Gingerbread Cheesecake Trifle

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This Gingerbread Cheesecake Trifle is an easy no-bake holiday dessert! It has layers of thick gingerbread cookies, no-bake gingerbread cheesecake, caramel and whipped cream. Perfectly easy and festive for holiday parties!

Why You’ll Love Gingerbread Cheesecake Trifle

During the holidays, we need easy and delicious desserts in our dessert arsenal. No baking required, just a little mixing and layering, refrigerate, and you’re done. This Gingerbread Cheesecake Trifle fits the bill! Simple ingredients, minimal effort, big flavor and presentation. It’s a winner any way you look at it!

• Great gingerbread flavor. The layers of gingerbread cookies and spiced cheesecake filling are packed with the flavors of molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. The fragrant spices will warm you up from the inside out.
• A perfect make-ahead dessert. This gingerbread trifle is so easy to prep, and there’s absolutely no baking! I recommend making the trifle the night before you need it (maybe while the kids are sleeping, wink wink). Place it in the fridge overnight, and let everything soften up and meld together.
• Gorgeous. You’re well on your way to making some Christmas magic when your family and friends lay their eyes on this beauty. Get yourself a clear glass trifle bowl so that everyone can see the layers of cookies, cheesecake filling, soft caramel sauce, and whipped cream. You won’t be able to stop them from coming back for seconds!

Now that I’ve convinced you of the wonders of no-bake desserts, make sure to check out some of my other holiday favorites like No Bake Peppermint Cheesecake, No Bake Eggnog Icebox Cake and Red Velvet Cheesecake Shortbread Trifle!

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Gingerbread Cheesecake Trifle

Trifles are almost impossible to mess up as long as you start with the right ingredients. Take a look at my ingredient tips, and check the recipe card below for full amounts needed.

• Cream cheese – To make a luscious cheesecake filling, free of lumps, make sure to use room temperature cream cheese. You’ll know it is soft enough to use when a small indent appears after pressing the cream cheese gently with your thumb.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar helps to sweeten and balance out the tartness of the cream cheese.
• Spices – You’ll need ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves to give the cheesecake filling the signature flavors of gingerbread.
• Unsulfured molasses – You may be asking yourself what unsulfured molasses is. Simply put, it’s regular molasses that is made from mature sugar cane. It’s dark, rich flavor is preserved without the use of sulfur dioxide. Don’t use blackstrap molasses.
• Milk – Any fat percentage will work. You’ll only need a little to thin out the cheesecake filling.
• Heavy whipping cream – To achieve a light and pillowy cheesecake filling we are going to make whipped cream to fold into the batter. We will also use whipped cream for one of the trifle layers and as a topping. Make sure to use cold heavy whipping cream for the best results. You can even chill the bowl and beaters before making the whipped cream to help speed up the whipping process.
• Powdered sugar – Because powdered sugar has cornstarch in it, it sweetens and thickens the whipped cream. The thickening properties of cornstarch help with overall stability in trifle layers containing whipped cream.
• Vanilla extract – It’s rich flavor pairs beautifully with the spices, caramel, and cream.
• Gingerbread cookies – I used my favorite childhood gingerbread cookies in this trifle – the Little Debbie ones – and I think they are the perfect cookie for this trifle. They are thick, puffy, and soft; they make a great solid layer in a trifle. If you can’t find them, I’d recommend using another gingerbread cookie that is nice and thick. (You could also use gingerbread cake instead of cookies, but that would require baking which defeats the whole purpose of a no bake recipe!)
• Caramel sauce – I highly recommend this caramel sundae syrup. Unlike homemade caramel sauces, it stays soft after being refrigerated, which makes it easier to scoop and eat in a trifle.

How to Make a Christmas Gingerbread Trifle

This trifle is quick and easy to make. A little mixing, layering, and refrigerating, and you’re done! Check out the step-by-step photos for a quick overview of the directions. More comprehensive directions can be found in the recipe card below.

To Make the Gingerbread Cheesecake Filling

• Combine the cream cheese and sugar: Add the cream cheese and sugar to a large mixer bowl and mix until well combined and smooth.
• Mix in spices: Add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, molasses, and milk, and mix until well combined and smooth. Set aside.

• Make whipped cream: In another large mixer bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. 
• Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture: Gently fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Set the rest of the whipped cream aside.

To Assemble the Trifle

• Start a layer of gingerbread cookies: Place about half of the gingerbread cookies in the bottom of a large trifle dish. Spread into an even layer. I like to break them into pieces first to help them fit and make them easier to scoop out later. 
• Top with half the cream cheese mixture: Add half of the cream cheese mixture and spread into an even layer.
• Cover with half the caramel sauce: Add half of the caramel sauce on top of the cream cheese mixture in an even layer. 
• Spread a layer of whipped cream: Use another 1/3 of the whipped cream to create an even layer on top of the caramel sauce.

• Repeat the cookie, cream cheese mixture, and caramel layers: Add another layer of the gingerbread cookies, cream cheese mixture, and caramel sauce. You should have used all of each of them.
• Decorate: Use the remaining 1/3 of the whipped cream to pipe swirls around the top of the cheesecake, then decorate as desired. I added a few more gingerbread men to the top of mine. 
• Chill: Place trifle in the fridge, and let it firm up for about 4 hours, then serve. Best eaten within 3-4 days.

Tips for Success

Trifles are practically fool-proof, but here are a few tips to help you through the process.

• Break the gingerbread cookies before layering them. I like to break the gingerbread cookies into pieces before using them in the trifle for a couple of reasons. First of all, smaller pieces are easier to fit into the round bowl and layer more evenly. Secondly, smaller cookie pieces will be easier to scoop out and eat later. 
• Make homemade whipped cream. Originally, this recipe was made with Cool Whip, but after extensive, tasty research, I’ve decided that real whipped cream is definitely the way to go. However, if you are rushed on time (or just prefer Cool Whip) go for it! You’ll need 20 oz to make the trifle.
• Use a thin caramel sundae sauce. You might be tempted to use a thick caramel sauce in the trifle. Normally, I’m all about thick caramel sauce, but not for this recipe. Chilled caramel sauces tend to become extra thick and even slightly chewy after refrigeration. Trust me, you don’t want a thick, hard layer of caramel in your trifle because it will be difficult to scoop and eat. I highly recommend using a caramel sundae sauce that stays soft when refrigerated.
• Plan for chill time. My favorite part of a trifle is how the ingredients soften, mix, and meld while chilling. It will need at least 4 hours in the fridge for the best taste and texture. Start early, and don’t rush the process.

More Gingerbread Dessert Recipes

• Best Gingerbread Cookies (Soft and Chewy Cutouts)
• Gingerbread Layer Cake
• Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookie Cups
• Gingerbread Cookies with Eggnog Icing
• Nutty Gingerbread House
• Gingerbread Cheesecake
• Gingerbread Cupcakes with Caramel Molasses Cream Cheese Icing

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Enjoy!

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