This dessert was SO good! No one would even guess it was gluten-free, unless you tell them. I tweaked a chocolate cake recipe that I’ve used in the past, made some homemade chocolate pudding, and did a flavoured whipped cream. You could use instant chocolate pudding and a tub of Cool Whip to make things easier for you if you’d like, I won’t tell. 
Chocolate Cake
- 2/3 cup brown rice flour
- 2/3 cup tapioca starch
- 2/3 cup sorghum flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup cold coffee
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, slightly beaten
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
- Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, coffee, oil, vanilla and beaten eggs. Whisk together in well.
- Stir together wet ingredients with dry ingredients until fully incorporated and pour into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not overbake!
- Cool cake completely. Once completely cooled, cut into 1-inch squares for the trifle.
Thick Chocolate Pudding
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 cups skim milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or other flavouring)
- 1 Tbsp butter
- In a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl, combine the first four ingredients.
- Stir in milk until smooth.
- Microwave, uncovered, on high for 3 minutes; stir.
- Microwave 4-6 minutes longer, or until thickened, stirring after each minute.
- Stir in vanilla and butter.
- Place plastic wrap directly on the hot pudding (keeps thick pudding skin from forming), and refrigerate until cool.
Whipped Topping
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp brandy (or other flavouring of your choice)
- Using the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk cream on high speed.
- Add sugar and brandy. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- Mix approximately 1/3 of the whipping cream into the cooled chocolate pudding. This lightens the pudding up, making it more like a mousse.
Assembling the Trifle
- In a large bowl (I use a glass pail), spread a thin layer of whipping cream.
- Top with a layer of of cake pieces.
- Then a layer of pudding (use 1/2 the pudding).
- Whipped cream again (1/2 of what remains).
- Then cake. Top this layer of cake with bought caramel sauce & 2 chopped up Skor bars, if you wish.
- Now top with another layer of pudding (the remainder).
- Now it is time to spread on the remainder of the whipped cream. This gets topped with another 2 chopped Skor bars.
NOTE: Best if you can let it sit for a few hours or overnight before serving it.
Sources: Based on recipes from GingerLemonGirl and Recipezaar
This dessert looks incredibly delicious !
If only this was also calorie free it would be perfect!
I will put it in the dream folder for when I need a chocolate fix. Yum.
Your photos are amazing Jeanine..what kind of a camera do you have? I am not the greatest fan of chocolate but you present it so well that I think I would love a dish of that trifle!! And no problems around here..lots of chocolate lovers in my family!
It was VERY delicious.
Katy, you don't want to be making this every weekend. But, it is great to serve a crowd!
Betty, thank you so much for the compliments.
I actually use a simple point & shoot, a Canon PowerShot A560 (few years old already). I've been playing around with my manual settings & light boxes lately, seems to make a difference (always use your Macro setting, it works great!).
Yes I always use my Macro setting and I know lighting is very important..I have a Samsung NV10 and it has 10.1 pixels.
I'm going to completely cheat on this one, I think … use Pamela's Chocolate Cake Mix, Instant Pudding & Cool Whip
I like taking the easy way out sometimes!
Divine! Yes, I wouldn't guess it was gluten free, I'm loving the texture of that chocolatey cake!
Betty, lighting seems to be the key thing too. PLus, I set my camera to take a number of pics when I push the button, so I'm sure to get something nice & clear. Oh, and no zooming either, just get in real close!
Karen, those sound like WONDERFUL shortcuts!
Sophie, I was hoping you would be able to see the texture of that cake. It was FANTASTIC!
Moist, not crumbly, and beautifully chocolaty. 
It's always wonderful to find a GF chocolate cake recipe. Another one to put in my recipe box.
Maybe birthday cake. Hmmmm…..
You can never go wrong with chocolate + more chocolate! I miss eating a triffle!
Jen, this cake is so easy to do, it's WAY better than any box mix you can buy. And PERFECT for a birthday cake!
Trifle is GOOD! I agree.
ooooh i think i need some of that trifle! yum
This looks so delicious. If I opt to leave out the coffee, do I need to sub any extra liquid?
Also, would it change the consistency of the pudding drastically if I used 1 or 2% milk rather than skim, do you think?
It IS delicious!
If you omit the coffee, I'd replace it with either more buttermilk or water. The coffee just adds a little flavour. And in place of the skim milk, any other milk would work great. I always use 1%, because that's what we have in the house. Let me know how it turns out!
Great! Thanks, Jeanine. I'm excited to try it in the next couple days. I'll let ya know how it goes.
Cake=wonderful and came out perfectly (though I ended up having a lot leftover, but hey-extra cake! yum!)
Whipped cream=wonderful (hard to screw that up and it's strangely therapeutic to make at home rather than buy in a can haha)
Pudding=delicious (though it got a skin on it which is most likely from me failing at following directions.)
I haven't tried the finished product yet as I just made up 6 little 8oz glasses of the stuff and put it in the fridge (easier to not be tempted to eat the whole bowl…and we didn't have a bowl that wasn't already in use-that's college for you) but I gotta imagine with all the delicious factors it can't be bad!
Thanks for posting the recipe!
Sarar, you won't be disappointed! If all the separate components are good, the combination will be GREAT!!
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