This No Bake Chocolate Lasagna Trifle is the perfect easy dessert for hosting. Made with layers of crushed chocolate cookies, homemade dark and milk chocolate pudding and whipped cream, it is easy to make, looks incredible and tastes absolutely delicious.
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
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Why you will love this recipe
It requires no baking. Many "no bake" trifles use pre-made cakes or brownies, which defeats the purpose in my opinion. This trifle uses crushed chocolate cookies instead which are easily accessible, making it very easy to make.
It uses a delicious homemade chocolate pudding. Instead of a pudding mix, you will make both dark and milk chocolate pudding from scratch with this recipe, and the result is far superior!
It is unbelievably delicious. The chocolate layers are creamy, silky and divine, and perfectly balanced by the light whipped cream and crushed cookies.
It looks amazing. Seriously, look at this trifle! It is quite the dessert centerpiece.
It is very versatile. You can adjust pretty much everything to your liking, from the number of layers to the dish you serve in. It's also great in individual serving cups!
Video tutorial
Here is a short video tutorial for this recipe that I recommend watching first:
Elements of this Chocolate Lasagna Trifle
This no bake chocolate lasagna trifle has 4 key components:
- Crushed chocolate cookies. You any chocolate creme cookies you like (e.g., Oreos, Back to Nature). If you want, you can also add some melted butter, which will help bind the crushed cookies together
- Homemade chocolate pudding. The silky and decadent chocoalte pudding is made with a custard base and chocolate. You can use just one kind of chocolate, but I highly recommend dividing the custard into two and making both dark and milk chocolate puddings for added flavor depth without extra work
- Whipped cream. A simple whipped cream made with heavy cream, sugar and vanilla adds some lightness to this trifle
- Chocolate ganache. The trifle is topped with a chocolate ganache to bring everything together!
To decorate, I like to use cocktail cherries and chocolate shavings. You are free to decorate however you like, though!
My trifle bowl
I got my trifle bowl from Amazon and absolutely love it! You can also use a simple glass serving dish, or individual dessert cups like these ones.
Process with photos
The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
1. Crushed cookie layer
Add the cookies to a food processor and blitz until they form a fine crumb. If adding melted butter, add it with this step
2. Chocolate pudding layer
Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Separately, add the milk, heavy cream, salt and vanilla to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking to temper the eggs:
Pour everything back into the saucepan, and cook and stir on low heat until a thick and creamy custard forms:
Place milk and dark chocolates in 2 bowls. Divide the hot custard evenly between the two. Rest for 5 minutes, then gently stir into 2 silky chocolate puddings:
3. Whipped cream layer
Whip heavy cream, vanilla and sugar to medium peaks:
4. Chocolate ganache layer
Microwave cream and dark chocolate in 20 second increments and stir to form the chocolate ganache:
5. Assembly
Assemble the trifle in the trifle bowl with two layers each of the crushed cookies, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream.
Refrigerate for ~6 hours, then top with the chocolate ganache and decorate with cherries and chocolate shavings. Serve & enjoy!
Tips to perfect the pudding
A few simple tips to achieve the perfect silky chocolate pudding:
- Make sure not to overcook the custard. Cook on the lowest heat and stir constantly until it thickens. Overcooking or cooking on high heat will cause it to curdle and split
- Strain the custard. When adding to the chocolates, pass the custard through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of any lumps
- Microwave if needed! After mixing in the chocolate, if you still see any lumps, it's likely bits of chocolate that haven't melted. Microwave for 10-15 seconds and stir, and the pudding should become smooth
Ideas to customize this trifle
There are many ways you can customize this trifle! Here are some ideas:
- Add melted butter to the crushed cookie layer. This is an additional step but can help bind the cookie layer. I personally don't bother with this
- Replace the crushed cookies with brownies or chocolate cake for a more decadent dessert
- Add more, thinner layers instead of 2 thick layers of each component. This is more work but can make the trifle look even better
- Add layers of fruit! Imagine cherries or strawberries - they will taste absolutely delicious
- Make different kinds of chocolate pudding with different kinds of chocolate. I use dark and milk chocolate in this recipe, but you could even use white!
- Serve in individual dessert cups instead of a trifle bowl
Frequently asked questions
Yes! This recipe is very flexible, so use pre-made, box-mix or homemade brownies or chocolate cake instead of the cookies. I highly recommend my fudgy brownie and easy chocolate cake recipes.
Yes, you may use a chocolate pudding mix, but I highly recommend making the chocolate pudding yourself as it tastes much better!
Related recipes
You've come to the right place for delicious no bake recipes! Check these out:
No Bake Chocolate Lasagna Trifle Recipe
- Total Time: 40 min + chilling
- Yield: 10 servings
Description
An easy and delicious no bake chocolate lasagna trifle made with crushed chocolate cookies, homemade chocolate pudding and whipped cream.
Ingredients
Crushed cookie layer:
- 30 chocolate crème cookies like Oreos (340g)
- Optional: 5 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (70g)
Chocolate pudding layer:
- 1 cup milk (240g)`
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream (360g)
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup sugar (50g)
- 225g milk chocolate, chopped
- 225g dark chocolate, chopped
Whipped cream layer:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled (480g)
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Ganache:
- 50g dark choc
- ¼ cup heavy cream (60g)
- 1 tsp oil
Optional decoration: cherries, chocolate shavings
Instructions
Crushed cookie layer:
- Add the cookies and melted butter (if using) to a food processor. Blitz until they form a fine crumb. Set aside
Chocolate pudding layer:
- Add the heavy cream, milk, vanilla and salt to a saucepan. Heat on low flame until the mixture starts to simmer
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until combined
- Pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. This step helps temper the eggs so they don't cook or curdle
- Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan. Cook and stir on a low flame for ~8-10 minutes until the mixture thickens like a custard and coats the back of a spoon. Make sure to keep stirring so the mixture doesn't stick or curdle. Once it starts to boil, it will thicken quickly. Be careful not to overcook or overthicken as the custard can split
- Add the milk and dark chocolates into 2 separate bowls. Pour half of the hot custard onto each bowl, passing it through a fine sieve mesh to get rid of lumps. Let sit for 5 minutes, then gently stir to melt the chocolates into the custard and form the dark and milk chocolate puddings. If you see any bits of unmelted chocolate, microwave for 10-20 seconds and stir again
- Place the puddings in the fridge for ~30 minutes so they can thicken up. This will allow for neater layering during assembly
Whipped cream layer:
- Whisk the heavy cream, vanilla and sugar until the mixture thickens up and reaches the "medium peak" stage. Do not over whisk
- Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag - this will make it easy to spread
Ganache:
- To make the ganache, add the cream, chocolate and oil to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring between each, until a smooth chocolate ganache forms. Keep it at room temperature
Assembly:
- When the puddings have cooled down, it's time to assemble!
- In a trifle bowl, add half of the crushed cookies and gently press down with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup. Then add all of the dark chocolate pudding and spread it out. Pipe on half of the whipped cream and spread it evenly, taking care to keep the edges as neat as possible. Repeat this process, with a layer of the remaining crushed cookies, all of the milk chocolate pudding and the remaining whipped cream. You can also add more layers (e.g., 3 layers of each component instead of 2)
- Refrigerate the trifle for 6-8 hours until it is thoroughly chilled
- When ready to serve, remove from the fridge. Warm the ganache for a few seconds until it is runny. Pour over the trifle and spread it out. Decorate with cherries and chocolate shavings
- Serve & enjoy!
Video Tutorial:
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Meena says
Hi Zoha! Can I substitute the chocolate pudding layer(s) with your chocolate mousse recipe? Thanks!
Christine says
If using a chocolate cake, is it crumbled in each layer and what size? Would love to make this for Easter.