🌕 No Bake Boston Cream Pie Trifle Recipe
If you are looking for easy and fun Halloween potluck ideas, look no further! This Halloween themed No Bake Boston Cream Pie Trifle has a chocolate cookie crust, and a creamy whipped cream, cake and pudding filling. It's the perfect easy Halloween pie for your next party.
Servings 16 servings
Calories 193kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Pie:
Pie Crust:
- ½ 400g -pkg of chocolate baking crumbs 200g
- ÂĽ cup unsalted butter melted
Pie Glaze:
- 6 oz semi- sweet chocolate melted
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- ÂĽ cup melted butter
- ½ teaspoon yellow gel paste food/icing colouring * don't use grocery store food coloring- it will be difficult to get the right color. I use Wilton Lemon yellow
Pie Filling:
- 2 cups whipped cream homemade or frozen dessert topping -e.g. Cool whip
- 12 99g containers snack size instant vanilla pudding *These come in packages of 4 puddings - you will need 3 of them.
- 1 270g - 370 g white pound, angel food or loaf cake sliced or broken up
Chocolate Bats:
- 4 miniature Reeses peanut butter cups
- 4 Oreo Chocolate (thins) Sandwich Cookies
- dabs frosting/icing * I use royal icing
- 8 Edible eyes
Instructions
Pie:
- Spray the inside of 10.5 inch round (2.5 inches deep) dessert dish OR 2 shallow (1.5 inch) - 9 inch pie plates with non-stick cooking spray. Note: For one 9 inch pie plate, cut recipe in half. Simply input the number of servings (8) and the recipe will automatically adjust quantities.
Crust:
- Mix the chocolate baking crumbs and ÂĽ cup melted butter in a large bowl until they cling together. Press evenly into bottom of pie plate. Chill for 10 minutes.
Glaze:
- Meanwhile: Melt semi-sweet chocolate in microwave on ½ power (50% on my microwave) for about 2 ½ - 3 minutes or until melted, then mix with ¼ cup melted butter and corn syrup. *NOTE: You can also choose to use a double boiler to melt chocolate for this step. **NOTE: be careful: If you cook the chocolate on too high of a temperature in the microwave or it comes in contact with any water, it will seize.
- Pour glaze evenly over the chocolate cookie crust and spread it very gently, with a spatula, so as to not break up the cookie or get the crumbs into the chocolate mixture. Evenly cover the entire area. Refrigerate until firm (about 15 minutes)
Filling:
- Spread whipping cream evenly over the chocolate cookie crust, then add a sliced or broken up pieces of white cake.
- Add yellow gel food/icing coloring to vanilla pudding until you get desired colour of yellow. Set aside.
- Top with yellow vanilla pudding. Then use a butter knife to even out, until it’s flush with the edge of the pie plate, adding more or removing excess pudding, as needed.
Chocolate Bats: (**SEE NOTES)
- Remove the wrappers from the Reese's cups.
- Separate the cookies from the filling, then scrape the filling off. Break the cookies in half (I found it worked best to break them in half with my hand, rather than a knife). Now have 8 "bat wings". Scrape off the frosting.
- Press one cookie piece on the left of the Reeses cup and another cookie piece on the right of the Reeses cup.
- Pipe frosting on the back of the edible eyes and secure on top of the center of the Reeses cup. Repeat for remaining 3 bats.
- Place bats on the top of the pie. Serve immediately.***NOTE: If you do not plan to serve right away, refrigerate until ready to serve but do NOT put bats on until immediately before serving. They will get mushy, eyeballs run and they look awful (this happened to me).
Notes
Make the Bats: I got the chocolate bats from: Chelsea's Messy Apron - the ultimate bat party. Head on over there for excellent step-by-step photo instructions on how to make these bats.*But don't put the bats on this Halloween pie until right before serving!
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Expert Recipe Tips:
- Use gel icing color, not grocery-store food coloring: Regular liquid food coloring won’t give you that bright, vibrant “Halloween moon” yellow. I recommend using Wilton Lemon Yellow or another concentrated icing gel for best results.
- Stabilize your whipped cream if making ahead: If you’re preparing the dessert a day in advance, stabilize your whipped cream with ¼ cup of decorator’s piping gel or 1 tablespoon of instant vanilla pudding mix. This helps it hold up beautifully in the fridge.
- Don’t add the bats until serving: The chocolate bats look adorable but can quickly become soggy and lose their shape if placed on too early. Add them right before serving so they stay crisp and the candy eyes don’t run.
- Chill before cutting: For the cleanest slices, refrigerate the trifle for at least 30–45 minutes before serving. It will set up slightly, making it easier to cut and serve neatly.
- Make it in smaller dishes for parties: This recipe can easily be divided into individual dessert cups or mini trifle bowls — perfect for Halloween parties, school events, or potlucks.
- Use quality chocolate for the glaze: Since the glaze is a key flavor element, choose a good-quality semi-sweet chocolate. Cheap chocolate chips may seize or produce a grainy texture.
- Control the salt: Use unsalted butter in both the crust and glaze. The content of salt in salted butter varies by brand and can overpower the dessert’s flavor.
- Avoid plastic wrap: When refrigerating, use a lid or cover the dish loosely with foil. Plastic wrap tends to stick to the pudding layer and can ruin the smooth top.
- Transporting tip: If you’re bringing it to a Halloween gathering, assemble it in a deep pie dish or trifle bowl with a lid. Keep it chilled until ready to serve and add the bats at the last minute for the best presentation.
- Customize your toppings: You can add extra Halloween flair by decorating with edible glitter, candy eyeballs, or festive sprinkles around the “moon.”
Nutrition
Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 83mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
