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Ohhh my. This Boston Cream Pie Trifle is SO good! And it can be made and finished within an hour – who doesn’t love that?
Boston Cream Donuts are at the top of my husband’s list when it comes to my dessert recipes, but I try to limit deep-fried desserts to special occasions. I decided I should try to experiment in the kitchen to find a different treat with similar flavors.
After playing around a little bit, and allowing my son to lick the spoon a lot, I turned those tasty donuts into a super easy Boston Cream Pie Trifle with yellow cake and I’m so thankful that I did!
My favorite thing about this deconstructed cake is that it looks so elegant and difficult to make, but it doesn’t take much time or effort at all. It’s a great option for dinner parties or for friends who just need a little love (and sugar) in their lives!
As a momma of two kids under three, I’ll take all of the time-saving steps I can. I went the easy route with this amazing Boston Cream Pie Trifle and used a boxed cake mix and French Vanilla Instant Pudding! You’re welcome to make it all homemade if you prefer! Maybe one day I’ll find time for that again. 😉
The best part about this Boston Cream Pie Trifle?
You really can’t mess it up!
*Chocolate ganache edited from original post for thicker consistency*
PIN IT FOR LATER!
Yellow cake, creamy custard and rich chocolate come together to make a beautiful and decadent dessert that can be ready to go in under an hour!
- 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix (Plus Box Ingredients)
- 2 (3.4 oz) Boxes Instant French Vanilla Pudding Mix
- 4 Cups Milk
- 16 oz. Cool Whip
- 8 Oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp. Instant Coffee (Not Coffee Grounds)
- Pinch Sea Salt
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Prepare cake in 9×13 pan according to box directions.
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While cake is baking, combine milk and pudding mix and whisk until well blended.
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Add 1/2 cup of the cool whip and use rubber spatula to fold it into the pudding mixture.
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Once cake is cooled, cut into small squares.
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For the chocolate ganache, cook the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Add pinch of sea salt and mix in. Set aside.
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Once all components are prepared, layer ⅓ of the cake squares in the bottom of a trifle bowl. Spoon ⅓ of the pudding over the cake and carefully drizzle ⅓ of the Ganache over the pudding.
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Repeat until you have completed all three layers.
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Use piping bag to create design with Cool Whip or simply spread it evenly over the top of the trifle.
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Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
You Might Also Like:
Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Krispy Kreme Donut Blackberry Cobbler
White Chocolate, Cranberry & Pistachio Cookies
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How long ahead of time can I make this? Trying to get my timing down for my dinner.
Thanks!
Hi Judy,
You can do the pudding, cream and cake separately about 48 hours prior to your event. However, I would recommend waiting to put it all together until the last minute to prevent the cake from getting soggy!
I want to add liquor to this. Would you think rum would be the best choice? And should I sprinkle it on the cake when cooling?
The amount of heavy cream seemed to be too much. The ganache was way to liquidy…….
Hi Carol,
I apologize that the ganache was liquidy! I went back to test it and would agree that it was a little too creamy. I have adjusted and edited my ganache recipe and believe you will be much happier with it. Thanks so much for trying this and for sharing your feedback!
XO,
Lindsey
Are you sure about the proportion of heavy cream to chocolate in the ganache? Every other recipe I’ve looked at has a 2:1 milk to chocolate ratio. I made mine the way you specified and ended up with soupy chocolate cream. I added more chocolate to it (just threw in all the choc chips I had on hand) and it seems better now.
Hi Denise,
I’m so sorry that this happened! I went back to try this ganache and would agree that it’s a bit too creamy. I have adjusted and edited my ganache recipe and believe you will be much happier with it. Thanks so much for trying this and for sharing your feedback!
XO,
Lindsey
Can I omit the instant coffee or sub something else in? Our family doesn’t eat or drink anything with coffee in it.
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Can you use brewed coffee in this recipe and how much? Thx
Hi Shari! I have never tried it because I believe it would change the consistency of the chocolate. I would stick to coffee grounds!
Made this recipe for a Ham dinner we were having with family and it was a big hit!!! Super easy to make and so delicious. One thing I did was we only had skim milk in the house so I used half and half to the milk and made the pudding nice and rich tasting. Everyone loved it and thankfully took leftovers home otherwise hubby and I would have been devouring the rest🤣
So glad you loved it!!!