Peppermint Cheesecake Trifle
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Red velvet cake layered with peppermint cream cheese filling, mint Oreos, Cool Whip and peppermint crunch candies fills this peppermint cheesecake trifle. This festive, layered, holiday dessert will serve (and wow!) a crowd.
A Christmas trifle should be on every Christmas dessert table. And yes, every Christmas has to have a dessert table. Or, like at my grandma’s house, a dessert porch. My grandma’s porch gets so cold that she uses it as a “fridge” for all the pies, cookies, and candies that our crazy baking family makes. And even though it’s ice cold to step out into to grab a peanut butter cookie, it’s so worth it.
This gorgeous Peppermint Cheesecake Trifle is a showstopper that your family will love!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- no-bakeย cheesecake filling with a strong zappy mint flavor
- layered with aย red velvet cake
- a very Christmas-festive look. The cheesecake filling, let me just say, was the most amazing thing we’ve ever done to a trifle. All the flavors blended in perfectly into a cream-cheesy, red velvet trifle
- perfect for a make ahead dessert
How to Make a Trifle
So as you know, trifles are really super easy to make. You can see in the pictures how to layer it somewhat, but I’m going to walk you through it real quick just so you don’t miss anything.
- First, the red velvet. You’ll want to bake the red velvet cake in just a normal 9×13 cake pan and cut it into chunks (bite size or a little bigger, you choose) and lay it on the bottom of the trifle bowl.
- Thenย the creamy white layer comes. That fluffy white stuff isn’tย just your normal whipped cream from a carton. It’sย spruced up a bit. Using cream cheese, powdered sugar and a little bit of peppermint extract, this topping goes perfectly with your trifle. Put on a thick layer of this cheesecake filling,ย just make sure you have enough for at least 1ย more layer.
- Next is the Andes peppermint crunch baking bits and the mint Oreos. These help really bring out the peppermint flavor. And they add to the festive look. You won’t want to forget them!
- After this is a layer of Cool Whip.
- Then, you’re ready to do it all over again, one more time! Don’t worry about the trifle bowl being big enough. Fit as much in there as you can.
Individual Trifles
If you have any extras, make small individual servings. This is perfect for parties because people can just pick them up without having to scoop into a big bowl.
Recipe Variations:
- Use a gluten free cake mix or sugar free cake mix.
- Try adding a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder (or hot chocolate mix) to the cream cheese layer if you love chocolate.
- Use low fat or sugar free Cool Whip.
- Add Peppermint Patties, Junior Mints or your other favorite mint candies.
Can you make a trifle in advance?
Yes. This cake dessert can be made a day in advance. All the layers will have time to settle and the flavors blend. Don’t worry…it won’t get mushy!
Peppermint Cheesecake Trifle
Red velvet cake layered with peppermint cream cheese filling, mint Oreos, Cool Whip and peppermint crunch candies fills this Peppermint Cheesecake Trifle.
Servings 20
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 box Duncan Hines red velvet cake (baked in 9×13 pan according to box directions)
- 15.25 ounces mint Oreos (quartered)
- 10 ounces Andes peppermint crunch baking chips
Cream Cheese Layer:
- 12 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1/2 cup salted butter (softened)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 16 ounces Cool Whip (divided)
Instructions
Prepare the layers:
- Bake the red velvet cake according to package directions. You can do this in advance and even freeze the cake until you are ready to use it.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened cream cheese and butter. Whip together until they are well combined, about 1 minute. Add the peppermint extract and powdered sugar. Beat for an additional 1-2 minutes. Carefully fold in 8 ounces of the Cool Whip.
Assemble the trifle.
- Cut the cake into small pieces or cubes. Put a layer of cake in the bottom of the trifle dish.
- Spoon ½ of the cream cheese filling on top of the cake. Sprinkle with ½ of the Oreo cookies and Andes peppermint crunch chips. Put ½ of the remaining Cool Whip on top of the candy.
- Repeat the layers: cake, cream cheese filling, cookies/candy (reserve a few peppermint pieces to decorate the top) and Cool Whip. Then top with the remaining peppermint chips if desired.
- Depending on the size of your trifle dish, you may not be able to fit all of the ingredients in. We used all of our filling, but had about ¼ of the cake leftover. As you prepare the trifle, be sure to leave enough room so that you can have two of each layer and it will look so pretty!
- Refrigerate until serving. This can be made a day in advance. You can also make individual servings.
Notes
The calories shown are based on the recipe being divided into 20 servings, with 1 serving being about ¾ cup. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 390mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg
Took it to a church potluck and it was the hit of the dessert table! Look for the peppermint pieces with the seasonal candies at the store.
Do the cookies get too soft if made a day ahead of time
I wanted to make this for a class potluck so I’d probably be doubling the recipe to make sure I have enough. If I switch the red velvet with vanilla or devils food cake would it still be okay?
I made this as a last minute idea for something I could make ahead. Turned out my store didn’t have the right mint chips, so I crushed up peppermint m&ms. I also replaced the Oreos with knock-off thin mints. Delicious!! The cream cheese recipe was perfect, not too minty for my family who loved it! So easy, but looked like I made a lot of effort! ๐
Lovely! I think next time I will use a little more cream (I used whipping cream instead of Cool Whip) and will cut the powdered sugar down by half. It’s plenty sweet with the cake, candies and cookies.
I made this for our family Christmas dinner today and it was a huge hit! I couldn’t find the Andes crunch bits, so I used Andes candy and crushed peppermints. Next time I am going to double the cream and use less peppermint candies.
Just wanted to let you know I tried this recipe over the holidays and it was delicious!! A big hit at our family New Year’s celebration. So good, in fact, that I mentioned it on my new blog that I’m creating – http://krinspiration.com/2015/01/07/holiday-sweets/
Happy New Year!
What a delicious and GORGEOUS dessert for Christmas!!! I agree – trifles are amazing!
Oh my gosh! I’m coming to your house for dessert! Save some for me!! ๐
If zappy isn’t a word, it needs to be! I think I’m going to start throwing it around too!! Haha. ๐ This trifle is BEAUTIFUL! Trifles make such an elegant statement. And all the flavors! It’s really amazing – you guys are so on point all.the.time!
If zappy isn’t it a word, it needs to be! I think I’m going to start throwing it around too!! Haha. ๐ This trifle is BEAUTIFUL! Trifles make such an elegant statement. And all the flavors! It’s really amazing – you guys are so on point all.the.time!