We all like easy and delicious recipes at Christmas time don’t we and this trifle is one of those. It is made using all store-bought ingredients and it tastes simply amazing. The layers of sponge, custard (vanilla and chocolate), berries in syrup, crushed Oreo biscuits, whipped cream and Baileys Irish Cream liqueur is so delicious. It’s my new favourite, and you’ll have this made in under 30 minutes!
I first tried this trifle earlier this year when my dear friend Maria visited and made it. I couldn’t believe how quickly it took her to put together and how great it tasted!
There is no baking or setting of jelly in this recipe. The trifle is simply assembled using store-bought ingredients and served before being rested in the fridge for 4 hours to allow the sponge to absorb the flavours and soften slightly. The whipped cream and decorating is done just before serving.
This Cookies and Cream trifle looks impressive too. It has beautiful layers which is achieved by using a double-thick store bought custard like this Paul’s brand here. I have used both the vanilla and chocolate custards in this trifle however you can just use one or the other and it still looks and tastes great.
Your friends and family will think you’ve spent hours in the kitchen making this! I hope you love this easy trifle recipe as much as my family does.
Ingredients you will need to make this recipe:
- Sponge cake or Madeira Cake
- Canned Berries in Syrup – I use blackberries or boysenberries as my first choice, but any berry will work well. These are drained but reserve the syrup which is used to moisten the sponge.
- Oreo Cookies (original) – the ones with the cream centre. I use a combination of the white and chocolate filled ones.
- Double Thick Custard – in these photos I have used Vanilla for the bottom layer and a Chocolate custard for the top layer. In the past I have used all Vanilla for both layers so it is up to you whether you use a combination or just one flavour. The brand I use is Pauls Double Thick Custard which is readily available at supermarkets around Christmas time.
- Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur – this works so well with the rest of the flavours in this trifle however, if you don’t want to use alcohol, then just use more of the syrup from the berries or extra berry juice instead. The amount of liqueur I have given in this recipe is approximate -you can use more if you like your trifle boozy! Try not to get your sponge too soggy though.
- Cream – this will be whipped for the final layer before decorating and added on the day the trifle is to be eaten.
- Fresh berries – I use raspberries as I love their festive red colour. I also like to add blackberries as they contrast well with the raspberries. The berries add a lovely freshness to the trifle.
- Extra crushed Oreo Cookies and Mini Oreo Cookies (optional) for decorating. You can also use crushed Flake bars or shaved chocolate to decorate.
Tips and frequently asked questions:
Can I replace the Baileys Irish Cream in this so it is alcohol-free for children?
Yes, you can. While the Baileys is delicious in this, you can use extra syrup that was drained from the canned berries as well as extra berry juice instead.
Can this trifle be made in advance?
Yes, I recommend you make the trifle and refrigerate it for 4 hours, however it can be made the day or night before. The cream layer and decorating needs to be done on the day of serving though. The sponge will soak up more of the liquids overnight, but I don’t mind that at all.
How long will the trifle keep for?
Any leftovers should be kept covered in the fridge and will last for 2-3 days.
This trifle recipe will feed approximately 15-20 people. Can I halve this recipe?
Yes, you can. The quantities in this recipe fits a large 4 litre capacity trifle bowl and would feed approximately 15-20 people. If you were wanting to make a smaller trifle, you can halve all the quantities in this recipe successfully other than the Oreo Cookies. Instead of 3 packets, I would use still use 2 packets when halving all the other quantities.
Method and Tips:
The first layer of sponge is placed in the bottom of the trifle bowl. 
The easiest and quickest way to crush the Oreo Biscuits is to place them in a sealed bag (make sure you take out any air), and hit them with a rolling pin. 
The crushed Oreo biscuits layer is placed over the sponge and canned fruits to form the third layer. Baileys is then liberally drizzled over this layer before adding custard. 
The custard layer is added and then another layer of sponge on top. To get perfect layers, make sure you use thick custard, not the thinner ones. 
Once all the layers are done (except the cream layer), cover with glad wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. 
On the day of serving, add the whipped cream layer and decorate with your choice of topping.
The one important piece of advice I can give you, which I know I have mentioned a few times in this post already, is to make sure you buy Double Thick Custard (I buy 2 of the 900g Paul’s tubs). If you use a thinner consistency custard, you may not get the defined layers in the trifle.
Here is the recipe. Enjoy!
Equipment
- Large 4 litre trifle bowl
Ingredients
- 425 g sponge or madeira cake (store bought) chopped into 2.5cm cubes
- 830 g canned berries in syrup (2 x 415g cans) drained and reserve syrup – I use blackberries, boysenberries or mixed berries in syrup
- 400 g Oreo cookies (original) – (3 x 133g packets) roughly crushed
- 1.8 k Double Thick Custard – (2 x 900g tubs) I use 'Pauls' brand – vanilla, or 1 each of vanilla and chocolate
- 300 ml Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur approximately (can substitute with berry juice and extra reserved syrup for an alcohol-free version)
- 600 ml cream (2 x 300ml bottles) whipped
- 125 g fresh raspberries (1 punnet)
- 125 g fresh blackberries (1 punnet) or boysenberries
- extra mini Oreo biscuits or flake bars to garnish
Instructions
- For the first layer, cover the bottom of the trifle bowl with half the cubes of sponge or madeira cake. Make sure they are fairly snug. In the photos you can see I have made 2 layers of sponge, however that is up to you as you may get them all in one layer.
- For the second layer, spoon over the 2 cans of drained fruit and spread them out evenly. Drizzle over approximately 90-100ml of the reserved syrup so it starts to seep into the sponge layer and dampen it slightly. I like to make sure I have drizzled some around the edges as visually the colour looks nice too.
- Before doing the third layer, set aside 1/2 cup of the crushed Oreo cookies for decorating the top. For the third layer, halve the remaining crushed Oreo cookies, and sprinkle this over the berry layer evenly. Drizzle well with half of the Baileys Irish Cream (approximately 150ml) or more of the berry syrup for alcohol-free version – you want the Baileys to start to soak the sponge but not get it soggy.
- For the fourth layer, add one of the 900g tubs of double thick custard (you can use a little less custard if you prefer – say 700g but we love custard). Dollop the custard gently and spread out evenly.
- For the fifth layer, add the remaining half of sponge cubes to form a single layer. Now sprinkle over the other half of the crushed Oreo cookies (you should still have 1/2 cup reserved from before for decorating). Drizzle again with the remaining 150ml Baileys Irish Cream (approximately) or berry syrup.
- For the final layer, add the other 700g- 900g double thick custard and spread out evenly (I used the chocolate flavour for this layer but you can use vanilla again).
- Cover the trifle with cling wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours to allow the flavours to develop.
Before Serving:
- Remove from the refrigerator and add the whipped cream layer. Sprinkle over the reserved crushed Oreo cookies. Top with the fresh berries. I have also added some mini Oreo cookies as well (optional).You can also top with other things instead such as: crumbled flake bars, shaved chocolate. Instead of buying the mini Oreo packets, you could put aside 3 of the original size Oreo cookies from the packets you've bought and cut them in half to decorate with 6 halves sticking out of the cream.
To Store:
- Any left over trifle can be kept covered with cling wrap in the refrigerator. Best eaten within 3 days.
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