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    Home » Recipes

    Death by Chocolate Trifle

    Published: May 12, 2023 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Aug 27, 2023 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe
    death by chocolate trifle on a blue surface with small glass bowls in the background and a tea towel with a wooden spoon on the side

    Death by Chocolate Trifle is an indulgent and decadent dessert that boasts layers of chocolate cake soaked in Kahlua, homemade chocolate mousse, whipped cream, and Skor bars! It's an easy-to-make dessert that's a chocolate lover’s dream come true!

    death by chocolate trifle on a blue surface with small glass bowls in the background and a tea towel with a wooden spoon on the side

    This Death by Chocolate Trifle recipe is popular all year 'round but especially in the summer. It's a no bake dessert that's ideal for treating Mom on Mother's Day, bringing along to a summer bbq or potluck, or for the chocolate lover in your life. I recently brought this to a potluck and it was very well-loved! This was inspired by my Skor Bar Dessert (which has no alcohol) on this site, and pairs well with Slow Cooker Beef on a Bun.

    Years ago, the Fairmont Palliser Hotel offered a "Death by Chocolate" buffet that was AMAZING! It was an entire buffet of chocolate that was to die for (no pun intended). And it was one of the best and "funnest" (yes, I know that's not actually a word) things I ever did with friends!

    Sadly, the hotel doesn't do that buffet anymore, but fortunately, this dessert is like eating that chocolate buffet, but in the form of a trifle!

    Jump to:
    • 🥘Ingredients
    • 🔪Instructions
    • 📖Variations & Substitutions
    • 🥗 Main Dishes
    • 🍽Equipment
    • 🌡️Storage
    • 👪 Serving Size
    • 💭Top tip
    • 🦺Food safety
    • 📋 Death by Chocolate Trifle recipe
    • More Chocolate Recipes

    🥘Ingredients

    You will need the following ingredients for this Death by Chocolate recipe:

    ingredients in death by chocolate trifle, in glass bowls, labelled
    • 9x13 chocolate cake (cut into 1-inch squares)
    • ½ cup + 4 tbsps Kahlua
    • 2 cups chocolate chips * I use semi-sweet
    • ⅔ cup boiling water
    • 8 egg whites (which equals 1 cup of pasteurized egg whites from a carton) *It's critical that you use pasteurized egg whites in this recipe. You can buy them in a carton at the grocery store. Or you can pasteurize your own in the microwave (see food safety)
    • 8 large Skor chocolate bars (also known as Heath bars or toffee bars)
    • 4 cups (1 litre) of whipped cream * I use 33%-36% heavy cream whipped with 2-3 tablespoon of sugar. *Do NOT use spray whipped cream - it will melt

    🔪Instructions

    chocolate cake pieces mixed with Kahlua in a plastic container

    Mix cake pieces in ½ a cup Kahlua and stir to combine

    egg whites beaten until stiff in a metal bowl

    In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff (with an electric mixer)

    chocolate chips, Kahlua and boiling water in a glass bowl

    In another bowl, add boiling water, chocolate chips, and the remaining 4 tablespoon of Kahlua

    chocolate chips, boiling water and kahlua beaten until smooth

    With an electric mixer, beat until smooth

    egg whites mixed with chocolate mixture in glass bowl with blue spatula

    Fold egg whites into chocolate chip mixture

    hammer hitting Skor bars in ziploc bag

    Crush Skor bars by placing them in a ziploc bag and hitting them with a hammer or running a rolling pin over them to crush them.

    half the Kahlua soaked chocolate cake pieces in a large glass trifle bowl

    Add a layer of ½ of the Kahlua-soaked chocolate cake pieces to the bottom of the trifle bowl.

    half the chocolate mousse, whipped cream and Skor bars added to the chocolate cake

    Then add ½ chocolate mousse, half of the whipped cream, and half the crushed Skor bars.

    Death by chocolate trifle in a large trifle bowl

    Repeat with the remaining half of the ingredients.

    Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight

    📖Variations & Substitutions

    • Chocolate cake - you can use a store-bought chocolate cake (just make sure if it's a smaller cake like a loaf cake, you use two so it's the equivalent of a 9x13), or a homemade chocolate cake (either my Old Fashioned Sour Cream Chocolate Cake or my Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake or Chocolate Sponge cake or your own cake recipe), or a Devil's food chocolate cake mix.
    • Whipped cream - you can use Cool Whip instead of whipped cream, but Do NOT use spray whipped cream (it will melt)
    • Chocolate Mousse- you could use instant chocolate pudding mix instead of the boiling water chocolate chips mixture or simply use instant mousse (affiliate link)

    🥗 Main Dishes

    This heavenly dessert pairs well with:

    • Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on a Bun
    • Pork & Beef Stovetop Chili
    • Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe
    • Slow Cooker Beef on a Bun (shown)
    beef on a bun on a grey plate with coleslaw and beans

    🍽Equipment

    You will need a trifle bowl for this Death by Chocolate with mousse recipe. Alternatively, you can use a large glass bowl or a punch bowl. You will also need an electric mixer (affiliate links).

    🌡️Storage

    Store leftover trifle in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also make this easy recipe a day or two in advance.

    👪 Serving Size

    This Death by Chocolate with Skor bars makes 20 servings. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

    death by chocolate dessert being held up on a spoon over a glass bowl

    💭Top tip

    If you can't find a baked chocolate cake in the bakery section of your grocery store, then simply buy a McCain's deep and delicious chocolate cake in the freezer section and scrape off the icing! Depending on their size, you may need two of them.

    🦺Food safety

    *It's critical that you use pasteurized egg whites in this recipe. You can buy them in a carton at your local grocery store

    **NOTE: Read how you can pasteurize egg whites at home HERE!

    • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw egg
    • Wash hands after touching raw egg
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
    • Never leave cooking food unattended

      See more guidelines at USDA.gov 

    death by chocolate trifle on a blue surface with small glass bowls in the background and a tea towel with a wooden spoon on the side

    I'm not sure if this is the original Death by Chocolate, but it came from a very old cookbook my Grandma gave me years ago (where there was no mention of pasteurizing egg whites).

    Either way, it's an amazing death by chocolate dessert and a chocolate lovers dream come true! So if you are looking for a dessert for special occasions, give this Death by Chocolate Trifle a try!

    If you love trifle, be sure to try my NO BAKE Black Forest Trifle too!

    Large Glass bowl of trifle
    death by chocolate trifle on a blue surface with small glass bowls in the background and a tea towel with a wooden spoon on the side
    Food Meandering Logo

    📋 Death by Chocolate Trifle recipe

    Death by Chocolate Trifle is a decadent layered dessert that boasts layers of Kahlua soaked chocolate cake, homemade chocolate mousse, whipped cream and Skor bars! It's an easy to make dessert that's a chocolate lover’s dream come true!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American
    Keyword: death by chocolate, Skor bar, trifle
    Special Diet: Vegetarian
    Servings: 20 servings
    Calories: 327kcal
    Author: Terri Gilson
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    trifle bowl
    electric mixer

    Ingredients

    • 9x13 chocolate cake, cut in 1 inch squares
    • ½ cup + 4 tbsps Kahlua
    • 2 cups chocolate chips
    • ⅔ cup boiling water
    • 1 cup liquid egg whites (must be pasteurized!) (from carton)
    • 8 large Skor bars (Health bars/Toffee bars)
    • 4 cups whipping cream/heavy cream. whipped *Do NOT use spray whipped cream - it will melt
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    *Heads up - this recipe requires 8 hours in the fridge (overnight) before serving

    • Put cake in ½ a cup kahlua and mix together.
      chocolate cake pieces mixed with Kahlua in a plastic container
    • In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff
      egg whites beaten until stiff in a metal bowl
    • In another bowl, add boiling water, chocolate chips and the remaining 4 tablespoon of Kahlua
      chocolate chips, Kahlua and boiling water in a glass bowl
    • With an electric mixer, beat chocolate chips, boiling water and the remaining 4 tablespoon of kahlua together
      chocolate chips, boiling water and kahlua beaten until smooth
    • Fold egg whites into chocolate chip mixture
      egg whites mixed with chocolate mixture in glass bowl with blue spatula
    • crush Skor bars by placing them in a ziploc bag and hitting them with a hammer or running a rolling pin over them to crush.
      hammer hitting Skor bars in ziploc bag
    • In a large trifle bowl, layer ½ of the kahlua soaked chocolate cake.
      half the Kahlua soaked chocolate cake pieces in a large glass trifle bowl
    • Then add ½ the chocolate mousse, a layer of whipped cream and half the crushed Skor bars.
      half the chocolate mousse, whipped cream and Skor bars added to the chocolate cake
    • Repeat.
      Death by chocolate trifle in a large trifle bowl
    • Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight

    Notes

    *See post for important recipe information, tips and substitutions!
    *Note: Adapted from Death by Chocolate Pg 117, Cooking with Tradition
    Nutrition Facts
    📋 Death by Chocolate Trifle recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 327 Calories from Fat 180
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 20g31%
    Saturated Fat 11g69%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 35mg12%
    Sodium 212mg9%
    Potassium 139mg4%
    Carbohydrates 35g12%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 27g30%
    Protein 3g6%
    Vitamin A 467IU9%
    Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
    Calcium 67mg7%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 327kcal (16%) | Carbohydrates: 35g (12%) | Protein: 3g (6%) | Fat: 20g (31%) | Saturated Fat: 11g (69%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg (12%) | Sodium: 212mg (9%) | Potassium: 139mg (4%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 27g (30%) | Vitamin A: 467IU (9%) | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 67mg (7%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
    Rate this Recipe

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ali

      May 12, 2023 at 2:54 pm

      This is absolutely amazing!

      Reply
      • Terri Gilson

        May 13, 2023 at 7:56 am

        I’m so glad you loved it, Ali! 😊

        Reply

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    I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer, and a busy working mom who is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks, and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

    More about me →

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    31 shares