Irish Coffee Trifle Recipe
This quick and easy Irish Coffee Trifle is perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any festive gathering. Ready in minutes, it's delicious with layers of chocolate cake and pastry cream.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 368kcal
Ingredients
- 1 chocolate cake store-bought or homemade, cubed
Pastry Cream
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
Garnish
- fresh mint sprigs
- chocolate curls
Instructions
- Make chocolate curls, if using, and store in the refrigerator or freezer. This can be made ahead of time.
- Cube the chocolate pound cake and set aside.
Make the Irish Pastry Cream
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Into another bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, brown sugar, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder; beat until smooth and creamy. Then, beat in the vanilla and rum extracts and ⅓ of the whipped cream. With a spatula, fold in the remaining whipped cream until combined.
Assemble the Trifle
- Begin and end with an Irish pastry cream layer as follows: Add ⅓ of the pastry cream to the bottom of the trifle dish. Top with ½ of the cubbed chocolate cake. Then add a second layer of pastry cream, followed by the remaining cubed cake. Add a final layer of pastry cream to the top.
- If serving immediately, top chocolate curls, if using, and sprigs of fresh mint. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours if serving later. Just before serving, decorate the top of the trifle.
Notes
- Chocolate Cake: I like to make a quick and easy espresso chocolate cake in a loaf pan the day before. In fact, I make two and freeze one for later use. You can also buy a chocolate cake or bundt cake and cube it.
- Chocolate curls: Melt 3 ounces of quality chocolate with 1 teaspoon of neutral cooking oil. Once melted, stir until smooth and then spread thinly onto the underside of a sheet pan. Place in the freezer for 2-3 minutes or until the chocolate is set yet not frozen. If you leave it in too long, let it sit out for a minute at room temperature. To make the curls, brace the back of the baking sheet with one hand and hold a metal spatula or bench scraper in the other. At a 45 degree angle, gently push the spatula through the chocolate. It will make chocolate curls! Immediately place the chocolate in the refrigerator (or even freezer) to harden completely.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 148mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 29g