NO BAKE Black Forest Trifle

This NO BAKE Easy Black Forest Trifle is the recipe that inspired my very first blog post - No Bake Black Forest Tiramisu and my Black Forest Yule Log. It's an easy NO BAKE, 5-ingredient Black Forest Trifle recipe, with layers of chocolate cake, pudding, cherry pie filling, and whipped cream, makes a great last-minute dessert.

This Black Forest Trifle recipe is popular during the holidays, but ideal for any time of the year! I love to bring it along to potlucks or serve it as a dessert with Slow Cooker Beef on a Bun or after a holiday meal such as my Picnic Ham and Scalloped Potatoes (without cheese).

🥘 Ingredient Notes

This cherry chocolate trifle recipe is not only my family's favorite dessert, it's the easiest trifle recipe you'll even make and only has 5 ingredients! I got the recipe from my Mom, made a couple little changes, and have been making it for many years. It's like making a super easy Easy Black Forest Cake , but with no baking!

You won't believe how easy it is, especially considering how spectacular it tastes and how pretty it looks!

You only need 5 ingredients to make this recipe!

• Prepared chocolate pudding. I prefer to buy 'snack packs' of chocolate pudding. It's even faster than making a box of chocolate pudding!
• Chocolate cake. I buy a pre-made loaf cake from the bakery. (see Top Tip)
• Cherry pie filling. You can use any brand of cherry pie filling.
• Whipped cream . I use whipping cream with a little white granulated sugar added. Do NOT use whipping cream in the spray can, as it will melt and run (unless you are spraying directly onto individual portions as you serve).
• Kirsch (optional). Kirsch is a cherry flavored liquer.

Variations * & Substitutions

• Whipped cream- you can add icing sugar (instead of regular white granulated sugar) to the whipped cream or you can substitute Cool Whip. *Do NOT use whipping cream in the spray can.
• Garnish - you can garnish with maraschino cherries, fresh cherries, shaved chocolate or cocoa powder. You could even use sprinkles (I've used green and/or red sprinkles at Christmas)
• Kirsch - you can use cherry brandy as a substitute or skip it altogether. You could also use Amaretto or almond extract as a nonalcoholic option (you'd only need ¼- ½ of a teaspoon).
• Pudding- you can use any type of chocolate pudding you prefer ( homemade, instant from a box or prepared snack packs).
• Cake - you can use any type of cake you want, including sponge cake, loaf cake, pound cake, or devil's food chocolate cake. You could also use a boxed chocolate cake, but that would involve baking. *When I decorated a lot of cakes I used to save 'cake bits' in the freezer and used those for this recipe.
• Individual Black Forest Trifles- follow the same steps in mini trifle bowls or use individual glasses (I like to use stemless wine glasses -affiliate link). For another visual example, follow the same directions as my Mini Egg Nog Trifle recipe.

🔪 How to Make Black Forest Trifle

1. Break cake into pieces and add half to the bottom of the trifle bowl
2. Then add half of the pudding (6 containers)
3. Mix the kirsch with the cherries, if using. Add half the cherry mixture on top of the pudding.
4. REPEAT.
5. Cover with saran wrap or Glad Press n' Seal and refrigerate.
6. Before serving (or in advance), beat whipping cream to soft peaks, add the white granulated sugar and then beat to stiff peaks. Top with whipped cream. *Garnish with chocolate shavings and maraschino cherries, if desired.

👪 Serving Size

This quick and easy dessert recipe makes 12 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. You will just need additional trifle bowls or a smaller trifle bowl.

🌡️Storing

• Make-ahead: You can make this recipe a day in advance, but do NOT put the whipping cream on it until just prior to serving (or no more than a couple of hours before). The trifle can be stored in the trifle dish covered in plastic wrap, but the whipped cream should be stored in a separate container. 
• Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Freezing: Freezing a trifle is not recommended as the whipped cream and pudding may separate or become watery upon thawing. However, you can freeze the cake, and defrost it for use when you are ready to make the trifle.

❔ Recipe FAQ's