Black Forest Brownie Trifle {NO BAKE}

Simple AND MAKE AHEAD! Easy Black Forest Brownie Trifle is my new go-to dessert recipe for holidays and parties. Layers of fudge brownie, whipped cream, chocolate pudding and cherry pie filling combine into one luscious bite of heaven. The NO BAKE dessert that’s a hit with everyone that tries it!

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I shared this easy Chocolate Trifle recipe a couple weeks ago on my Instagram Stories and you guys went bonkers for it! AND THEN, I shared it again on Fox 29 Good Day Philadelphia….then the emails started coming. I know, I should never share a recipe with all of you if you can’t get the recipe here and so, I made it one more time.

This NO BAKE Black Forest Brownie Trifle recipe is as simple as it gets. And I love that you can make it in advance for parties so you’re not prepping a dessert when guests are hovering about. 

We used to make a chocolate trifle recipe growing up affectionately known as “Death by Chocolate” and it was loaded with chocolate. It was a little more involved because you had to bake a whole cake to get the whole thing started. But it was simple, otherwise, to throw together and great for parties. 

If you’re a fan of the show “Friends”, Rachel Green made a traditional English Trifle for Thanksgiving but her version included layers of fruit, pastry cream, ground beef, peas and carrots. The pages of the cookbook has stuck together so, basically, she made a trifle and a shepherd’s pie together. This Black Forest Brownie Trifle is so much better than her’s. And the good thing about the internet is your cookbook pages won’t get stuck together. 🙂 

Black Forest Brownie Trifle

If you’ve never had a trifle before, it’s a classic english dessert made with layers of custard, sponge cake and fruit. The word trifle is derived from the French word trufle meaning of little consequence…or something whimsical. Which a trifle most certainly is.

What I love about making an English Trifle is that you don’t really have to follow any rules. You can layer just about anything you want in your trifle dish as long as your cake layer is sturdy enough to not get soggy or soak up all the moisture.

How To Make a Brownie Trifle

Making a brownie trifle is super easy to do and this one has all the flavors of a Black Forest Cake. I like to use up leftover homemade brownies but you can buy brownies from the store to make things easier.

1. Crumble half the brownies in the bottom of a trifle dish…..I love this trifle dish because of it’s sturdy base. But you can also use a large flat bottomed bowl like I did in the photos.
2. Drizzle the brownie layer with chocolate liquor. Or stay true to the Black Forest Cake and drizzle with cherry liquor or the syrup from maraschino cherries. 
3. Layer 1/2 the chocolate pudding over the brownie layer and smooth with a spoon.
4. Top the pudding with half the cherry pie filling….I like to use homemade but cherry fruit filling from a can will work well, too!
5. Spread half the whipped cream over the cherry pie filling and then repeat the layers ending with a layer for the remaining whipped cream. Dust with cocoa powder.
6. Top with a few spoonfuls of cherry pie filling as a garnish and shaved white chocolate curls, if desired.

You can make your Brownie Trifle up to two days in advance. Just cover with plastic wrap (I like to put toothpicks in the top so the plastic doesn’t touch the top of the trifle) and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

How To Serve It

When you’re ready to dig into your Black Forest Trifle, that’s exactly what you’re going to do. Just dig in. There’s really no way to serve it beautifully but one bite and you’re guests won’t even care if they’re holding a gorgeously plated dessert.

I just set a serving spoon alongside the trifle dish and allow guests to serve themselves. Believe me when I say, this dessert will disappear in a flash.

It’s a great potluck dessert recipe or perfect for the holidays like Christmas and New Year’s. I’m planning to make many more versions of my easy trifle recipe so stay tuned because we’re about to be on trifle overload.

They’re fun and easy to make….and very similar to my favorite chocolate banana pudding recipe. If you’re looking for more easy no bake desserts you have to try this Pina Colada Banana Pudding and this simple to make Salted Caramel Banana Pudding. 

Or try out this No Bake Cheesecake or THIS Chocolate Mousse Pie!

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