
- 2 cups mango cut up, more for garnishing
- 1 lb grapes halved, more for garnishing
- 3 large bananas
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup reduced fat Greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare and cut the fruits.
- Cut the cake into 1 inch cubes.
- Prepare the custard as directed on the package.
- In the bottom of a trifle dish or deep serving bowl, add about 1 cup of the hot custard mix, top with ⅓ of the cake pieces and pour ⅓ cup of the mango juice over the cake pieces.
- Top with ⅓ of mango, grapes and bananas. You may want to be a bit decorative around the edges for a prettier presentation.
- Repeat layering custard, cakes, juice, then fruits until all ingredients are used.
- Prepare the whipping cream, by beating heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract then fold in the yogurt until well combined.
- Pour the whipping cream on top and level.
- Garnish with any leftover fruits.
- Refrigerate for a couple of hour to let the cake soak up the mango juice before serving.
Notes
- If you don't have a trifle dish, a deep serving bowl works just fine. I prefer glass as then everyone can see the many layers of fruit, custard and cake. You can also make single serving trifle by using tall wine glasses.
- In place of custard, you can use 1 (3oz) cook & serve vanilla pudding.
- It is very important to keep the custard hot. If it gets cold while you are laying your trifle, you may want to reheat it gently on the stove top or in the microwave.
- Although you can serve this immediately, for best taste, it is recommended to place in your refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving to allow the juices to soak into the cake.
- Short on time, you can use store bought whipped topping.
- Use this tangy whipped cream recipe or you can make your own Chantilly cream to take your trifle to the next level.
- In place of pound cake, you can use savoiardi biscuits, sponge cake, angel food cake, jelly roll, lady fingers or even brownies.
- In place of the tropical fruits, you can use your favorite cut up fruits like sliced strawberries, blueberries, kiwi.
- Use any flavor of pudding you like in place of the custard.
- For a more tropical trifle, you may want to use coconut pudding or sprinkle it with toasted coconut flakes.
- If you have leftover fruit trifle with custard, it's best to cover with a thin piece of plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.
- It is recommended to eat the trifle within 3 days to ensure freshness.
Nutrition
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First Published: May 2017. Last updated August 12, 2022 with important tips, clear step by step instructions and readability.
NYZ
Best ever
Juliana
This is such a pretty dessert Amira, I love all the fruits in it...layered in between the creamy custard.
I hope you are enjoying your week 🙂
Amira
Thanks Juliana, I hope you are having a great week too.