‘Tis the season to go big — and nothing says festive quite like a towering, jewel-bright trifle.
With layers of cake, cushions of velvety custard, billows of cream and pops of vibrant fruit (and perhaps a cheeky splash of something spirited), the trifle has earned its place at the heart of the Christmas dessert table. The origins stretch back over centuries, but today’s interpretations deviate from convention.
Here you’ll discover trifle recipes that veer off centre to bring you trifles made with madeleines, lemon curd and peaches. Peter Gilmore impresses with a quince, pecan and crème caramel trifle, while winner of Gourmet Traveller’s Chef of the Year, Nik Hill, delivers a hybrid of two popular desserts with his banoffee trifle.
Plus, you’ll find trifle recipes that celebrate summer fruits and very Christmasy trifles for festive feasting.
So whether you’re chasing tradition or on the hunt for an easy trifle recipe that delivers maximum wow-factor with minimal effort, we’ve got you covered.
Grab your largest bowl – it’s time to layer up. Â
Top Christmas trifle recipes for 2025
Flour and Stone’s trifle with madeleines, lemon curd and peaches
Spiced plum, cherry and coffee trifle with cardamom crumb
Nik Hill’s banoffee trifle
Amontillado sherry and raspberry trifle
Victor Liong’s rose tea and red fruit trifle with vanilla cream and osmanthus
Tipsy raspberry trifle
Corn cake trifle with butterscotch, bananas and toasted meringue
Peter Gilmore’s quince, pecan and crème caramel trifle with Gretchen’s honey cream
Chocolate trifle with umeshu jelly, plums and crème fraîche
Panettone and mango trifle with lemon verbena and verjuice jelly
Dark berry trifle
Mango and coconut trifle
Peach pavlova trifle with brandy custard
Vincotto berry and amaretto cream trifles
Black Forest trifle
Jam roll trifle
Lauren Eldridge’s apricot, honey, coffee and macadamia trifle
Summer trifle with coconut cream and berry jelly
Banana, brandy and butterscotch trifle
How to make trifle
Dark-chocolate cherry trifle
Moscato and almond trifle with white peaches
Peach, almond and prosecco trifle
Moscato, raspberry and panettone trifles
Adriano Zumbo’s rice pudding trifle with saffron jelly and mango and mint salsa
Guy Grossi’s supa piazentina (Venetian trifle)
Panettone, apricot and mascarpone trifle
Nectarine, muscat and yoghurt trifle
Warm pear and brandy winter trifle
Summer trifle
Boozy winey trifle
For those organised enough to start Christmas Day prep on the Eve, trifles can be made the night before to free up more cooking time. In most cases, this actually gives all those decadently rich layers time to soak together, creating that luscious texture that a great trifle is known for. Just be cautious of overloading the cake layer with too much liquid, and leave the cream topping to just before serving for a perfectly fluffy finish.
The beauty of trifles lies is in its layers, and while there are endless variations, most versions will contain some common building blocks. There’s generally some form of sponge or cake base, followed by a layer of fruit, custard,jelly, cream and garnishes. As you’ll find from our collection, interpretations of this are many and varied.
As with all trifle recipes, the kind of cream that’s used can vary. Mascarpone, thickened cream, double cream and whipping cream feature in different trifle ideas, so it’s best to consult the recipe at hand.
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