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DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
A potluck is the ultimate test of whether people truly enjoy a dish—if your contribution is so-so, there will likely be leftovers, but when something is truly good, it disappears. (My personal tip is to bring a fruit or veggie tray to balance out all the sodium, but it’s your life and your potluck so bring whatever you want!)
If you consider potlucks a competition, then bring out the big guns for your next one—and by “big guns,” I mean this Chocolate Trifle recipe. Not only does this recipe come together easily, but it also swiftly disappears no matter what the function.
"This chocolate trifle has layers of brownies, chocolate pudding, and whipped topping," says recipe creator Wayne. "It's so easy to make and delicious! Folks line up for this dessert at church functions."
What Makes This Recipe So Special?
Trifle is already a quintessential potluck dish because it’s simple to prepare. Fun fact: When it first debuted, trifle was a much more complicated dish reserved for elites, but thanks to cooking innovations like boxed cake and pudding mix and tubs of whipped topping, it’s become a much simpler dessert better suited to the masses.
While traditional English trifle is a perfectly good dessert, Wayne’s chocolatey twist has its own merits—namely rich flavor and a more toothsome texture thanks to the substitution of brownies for cake. It’s a formula that works, and kind of like a beautiful cross between traditional trifle and fudgy brownies.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
How to Make Chocolate Trifle
Be sure to make your chocolate trifle a day in advance, as it will need to sit in the fridge for 8 hours. You’ll also need boxed brownie and chocolate pudding mix, an egg, water, a can of sweetened condensed milk, vegetable oil, two containers of thawed frozen whipped topping, and a chocolate candy bar.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-inch square glass baking pan. Next, combine boxed brownie mix, an egg, ¼ cup water and ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large bowl and stir until well-blended—50 strokes should do the trick—and spread the mixture into the baking pan.
Bake until a toothpick comes out cleanly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, around 30 minutes. Cut the brownies into 1-inch cubes.
In another large bowl, mix a can of condensed milk, ½ cup water, and a box of chocolate pudding mix and mix until smooth. Fold in 8 ounces of thawed whipped topping until no streaks remain.
Add half of the brownie cubes to a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, then top with half of the pudding mixture and 6 ounces of thawed whipped topping. Repeat the layers and shave chocolate on top for a garnish. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours before serving.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Tips for Making Chocolate Trifle
The Allrecipes community loves Chocolate Trifle—not just because it’s a simple hit, but also because it’s easily adjustable to personal preferences. Community members who don’t like the taste of Cool Whip or sweetened condensed milk, for example, opted to whip cream themselves and use granulated or powdered sugar instead, or are pleasantly surprised when they use chocolate or devil’s food cake mix instead of boxed brownies.
This trifle recipe also takes well to customization—various reviewers cited success with the addition of a layer of raspberry jam, chopped candy, Oreo crumbles, and even homemade cannoli filling.
“[Mix it up a bit with your favorite flavor combinations,” says Allrecipes community member wldgrdnr. “You really can't go wrong.”
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Trifle
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