This decadent dessert will surely be a crowd pleaser. Peanut Butter Oreo Trifle was born from my son wanting an Oreo trifle for his birthday, and me wanting to add at least a little more depth to the flavor. Oreos and peanut butter are a fantastic combo, so a peanut butter custard was an obvious choice. Check out the recipe and the notes for the long version and short version of this dessert. It’s amazing either way and it’s sure to impress.
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Let the baking begin!
The steps:
- The three layers of the trifle are the dark chocolate cake, the peanut butter custard, and the Oreo whipped cream.
- Start by making the dark chocolate cake. I just use the Duncan Hines Classic Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, but you can use another brand, or homemade.
- Make the cake according to the package’s directions (I just used avocado oil in place of canola oil), split the batter between two 9″ cake pans, bake, and then let cool.
- The long version of the peanut butter custard is to make it on the stovetop. The short version (described in the notes below the recipe), is to use a pudding mix, and add peanut butter.
- Making a custard really isn’t too hard. To put it simply, you heat your cream, milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan or double boiler, then mix some of that into egg yolks, pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan, and then heat until it’s thickened. The peanut butter gets mixed in next, and then the mixture is strained and cooled.
- To make the Oreo whipped cream, you just need to whip some heavy whipping cream into stiff peaks, then add your vanilla and powdered sugar, and then fold in your crushed Oreo cookies. The short version is also show in the notes below the recipe. Assemble the trifle by layering cake, then custard, then whipped cream, and repeating two more times.
- Finish it off by spreading the rest of the crushed Oreo cookies all over the top. Enjoy!
Substitutions:
- See the notes below the recipe for the shorter version of making the custard and the whipped cream.
- You can use a regular chocolate cake in place of a dark chocolate cake, but it will be slightly sweeter. This isn’t necessarily bad, but this dessert can easily get too rich.
- To make this dessert gluten free, you can use a gluten free chocolate cake mix and gluten free sandwich cookies.
- I have only tried this with regular Oreo cookies, but I’m sure you can get creative with the variety of flavors available (maybe birthday cake or chocolate crème!).
Recommended kitchen items:
- Food processor. This Hamilton Beach food processor has been so handy to have and has been a power house. It can chop, puree, shred, slice, and crinkle cut.
- Stainless steel measuring utensils. The spoons are my favorite, because they fit in spice jars. I also love using stainless steel, instead of plastic.
- Stainless steel mixing bowls. This set is awesome, because it has a non-slip bottom and lids for each bowl.
- Electric hand mixer. I have had this hand mixer for about 11 years now, and it is as good as when I first got it. The snap-in storage box is really handy and keeps things tidy.
- Bosch mixer. This powerhouse of a machine is amazing. They have a lifetime warranty and are worth the investment. They hold up to heavy use and are great for all sorts of baked goods.
- Trifle bowl. This is the trifle bowl I have and it’s so pretty. I also love that it has straight sides.
- Stainless steel serving spoons. These are really heavy duty serving spoons at a great price point. They also have a nice feel to them, which is a bonus in my book.
- Cake pans. These are just simple 9″ round cake pans from Walmart! I don’t bake a lot of cakes, so if you do you might want to invest in better pans, but if you’re like me, then they work well enough to get the job done.
- Fine mesh strainers. This set of 3 fine mesh strainers have really come in handy in my kitchen. They’re great for sifting flour, dusting cocoa or powdered sugar, rinsing quinoa or beans, and the list goes on.
- Food thermometer. We got this one from Home Depot and it has done it’s job just as we hoped it would. Digital food thermometers are great for cooking and baking more precisely.
I hope you love this recipe, and would love to hear about how making it went for you! Share with me in the comments below, on Pinterest, or @whitsfoodfit on Instagram.
Peanut Butter Oreo Trifle
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cake*
- 1 box dark chocolate cake mix baked in 9" round cake pans
Peanut Butter Custard- Long Version**
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup peanut butter unsweetened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Oreo Whipped Cream- Long Version***
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 48 Oreos
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cake
- Bake your cake according to your chosen mix's directions in two 9" round cake pans, and let cool. To note: I prefer to use avocado oil in place of the recommended canola oil, and my cakes turn out great.
Peanut Butter Custard
- In a saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, sugar, and salt.
- Heat the mixture on low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until it barely starts to bubble and the sugar is all the way dissolved. Turn off the heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks, and then spoon in about ⅓ of the mixture from the stove.
- Whisk it all together, then pour the mixture into the saucepan, and then turn the heat back on to low-medium.
- Stir the mixture a few times per minute until it starts to lightly boil. Let it lightly boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. If it starts becoming a rolling boil, turn off the heat and keep stirring. The temperature of the custard should be between 180F (82C) and 185F (85C), and it should be getting thick, but pourable.
- Turn off the heat, and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until everything is very well incorporated. If your peanut butter isn't mixing well, you may need to use an immersion blender or a hand mixer to get it smooth.
- Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour. Then, cover the bowl with either a lid or plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for about 3 hours, or until it's set.
Oreo Whipped Cream
- Either by hand or with a food processor, crush all 48 of the Oreos into large crumbs.
- Whip the heavy cream, either with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Mix in the vanilla and powdered sugar until everything is well incorporated.
- With a spatula or wooden spoon, fold about 3 cups of the Oreo chunks into the whipped cream. Save the rest for topping.
Assembly
- Slice ⅓ off the top of each round cake. The thirds that were cut off will be placed together as one layer.
- Assemble the trifle by first adding a layer of cake, making sure it's as close to the edge of the bowl as possible, with as few gaps between it and the bowl as possible- to minimize how much custard drips down.
- Add ⅓ of the custard into the bowl and smooth it out evenly with a spoon or offset spatula.
- Using ⅓ of the Oreo whipped cream, spoon dollops of it around the custard, connect them together, and then smooth it all out the create your next layer.
- Repeat these steps two more times.
- Finish the trifle off by spreading out the rest of your large Oreo crumbs all over the top. (If making ahead, wait to put the Oreos on top until right before serving)
Notes
*I have only used Duncan Hines Classic Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix for this trifle, but another good dark chocolate cake mix, or homemade recipe, will surely work great as well. I like to replace the suggested canola oil with avocado oil and it has always turned out really well.
**To make a short version of Peanut Butter Custard, simply make a box of instant vanilla pudding, and then mix in the 1/2 cup of peanut butter. You will mostly likely need to use either a hand mixer or immersion blender to get it really smooth. Let it refrigerate until you need it.
***Use a 16oz tub of whipped topping, instead of making the whipped cream. Just stir in the Oreos and use as normal.
