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A classic English dessert that is every chocolate lover’s dream! This chocolate trifle is made with layers of devil’s food cake, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and toffee bits that will have you savoring each and every bite.
Trifles are the easiest desserts to make and filled with layers of sweet goodness. Try this classic English trifle or lemon berry trifle next!
Chocolate Cake Trifle
Get ready to dive into a chocolatey paradise with this easy-to-make and incredibly indulgent chocolate trifle. It’s made with Devil’s food cake mix for perfectly rich chocolate flavor! The layers of caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk add a heavenly sweetness that will make your taste buds sing. Then to top it all off, there’s fluffy whipped topping and a sprinkle of crushed Heath bars for a delightful crunch.
Best of all, you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to make this delicious dessert. With just a few ingredients and simple steps, you can enjoy a truly decadent dessert that will have you coming back for bite after bite. It’s similar to this better than anything cake, just in the traditional English layered style! Serve your trifle in a glass dish so that your guests can see all those dreamy layers.
Chocolate Trifle Ingredients
It only takes 5 simple ingredients to put this chocolate trifle together! Even though we’re using boxed cake mix here, the flavor of this dessert is anything but ordinary. I know you’re going to love it as much as I do! Check out the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Devil’s Food Cake Mix: This convenient box of Devil’s food cake mix is the secret ingredient that gives the chocolate trifle its rich and decadent taste. Just prepare according to package directions to create a moist and flavorful chocolate cake base that will make your trifle irresistible. If you have another chocolate cake mix that you prefer, feel free to use that instead!
- Caramel Sauce and Sweetened Condensed Milk: These are combined together and drizzled over each cake layer. Together they add moisture and sweetness to the chocolate trifle.
- Whipped Topping: What’s a trifle without a light and fluffy topping? It adds a delightful cloud of creaminess to each spoonful. Instead of packaged whipped topping, you can also make your own whipped cream at home for a similar result.
- Crushed Heath Bars: For that irresistible crunch and a burst of toffee flavor, crushed Heath bars are the perfect addition to your chocolate trifle. Sprinkle a generous amount of the crumbs between the layers to add texture and a delightful surprise with every bite.
Chocolate Trifle Recipe
If you’re making this dessert for an event, be sure to leave yourself enough time. It needs to chill in the fridge for an hour to soak up the delicious caramel and condensed milk mixture. Trust me, it tastes better this way!
- Prepare Cake: Bake the cake according to the directions. I opted to bake it in two 8-inch rounds, but you can also bake it as a 9×13 if you choose to. Let cool completely.
- Add to Trifle Dish: Once cooled, cut the layers of chocolate cake into small pieces. Then layer ⅓ of the pieces in the bottom of the trifle bowl.
- Caramel Mixture: In a small bowl combine the caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk. Then drizzle ⅓ of the mixture over the cake in the trifle dish.
- Layer Whipped Topping: Spoon ⅓ of the whipped topping over the cake and then cover with a generous handful of heath bars.
- Repeat: Repeat twice more so you have 3 layers of cake, sauce, whipped topping, and heath. Drizzle additional caramel on top of chocolate trifle if desired.
- Chill: Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for an hour before serving to allow the cake to absorb all that delicious sauce.
Tasty Variations
Chocolate trifle is the perfect dessert for satisfying a sweet tooth. These are a few more ways to make it just the way you like it!
- Other Sauces: Instead of caramel sauce, try using white chocolate sauce or even just regular chocolate sauce for a death by chocolate trifle! It’s every chocolate lovers dream.
- More Fillings: Swap the whipped topping out for a chocolate pudding layer! You can also use chocolate mousse or white chocolate mousse.
- Mix-Ins: Add your favorite chopped nuts or cookie pieces! I love adding Oreos.
- Brownie Layer: Instead of chocolate cake, feel free to use brownies instead. This is a great way to add a little extra fudginess.
Storing Leftovers
If you have leftovers of your chocolate trifle, tightly cover your trifle dish with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that the longer this dessert sits, the more moist it will become from the sauces and whipped topping seeping into the cake.
More Desserts for Chocolate Lovers
Satisfy your sweet tooth with a few more of my favorite chocolatey recipes! With how rich and delicious they are, you won’t be able to get enough. Need more dessert inspo? Find my full list of chocolate recipes here.
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Chocolate Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 box Devil’s food cake mix
- 12 ounces caramel sauce
- 1 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 16 ounce whipped topping thawed
- 1 cup crushed heath bars more if desired
Instructions
- Bake the cake according to the directions. I opted to bake it in two 8-inch rounds, but you may bake it as a 9×13 if you choose to. Let cool completely.
- Once cooled, cut the cake into small pieces. Layer ⅓ of the pieces in the bottom of the trifle dish.
- In a small bowl combine the caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk. Drizzle ⅓ of the mixture over the cake in the trifle dish.
- Spoon ⅓ of the whipped topping over the cake and cover with a generous handful of heath bars.
- Repeat twice more so you have 3 layers of cake, sauce, whipped topping, and heath. Drizzle additional caramel on top, if desired.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for an hour before serving to allow the cake to absorb all that delicious sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is this a dessert that you can make the night before?
Yes! In fact, I think it’s better that way. All of the flavors meld and it gets nice and moist.