This Gluten-free Chocolate-Chocolate Trifle was SO good! No one would even guess it was gluten-free, unless you tell them. I tweaked a chocolate cake recipe that I’ve used in the past, made some homemade chocolate pudding, and did a flavoured whipped cream. You could use instant chocolate pudding and a tub of Cool Whip to make things easier for you if you’d like, I won’t tell. 🙂
Gluten-free Chocolate-Chocolate Trifle
The wonderful thing about a trifle is that they are best made in advance. Preparing and assembling the trifle the day before allows the cake to soften, and it all becomes a wonderful pudding-like consistency.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2/3 cup brown rice flour
- 2/3 cup tapioca starch
- 2/3 cup sorghum flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup cold coffee
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, slightly beaten
Thick Chocolate Pudding
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or other flavouring)
- 1 tablespoon butter
Whipped Topping
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon brandy (or 3/4 teaspoon extract of your choice)
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan, and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
- Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, coffee, oil, vanilla and beaten eggs. Whisk together in well.
- Stir together wet ingredients with dry ingredients until fully incorporated and pour into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not overbake!
- Cool cake completely. Once completely cooled, cut into 1-inch squares for the trifle.
Thick Chocolate Pudding
- In a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl, combine the first four ingredients.
- Stir in milk until smooth.
- Microwave, uncovered, on high for 3 minutes; stir.
- Microwave 4-6 minutes longer, or until thickened, stirring after each minute.
- Stir in vanilla and butter.
- Place plastic wrap directly on the hot pudding (keeps thick pudding skin from forming), and refrigerate until cool.
Whipped Topping
- Using the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk cream on high speed.
- Add sugar and brandy. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- Mix approximately 1/3 of the whipping cream into the cooled chocolate pudding. This lightens the pudding up, making it more like a mousse.
Assembling the Trifle
- In a large bowl (I use a glass pail), spread a thin layer of whipping cream.
- Top with a layer of of cake pieces.
- Then a layer of pudding (use 1/2 the pudding).
- Whipped cream again (1/2 of what remains).
- Then cake. Top this layer of cake with bought caramel sauce & 2 chopped up Skor bars, if you wish.
- Now top with another layer of pudding (the remainder).
- Now it is time to spread on the remainder of the whipped cream. This gets topped with another 2 chopped Skor bars.
Notes
Sources: Based on recipes from GingerLemonGirl and Food.com
• friX • says
This dessert looks incredibly delicious !
Katy says
If only this was also calorie free it would be perfect!
I will put it in the dream folder for when I need a chocolate fix. Yum.
betty r says
Your photos are amazing Jeanine..what kind of a camera do you have? I am not the greatest fan of chocolate but you present it so well that I think I would love a dish of that trifle!! And no problems around here..lots of chocolate lovers in my family!
Jeanine says
It was VERY delicious. 🙂
Katy, you don't want to be making this every weekend. But, it is great to serve a crowd!
Betty, thank you so much for the compliments. 🙂 I actually use a simple point & shoot, a Canon PowerShot A560 (few years old already). I've been playing around with my manual settings & light boxes lately, seems to make a difference (always use your Macro setting, it works great!).
betty r says
Yes I always use my Macro setting and I know lighting is very important..I have a Samsung NV10 and it has 10.1 pixels.
karen says
I'm going to completely cheat on this one, I think … use Pamela's Chocolate Cake Mix, Instant Pudding & Cool Whip 🙂
I like taking the easy way out sometimes!
Sophie says
Divine! Yes, I wouldn't guess it was gluten free, I'm loving the texture of that chocolatey cake!
Jeanine says
Betty, lighting seems to be the key thing too. PLus, I set my camera to take a number of pics when I push the button, so I'm sure to get something nice & clear. Oh, and no zooming either, just get in real close!
Karen, those sound like WONDERFUL shortcuts! 🙂
Sophie, I was hoping you would be able to see the texture of that cake. It was FANTASTIC! 🙂 Moist, not crumbly, and beautifully chocolaty. 🙂
Jen says
It's always wonderful to find a GF chocolate cake recipe. Another one to put in my recipe box. 🙂 Maybe birthday cake. Hmmmm…..
Clumbsy Cookie says
You can never go wrong with chocolate + more chocolate! I miss eating a triffle!
Jeanine says
Jen, this cake is so easy to do, it's WAY better than any box mix you can buy. And PERFECT for a birthday cake! 🙂
Trifle is GOOD! I agree. 🙂
Jaime says
ooooh i think i need some of that trifle! yum
Sarar says
This looks so delicious. If I opt to leave out the coffee, do I need to sub any extra liquid?
Also, would it change the consistency of the pudding drastically if I used 1 or 2% milk rather than skim, do you think?
Jeanine says
It IS delicious! :)If you omit the coffee, I'd replace it with either more buttermilk or water. The coffee just adds a little flavour. And in place of the skim milk, any other milk would work great. I always use 1%, because that's what we have in the house. Let me know how it turns out!
Sarar says
Great! Thanks, Jeanine. I'm excited to try it in the next couple days. I'll let ya know how it goes.
Sarar says
Cake=wonderful and came out perfectly (though I ended up having a lot leftover, but hey-extra cake! yum!)
Whipped cream=wonderful (hard to screw that up and it's strangely therapeutic to make at home rather than buy in a can haha)
Pudding=delicious (though it got a skin on it which is most likely from me failing at following directions.)
I haven't tried the finished product yet as I just made up 6 little 8oz glasses of the stuff and put it in the fridge (easier to not be tempted to eat the whole bowl…and we didn't have a bowl that wasn't already in use-that's college for you) but I gotta imagine with all the delicious factors it can't be bad!
Thanks for posting the recipe!
Jeanine says
Sarar, you won't be disappointed! If all the separate components are good, the combination will be GREAT!! 🙂