Chocolate Peanut Butter Trifle

Layers of gooey peanut butter pudding, chocolate cake and cream make for one delicious bowl-licking dessert!

Do you like chocolate?  Do you like peanut butter?  Do you like chocolate and peanut butter together?  If you answered "yes" to all three questions, this is the dessert for you!  This is one of those super-easy-crowd-pleasing desserts that gets licked up at potlucks and family gatherings, where people will ask you for the recipe and think you are a pastry chef par excellence!  You don't have to let them in on the secret but sharing is so nice, I'm sure you'll capitulate to their pleadings and give them the recipe or at least direct them to this web site.  

I've been making this Chocolate Peanut Butter Trifle for a few years and as I stated above everyone likes it quite well.  I didn't have a recipe for this as I just threw a few ingredients together and this is what turned out.  I'm sure others have stumbled across something similar but for me it's an original.  I first made this using a chocolate cake mix but it can be very successfully made using a homemade chocolate cake like my Cocoa Fudge Cake or Fabulous Fudge Cake.  Use whatever you want.  

Get ready to scoop up a serving as fast as you can because there may not be any left if you wait.  

I'm giving the recipe in two amounts.  One for a family and one for a large gathering.  The directions are the same except the smaller trifle will fill an 8-10 cup trifle bowl.  The larger trifle will need a punch bowl or very large salad bowl to hold the contents. 

Note: I can no longer find instant butterscotch pudding anywhere so I have substituted homemade Butterscotch Pudding in this trifle.  Add the peanut butter to the pudding when you add the butter and vanilla. I have also included the pudding recipe here in a printable copy below. 

Printable recipe at bottom of post.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Trifle

For a family sized trifle--about 8-10 servings:

• 1  9-inch layer of a two layer chocolate cake (homemade or cake mix)
• ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter
• 1¾ cups milk
• 1 four-serving size package instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 2 cups whipped topping or whipped cream, divided
• Chocolate shavings or crushed Crispy Crunch or Skor Bars for garnish

For a potluck sized trifle--about 16-20 servings:

• 2  9-inch layers of chocolate cake (homemade or cake mix)
• ⅔ cup smooth peanut butter
• 3½ cups milk
• 2 four-serving size packages instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 4 cups whipped topping or whipped cream, divided
• Chocolate shavings or crushed Crispy Crunch or Skor Bars for garnish

Make, bake and cool your favourite chocolate cake.  You will need only one layer for the small trifle and two layers for the large.   Cut the cake into approximately 2-inch squares or 1-inch slices.  Lay aside.

Slowly mix the milk into the peanut butter. You want the mixture to come together in a smooth, sauce-like mixture.  You can do this by hand or with your mixer.  Add the dry instant butterscotch pudding to the peanut butter milk stirring and mixing for about 2 minutes until everything is well combined and the pudding is starting to thicken.  Fold one-third of the whipped topping/cream into the pudding mix.  It can be streaky.  You don't need to fully incorporate the cream into the pudding. 

Take the appropriate sized bowl and place a layer of cake squares on the bottom.  Cover with about one-third of the pudding mix.  Repeat layers two more times for three layers of cake and pudding.  Cover the last layer with the remaining whipped topping or cream.  Garnish with chocolate shavings or a crushed Crispy Crunch or Skor bar.  

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.  

Once you have the cake baked and cooled it only takes a few minutes to put this tasty dessert together.  Combine the milk with the peanut butter, add the dry butterscotch pudding and when thickened add one-third of the whipped topping or cream.

Today I made the large trifle using a full cake (2 layers).  This requires quite a large bowl and a punch bowl "takes the cake".   Make three layers of cake and pudding starting with cake and ending with pudding.

Cover the last layer with the remaining whipped topping or cream.  I garnished the top with chocolate shavings.  A Crispy Crunch or Skor bar is also a good garnish.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Then dig in!  

Yum, yum!

 A dessert to share with your friends.  
Get your spoons ready.

To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩          

                                        To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩