What is a Trifle?

I love a good trifle for all sorts of reasons. One, they might be the easiest dessert to put together. Secondly, they often use ingredients I have laying around the house. Possibly the best thing abut a trifle is the layers. I love a good layered dessert, don’t you? All the layers get repeated so you get to savor each taste over and over again.

After making this easy gluten-free Black Forest Trifle I found on the internet, it got me thinking. What exactly IS a trifle? What makes it different from a parfait? How are they both different from a fool? (Who even knew there was a dish called a fool?!?!) All desserts have cake of some sort, and layers of custard or pudding, and whipped cream.

Liqueur (or Liquor) is The Key Ingredient

Apparently, what sets a trifle apart from the rest is soaking liquid. Apparently, most trifles contain cake soaked in liqueur. Well, I was serving this easy gluten-free Black Forest Trifle at a church funeral dinner. Yeah, choosing to leave the alcohol out of this one. However, the chocolate cake could be soaked in cherry juice. Noted for next time.

Make This Easy Trifle with a Gluten Free Cake Mix

I used Better Batter’s chocolate cake mix as base of this easy gluten-free Black Forest Trifle. They generously sent me free product to try this past summer, and I still had their chocolate cake mix sitting down in my pantry.

Better Batter mixes contain NONE of the 8 most common allergens. Even their powdered sugar is corn-free! This mix is easy to whip together. Simply add water, oil and eggs, mix well and bake! Doesn’t get much easier than that.

I baked my cake one day before I needed the dessert. Therefore it would be completely cooled when it came time to assemble. The original Black Forest Trifle recipe I found on the internet, by The Novice Chef, called for chocolate pudding.

However, I had an extra box of vanilla pudding mix in my cupboard I wanted to use. So I improvised, made the vanilla pudding, and added homemade chocolate syrup I had in fridge. Voila, chocolate pudding! Need it dairy-free? Use my recipe for dairy-free pudding!

How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream

This recipe calls for whipped cream. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of Cool Whip. It works great in a pinch, but it’s not REALLY whipped cream. Besides, homemade whipped cream is so easy to make.

Want to know my secret trick? Freeze the bowl you intend to whip the cream in overnight. I use a metal mixing bowl for this. It dramatically cuts down the amount of time you need to whip your cream. I whipped mine for less than three minutes. Oh, and I also added sugar to the cream prior to whipping.

Other Gluten Free Trifle Recipes

Well, I’m happy to report that this easy gluten-free Black Forest Trifle was a success. The head of the kitchen committee at church messaged me to say “It was excellent!” They consumed every last bit, down to the last crumb.” Score one for gluten-free baking!

I’ll add that to my list of other successful trifles, such as this peppermint Christmas Chocolate Trifle. Looking for something similar, but in a smaller portion size? Check out Eat At Our Table’s recipe for an adorable Gluten Free Midnight Brownie Cookie Parfait.

Check out this list of 50 trifle recipes for parties for more inspiration! 

Print

Easy Gluten-Free Black Forest Trifle

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 box gluten-free chocolate cake mix prepared
• 1 box chocolate Jello pudding 5.9 oz (6 serving) size
• 1 can cherry pie filling If you like a lot of cherry, you might want a second can.
• 1 16 oz carton heavy whipping cream whipped, with 2 tbsp sugar
• 1-2 cup fresh cherries pitted
• 1/2 c kirsch brandy or cherry juice – optional

Instructions

• Prepare gluten-free chocolate cake mix according to directions. Allow to cool, preferably overnight. If desired, soak cake with 1/2 cup kirsch cherry brandy or cherry juice. 
• Prepare pudding. You can use instant or cooked, but it needs to be thoroughly chilled which ever you choose. 
• Whip the cream. This is easier to accomplish if whisked in a metal bowl that has been stored in the freezer for a few hours. (But not absolutely necessary.) Whip cream until soft peaks form, approximately 2.5 minutes. Be careful not to overwhip, as it will start to turn to butter. 
• Cut cooled cake into chunks, and layer 1/3 of the prepared cake into a large glass bowl. Top with 1/3 of the pudding, then 1/2 of the cherry pie filling, and finally 1/3 of the whip cream. Repeat layers until ingredients are used.
• Adorn the top of the trifle with the fresh cherries, and shaved chocolate if desired. Refrigerate at least an hour prior to serving.  . 

This easy gluten-free Black Forest Trifle would be perfect for a Christmas dinner. Let me know if you make it, by tagging it with #miglutenfreegal.

Originally Published November 2017

The post Easy Gluten-Free Black Forest Trifle appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

Why Canned Coconut Milk is Important

I originally wrote this post in 2017. I felt however it needed a bit of a refresh. New pictures and such. However, I left the recipe as is. Especially the use of canned coconut milk. I once had a reader state that she used this recipe with a carton of almond milk. It didn’t work. All the additives inhibit the mixture from thickening.

Coconut milk is THE closest substitute I’ve found for regular milk, in cooking and baking. It has very few additives and includes natural fats. It does however leave a bit of a coconut taste, so I usually use it in recipes that include chocolate or other flavors. My Mocha Cake with dairy free ganache is a good example of this.

Corn Starch vs Tapioca Starch

So, this dairy free pudding recipe is NOT grain free. (Not vegan, either.) Should you need a grain free or corn free substitute, you can use tapioca starch instead. While most recipes call for double the amount of tapioca than corn starch, I would use a bit less. When I used double, the pudding was a bit gloppy. (Although still delicious!)

Bob’s Red Mill sells Finely Ground Tapioca Flour (a.k.a Tapioca Starch.) This may seem a bit confusing, as it can’t really be used as a flour replacement. If you were looking for a true grain free flour replacement, for making cookies and such, I would use Cassava Flour. Tapioca is starch extracted from the cassava root, while cassava flour is is the whole root, ground into flour.

Read – “5 Things You Need to Know About Cassava Flour*

Dairy Free Pudding, Parfaits, and Popsicles

Now, you can eat this dairy free pudding plain by itself. I definitely would. However, I like turning mine into fun parfaits. I mean, if life has layers, why shouldn’t our desserts? And sprinkles, because life can always use more color.

You can also freeze this pudding in popsicle forms. Do it plain, or add in fun mix ins. Add crushed graham crackers and mini marshmallows for S’mores pops. Or add cherry sauce and cheesecake flavoring like Flippin’ Delicious did with her Vegan Cheesecake Pudding Pops. Let your imagination run wild!

Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding, and More!

So how did I come up with this delicious dairy-free gluten-free pudding recipe? Truthfully, I didn’t. Well, not entirely. I simply made two small substitutions (canned coconut milk & coconut oil) in a Martha Stewart recipe. Then, I add whatever mixins I want.

I’ve been using this basic recipe for over a year. It utilizes egg yolks, which I always seem to have left over after making bread. So this dairy free pudding isn’t vegan, but it’s great for those who have a dairy allergy or lactose intolerance. Go to Martha Stewart’s Easy Pudding Recipe for other pudding flavor combinations to try!

Print

Easy Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pudding

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 minute minute

Chill Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 6 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Mindo Chocolate 100% Cocoa Powder
• Argo, Cornstarch, 1 Pound(LB)
• Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Coconut Milk, 13.66 fl oz

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder Leave out if you want to make vanilla pudding.
• 2 ½ cup canned coconut milk NOT the stuff from the carton in the refrigerated section.
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, OFF HEAT, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. If making chocolate pudding, add cocoa powder. Very gradually (a few tbsp. at a time) whisk in coconut milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.
• Place saucepan on burner. Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir coconut oil and vanilla into hot pudding.
• Either in individual bowls, or whole pan, place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding. This is done to prevent skin from forming on pudding. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk pudding until smooth.

Notes

Based on recipe from Martha Stewart

What’s your favorite pudding flavor? What’s for favorite way to indulge in this childhood favorite? Leave me a comment below!

The post Easy Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pudding appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.