Fluffy cubes of spiced gingerbread cake layered between creamy cookie butter cheesecake filling, whipped cream, and crispy Biscoff cookies!
We’re just over a week away from the big day–CHRISTMAS. And I’m sure a lot of you are in the midst of figuring out what to make for one of the most important meals of the year. Of course, my mind is ALWAYS focused on dessert.
Although I’m a fan of all desserts during this time of year, you really can’t beat a trifle. Not only do they serve as a real showstopper, but they definitely feed a crowd. So if you’re still on the hunt for a dessert that’s both impressive AND heavenly, look no further than this Cookie Butter Trifle!
With layers of moist gingerbread cake, extra fluffy cookie butter cheesecake filling, fresh whipped cream, and crisp Biscoff cookies, this Cookie Butter Trifle has every single blissful taste and texture imaginable. As much as this trifle feeds, odds are there won’t be much left (if any) by the end of the party.
Why You AND Your Guests Will LOVE This Trifle
- Gingerbread cake that isn’t overpowering – For those of you who aren’t a huge fan of gingerbread cake, hear me out! This cake is not overly gingery or “molassesy” like a lot of gingerbread cake recipes. That’s because I substituted half of the molasses with maple syrup. You still get that classic gingerbread flavor, but it’s more subtle and perfectly sweet!
- The BEST cookie butter cheesecake filling – Not that I’m the least bit biased or anything, but this filling is some of the most addictive stuff you will ever shovel into your mouth. It’s light, fluffy and lusciously creamy! And with a whole cup of cookie butter, it’s brimming with that delightfully-spiced, caramelized flavor of Biscoff!
- A DOUBLE dose of Biscoff – Cookie butter is made from Biscoff cookies, so naturally it made sense to include a layer of those iconic Biscoff cookies in the trifle. That means there’s DOUBLE the Biscoff flavor in every bite! And if you count the drizzle of cookie butter on top, that makes it triple!!
- Impressive AND easy to make – Although this trifle looks time-consuming, it’s actually quite simple to make. For one thing, it starts with one of my favorite shortcuts–a box of cake mix. The cake mix is combined with a few extra ingredients, but it’s all done in one bowl and in less than 10 minutes.
- Great make-ahead dessert – Once the trifle is assembled, it’s best to allow it to chill in the refrigerator to allow the layers to set up. I recommend overnight, but if you’re on a time crunch, 2 hours is enough time.
How to Make This Cookie Butter Trifle
Make the Cake – Start with a box of spice cake mix. I used Duncan Hines, but most any brand will work. To the cake mix, whisk in some flour, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie spice contains cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, which are typical spices in gingerbread cake. It also contains allspice and nutmeg, which enhance those warm spices even more.
Next you’ll add the wet ingredients. This includes vegetable oil, milk, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, and molasses. Make sure to use unsulphured molasses, as it doesn’t leave that chemical taste in the mouth. For the most part, this is the most common type of molasses sold in stores, but make sure that it says “Unsulphured” on the label.
Once you’ve stirred all of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch glass baking dish. Bake it for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make sure to cool the cake completely before cutting it into bite-sized cubes.
Make the Cookie Butter Cheesecake Filling and Whipped Cream – To make things more efficient, the filling and whipped cream are made at the same time. First you’ll whip up 4 cups (or one quart) of whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add a cup of powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Divide the whipped cream evenly among two separate bowls, and place them both in the refrigerator.
For the cookie butter filling, you’ll beat 16 ounces (two 8-oz boxes) of cream cheese and 1 cup of creamy cookie butter together until smooth and creamy. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl in between mixings to ensure an even mixture.
Now you’ll remove one bowl of the whipped cream you made up earlier and incorporate it into the filling. Start by adding about a 1/3 of the whipped cream to the mixture and beating until combined. Grab a rubber spatula and fold in the rest of the whipped cream by hand to avoid over-mixing.
Assembling the Trifle – Order of Layers
- Cake – Place an even layer of cake cubes into the bottom of your trifle dish. Depending on how large your dish is, you’ll end up using a 1/3 – 1/2 of the cake.
- Cookie Butter Filling – Spread half of the cookie butter filling on top of the cake.
- Biscoff Cookies – Chop up 15 Biscoff cookies, and sprinkle them evenly over the filling.
- Whipped Cream – Spread half of the whipped cream on top of the cookies.
- Cake – Add the second layer of cake cubes.
- Cookie Butter Filling – Spread the remaining half of cookie butter filling on top of the cake.
- Whipped Cream – Pipe the rest of the whipped cream along the border of the cake. I used Celebrate It! #8B tip piping tip.
Add the Finishing Touches – To dress this trifle up, you’ll add a final drizzle of cookie butter and some Biscoff cookies. To make the cookie butter “drizzleable”, I heated a tablespoon of it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Then I grabbed a spoon and drizzled away!
Make Mini Trifles With Any Extra Cake And Filling!
This recipe makes quite a bit of cake and filling, so if your trifle dish isn’t quite big enough to hold all of it, I recommend making mini trifles with the leftover cake and filling. Just layer the cake, filling, and cookies in mason jars, screw on a lid, and freeze them for a future sugar craving!
You’ll thank me for this later on…
Cookie Butter Trifle
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake:
- 1 (15.25 oz) box spice cake mix
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cookie Butter Cheesecake Filling AND Whipped Cream:
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup cookie butter
To Assemble:
- 22 Biscoff cookies, divided
- 1 Tablespoon cookie butter
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cake mix, flour, and spices together. Add the rest of the ingredients, and continue whisking until smooth and combined.
- Pour cake batter into greased dish, and bake in the oven for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely, then cut into cubes.
Make the Filling and Whipped Cream:
- In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Divide whipped cream evenly among two separate bowls, and place in the refrigerator.
- Return the bowl to the mixer. Switch whisk attachment out for paddle attachment. Beat cream cheese and cookie butter until smooth and creamy. Remove one bowl of whipped cream from the refrigerator. Add a 1/3 of it to the mixture, beating until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the remaining whipped cream. Reserve the remaining half of the whipped cream for assembling the trifle.
To Assemble:
- Place a layer of cake cubes into the bottom of a large deep bowl or trifle dish. Spread half of the filling on top. Chop 15 of the Biscoff cookies, and sprinkle them over the filling. Spread half of the whipped cream on top of the chopped cookies. Add another layer of cake cubes, followed by the rest of the filling.
- Pipe the rest of the whipped cream along the border of the trifle. Heat the tablespoon of cookie butter in a microwave-safe bowl until thinned out. Drizzle on top of the trifle, and garnish with the rest of the Biscoff Cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.