A fun and festive St. Patrick’s Day trifle makes for the perfect treat to take to parties! It’s filled to the brim with homemade sponge cake, pistachio pudding, whipped cream, and topped with an irresistible pistachio streusel.
A trifle with all of its sweet layers makes the perfect sweet treat to follow up your corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day!
I fear I may be entering a trifle era. As I mentioned in my other St. Patrick’s Day recipe posts, I’ve been referencing lots of vintage Irish cookbooks for ideas this year, and this is another idea that came from The Irish Heritage Cookbook.
This recipe is based on Angela Padden’s St. Patrick’s Day Trifle. In her version, she layers ladyfingers with raspberry jam, lime gelatin, pears, sherry, and whipped cream. I’m sure it’s delicious, but I couldn’t totally see the vision with lime gelatin and red jam and canned pears all brushed with sherry. That said, I haven’t tried it for myself, so maybe Angela is on to something. It did, however, spark a few ideas for me and what I wanted my own version of a St. Patrick’s Day trifle to look like.
My husband and I are both big fans of Jello pistachio pudding, so I felt like it was a must. I also saw a really simple recipe for a sponge cake in another one of my vintage cookbooks, so I thought I would use that as the cake base. A simple, homemade whipped cream is a must with any trifle.
But then I realized that it really needed a crunchy element. I didn’t want to just do plain pistachios, and that’s when the idea of the pistachio streusel came to me. Raw pistachios coated lightly in flour, brown sugar, and held together with a little honey and butter. That just makes the perfectly crunchy sweet finish to this creamy sweet treat.
Do you need to make homemade sponge cake? Absolutely not. You can use a store-bought cake. Sponge cake or angel food cake or layers of ladyfingers are all excellent store-bought choices! You can also use a box of yellow cake mix. If you’re more of a chocolate fan, try it with chocolate cake instead.
How to make this St. Patrick’s Day trifle
If you’re making the sponge cake from scratch, this recipe is a bit more complicated. Simplify it with a store-bought option or give the homemade sponge cake a whirl if you’re up to the challenge! Everything else comes together pretty quickly.
- Sponge cake: You’ll need eggs, sugar, cake flour, milk, and baking powder.
- Pudding: I used Jello’s pistachio pudding.
- Whipped cream: You’ll need heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Pistachio streusel: This is made with raw pistachios, butter, flour, brown sugar, honey, and a pinch of salt.
- Step 1: Make the sponge cake. Beat egg yolks until pale yellow and thick. This takes awhile, so don’t rush the process! With an electric mixer, it can take a solid 8 to 10 minutes of beating. From there, add flour and baking powder to the egg yolks. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture.
- Step 2: Bake the sponge cake. Pour the mixture into two greased cake pans. Transfer to the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Turn the cakes onto a wire rack to cool. If they’re being persnickety, you can use a butter knife or spatula to cut around the edges of the cake pan to help encourage them to release. Or you can gently tap the bottom of the cake pan to get them to release as well. But remember, you’ll be cutting these up anyway, so no need for them to come out perfectly!
Once the sponge cake is cool enough to handle, cut it into bite-sized cubes.
- Step 3: Make the pistachio streusel. I like the make the streusel in a gallon storage bag. Put the whole pistachios in the bag and crush them with a rolling pin or heavy-bottomed pot. To the bag, add the butter, flour, brown sugar, honey, and salt. Close up the bag and use your hands to massage all the ingredients together until a loose, crumbly mixture forms. Transfer it to a baking sheet and bake at 375ºF for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the streusel to a plate and let cool completely.
- Step 4: Make the pudding. Meanwhile, make the pistachio pudding according to package directions.
- Step 5: Make the whipped cream. At this stage, you can also make the whipped cream by beating heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
- Step 6: Assemble the trifle. Add half the sponge cake cubes, then add half the pudding and smooth it into a layer, begin careful not to break up the cake too much. Add half the whipped cream and smooth it into a layer, taking care not to mix it into the pudding. Add the rest of the sponge cake cubes and repeat the layers of pudding and whipped cream. Finish with the pistachio streusel on top.
- Step 7: Refrigerate the trifle. Refrigerate the trifle for at least one hour. Because the whipped cream is stabilized with powdered sugar, you can refrigerate it overnight. The trifle is best eaten within 24 to 48 hours.
From there, you’re ready to serve it up! Right before serving, add a few mint leaves if you like and scoop the trifle onto plates and enjoy!
St. Patrick’s Day Trifle
Ingredients
Homemade sponge cake:
- 4 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
Pistachio streusel:
- 1 cup raw pistachios
- 3 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Pinch salt
Whipped cream:
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For assembly:
- 3.4 ounce package pistachio pudding
- 2 cups whole milk
- Mint leaves (optional)
Instructions
Make the sponge cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease the bottoms of two 9-inch cake pans or line the bottoms of the cake pans with parchment paper. Leave the sides of the cake pans ungreased.
Beat the egg yolks:
- Add the egg yolks to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and thick; they will increase in volume. This takes about 5 minutes of consistent mixing.
- Add the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the whole milk and mix until incorporated.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the egg yolks.
Prepare the egg whites:
- Beat the egg whites until medium-stiff peaks form.
Finish the batter:
- Fold the egg whites into the batter and stir gently until combined.
Bake the sponge cakes:
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Transfer to the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the sponge cake is firm to the touch.
Cool the sponge cakes:
- Remove the sponge cakes from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Use a butter knife or a thin spatula to run around the sides and bottom of the pan to separate the cake from the pan. Flip the pan over onto a wire rack and lightly tap the bottom of the pan to release the cake if needed. You’re going to be cutting it up into bite-sized pieces, so don’t fret if it doesn’t come out perfectly!
- Allow the sponge cakes to cool for at least 1 hour. Once cool, you can wrap them in plastic wrap until you’re ready to begin the trifle.
Prepare the streusel:
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Place the pistachios in a gallon storage bag and use a heavy-bottomed pan or rolling pin to crush. To the bag, add butter, flour, brown sugar, honey, and a pinch of salt. Close the bag and use your hands to combine all of the ingredients.
- Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet. Transfer to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and transfer to a bowl. Allow the pistachios to cool completely before assembling the trifle.
Make the whipped cream:
- Combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to the refrigerator.
Prepare the pudding:
- Combine the contents of the pudding envelope and the whole milk in a large bowl. Mix for 2 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Assemble the trifle:
- Cut the sponge cake into bite-sized cubes.
- Arrange half the cubes on the bottom of a trifle bowl. Press them together lightly to create a tight layer. Add half the pistachio pudding and use a rubber spatula to gently smooth it out into an even layer. Be careful not to break up too much of the sponge cake. Next, add half the whipped cream and gently smooth it out. Add the remaining sponge cake cubes and top with the remaining pudding. Finish with the remaining whipped cream. Top the trifle with all of the pistachio streusel.
- Transfer the trifle to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but it’s even better the next day. The whipped cream is stabilized with the powdered sugar, but it’s best eaten within 24 to 48 hours.
To serve:
- Remove the trifle from the refrigerator and top with a few mint leaves if desired. Enjoy!
