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Are you searching for a crowd-pleasing dessert to make this holiday season? Look no further for a “knock their socks off” delight to serve at your 2020 holiday dinner. I’ve got it right here for you, guys and dolls. It’s full of flavor and textures from all of your favorite sweet treats; crunchy gingerbread cookies, sweet vanilla, aromatic cinnamon. Although it took a bit of time to perfect the cream for this recipe, I had a blast making the trifle. It’s not only a lovely sight, but it’s also a nice deviation from the usual pumpkin, pecan, and chess pies we all pass by the dessert table. This autumn vegan gingerbread trifle will win hearts and tummies at your holiday feast.
What makes this the best trifle?
Firstly, I’ve never tasted a bad trifle, let alone a terrible dessert. One of my favorites is this exact recipe, except I replace the gingerbread with regular pound cake and switch out the oranges with strawberries. With those small changes, you’ve got a delicious summer berry trifle.
Secondly, dessert is always THE BEST, am I right? This particular dessert is the bomb in my eyes because one bite is a Christmas fireworks show in your mouth. All of the flavors of the holidays dance with your taste buds. Who doesn’t love cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, and crushed cookies? You know what, I don’t even want to know. I do not want to know them, okay!?! 😉
The third and most important part is that the presentation of your trifle can be vibrant fruits strategically placed along the inside rim of the glass bowl, or they can be tossed in with excitement without a care where they land. What makes your trifle the best is that you create it.
But, things sure could’ve gone South, had I let it.
When transforming a favorite dish into a vegan version, it often takes work. As I mentioned earlier, I had a bit of trouble nailing down the cream for the trifle, as substitutions can be tricky. Had I added the same amount of oat milk as I would whole milk, my pudding would have been a runny mess. So I cut it down by a little less than half. The part of cooking I truly adore is learning. And let me tell you, friend, you will always be learning when it comes to cooking. Try not to look at it as a task or homework. Think of it as a gift of knowledge you give to yourself.
The Anatomy of A Trifle
A trifle is an English dessert usually made with layers of fruit, cake, and custard tucked into a clear glass bowl. You can find a trifle bowl with or without a stand. The beauty of the layering aesthetic is that you can add any flavor profile and ingredients you fancy. Chocolate, crushed cookies, and even fruit-flavored jelly can be a part of your trifle dessert. Three or four layers high, and you’ve got one gorgeous sweet treat. To push it to the edge of Nirvana, top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon or powdered sugar.
Trifles For Every Season
Each season has its own flavor profiles our bodies crave. Around springtime, we tend to want lighter desserts as we work our way into the longer days of summer. As we slip into fall and winter, our bodies want to slow down and enjoy more substantial dishes that are indulgent and heavier. The ingredient suggestions below are not meant to all be used in one trifle. They are suggestions to add to your trifle creation. Pick 3 or more and add your favorite trifle masterpiece for each season.
Winter: poached pears, oranges, pomegranate seeds, cranberry sauce, vanilla cream, mascarpone cream, devil’s food cake, angel food cake, crushed peppermint candies. Here is a fantastic recipe for a decadent Brownie Trifle
Spring: Kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, lemon custard, lemon cake, vanilla pound cake, whipped coconut cream. Sink your teeth into this
Summer: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, key lime cream, vanilla pound cake, strawberry cake, whipped coconut cream
Fall: oranges, blueberries, cinnamon cardamom cream, pumpkin cream, brown sugar frosting, gingerbread cake, pumpkin pound cake
For a few more ideas to get your trifle inspiration flowing, check out these 15 Heavenly Vegan Trifles for the Holidays. For a delicious handheld holiday dessert to serve for a larger crowd, give these Chocolate Cayenne Mini Torts a try.
Print
Autumn Vegan Gingerbread Trifle
This recipe cannot be whipped up in a hurry. To get ahead on the task, you can make the gingerbread the day before. Be sure to place your can of coconut milk into the fridge to chill the day before you make the trifle.
- Total Time: 2 hrs
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups oat milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
FOR THE VANILLA CREAM
1– 14 oz can unsweetened coconut cream (chilled in the fridge for 24 hrs)
2–3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups cold oat milk
2– 3.4oz boxes of instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp vanilla extract
1– 8 oz container of Daiya Brand Vegan Cream Cheese, at room temperature
FOR ASSEMBLAGE
1 cup mandarin orange slices, drained
1 carton of fresh blueberries
12 Lotus Biscoff Cookies, crushed
Instructions
*Place the can of coconut cream in the fridge the day before you get started on the cake to chill.
Place the bowl from a standing mixer into the freezer to chill.
TO MAKE THE CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into a loaf pan. Set aside.
Add all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Then, add the wet ingredients into a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Combine the wet into the dry ingredients and stir together until a cake batter forms. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Check the center with a toothpick. If it’s still wet, bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once the cake is cool, cut into thick slices.
TO MAKE THE VANILLA CREAM
Remove the coconut cream can from the fridge and the mixing bowl from the freezer. Open the can and add the solid part only into the standing mixer’s chilled bowl. Save the coconut liquid for another use.
Using your mixer’s whisk attachment, whisk on high speed for 5-7 minutes or until the cream turns into stiff peaks. Remove the whisk attachment and bowl. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the powdered sugar and vanilla into the whipped coconut cream. Scoop cream into a smaller bowl, cover, and chill in the fridge. Wash and dry the standing mixer bowl.
Add the instant vanilla pudding mix into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the oat milk and whisk until fully incorporated and there are no lumps. Place the bowl into the fridge for 10 minutes until set. The vanilla pudding will not solidify as well as it would when using real whole milk. That’s okay.
Add the cream cheese to the standing mixer bowl and mix on high using the whisk attachment. Once the cream cheese is broken up (it will not look smooth), add a small amount of the vanilla pudding mixture that has been chilling in the fridge. Mix on high until most of the cream cheese lumps are gone. Add the remaining pudding into the mixing bowl and continue to mix on high. Lastly, add the coconut whipped cream into the bowl and blend until smooth and creamy.
TO ASSEMBLE
Using a clear trifle bowl, add pieces of the cake all around the edge of the bowl and a few pieces in the middle. Top with cream, fruit, and crushed cookies. Repeat layers two or three more times, ending with fruit and cookies. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 30-45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: English
