Caramel Chocolate Trifle is a decadent, easy, and divine to look at dessert. Chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, fudge sauce, caramel, and whipped topping are layered to create this decadent treat!
A trifle is a keeper for sure when you want a dessert recipe to impress your guests or celebrate a birthday, it’s easy to make…but looks fancy!
What Exactly Is a Trifle?
A trifle is a layered dessert, often referred to as a ‘fool’, or even a parfait. Essentially, pieces of cake, fruit, creamy fillings, and whipped cream are layered in a clear glass bowl, chilled and then served. But, the amazing twist to this trifle recipe is that the layers are brownie-like cake, caramel, and pudding! It’s pure chocolate and caramel decadence!
Keep this recipe close by for those special celebrations when you want to elevate an ordinary chocolate cake!
Can It Be Made in Advance?
This particular version of a trifle can (and definitely should) be made in advance. It actually tastes better after it’s been chilled a little bit and the sauce has a chance to soak into the cake a bit. Make sure it is covered or sealed tightly before putting it in the refrigerator so it doesn’t absorb the odors or flavors of the other items.
Let it sit at room temperature a few minutes before serving and top with freshly whipped cream and maybe even some chocolate shavings or colorful sprinkles!
Can a Trifle Be Frozen?
Even though it’s a layered dessert, a trifle can be frozen if it is initially prepared in a casserole dish. Just tightly cover, label and place in the freezer.
Once thawed, refresh this trifle with a little extra fudge sauce or caramel sauce and some whipped cream and you are good to go!
Other Great Things to Add to a Trifle
We love chocolate recipes and this trifle is one of our favorites. Trifles can have almost anything can be added to it as long as it fits with the basic recipe.
For this Caramel Chocolate Trifle recipe, why not add a colorful layer of sliced strawberries or bananas? Even a layer of roasted chopped nuts like walnuts or peanut would be a super tasty complement to this recipe!
More Chocolate-y Desserts
- Texas Sheet Cake – moist, decadent cake
- Chocolate Caramel Cake – delicious & fully loaded with caramel!
- Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake – just 10 mins prep!
- Caramel Chocolate Covered Pretzels – perfectly sweet & salty
- Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies – only 4 ingredients!
Caramel Chocolate Trifle
Ingredients
CAKE LAYER
- 1 box chocolate cake mix plus ingredients required to make cake
OR
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
CHOCOLATE PUDDING LAYER
- 2 boxes chocolate pudding mix
- 4 cups milk
OR
- 1 ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup cocoa
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 4 ¼ cups milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
OTHER
- 1 (12oz) container frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
- 1 cup caramel sauce (homemade is best)
- 1 cup fudge sauce (homemade is best)
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350°F. If using a box mix, bake cake according to package directions in a 9x13 pan.
- For homemade cake, grease and flour a 9x13 pan.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla to dry mixture and mix with an electric mixer on medium for about 2 minutes. Gently mix in boiling water. Note: Your batter will seem thin, it's ok.. it's supposed to!
- Pour into prepared pan and bake 35-40 minute. Cool completely.
CHOCOLATE PUDDING LAYER
- Mix both boxes of pudding mix with 4 cups milk according to package directions.
- OR for homemade pudding, combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan, mix well. Add in cold milk, stir until combined.
- Turn heat onto medium high stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil.
- Allow to boil for 1 minute while stirring, remove from heat and stir in butter. Cool completely stirring occasionally to avoid a skin forming.
ASSEMBLY
- Cut cake into small cubes. Reserve 1 cup of whipped topping for garnish.
- In a trifle dish, layer ½ of the cake, ½ of the fudge sauce, ½ of the whipped topping, ½ of the caramel, ½ of the pudding. Repeat layers.
- Top with reserved whipped topping. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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I love to cook pls sent me more recipes
Hi Delia, thank you for visiting! To receive our newsletters, you can sign up here or scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see a signup box.
If I wanted to prepare this with real whipped cream would I still want to prepare it the night before and let it rest overnight in the fridge, or would the whip cream liquefy?
If I leave whipped cream overnight I usually add a stabilizer to it. You can usually find it in the baking aisle near the puddings or online at Amazon.
Fantastic, thank you!
My family consists of 100% Chocoholics. This will be a Major League Hit In Our House! Thank you for sharing such a magnificent recipe!
Holly,
Your Caramel Chocolate Trifle would be a big hit here at the cottage. Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Saw this over at The Gunny Sack and had to come and say YUM!!! I have a link party on Fridays. Would love for you to link this up !
Oh, ho, ho! This looks like chocolate and caramel HEAVEN! A chocolate cure trifle… I couldn’t imagine having a bad day after eating this bad boy! Can’t wait to try it! Visiting from the Time to Sparkle Link Party :)
What a delicious looking trifle!!!
OMG…That is amazing! I think I just gained 20 lbs. looking at it! Thanks for sharing. I’m visiting from Inspiration Monday link party.