This Ambrosia Trifle is a lovely combination of two favourite desserts, bringing together the creamy sweetness of ambrosia with the layers of a traditional trifle. Made with berries, whipped cream, fruit yoghurt, marshmallows, sponge cake and jelly, it is a delicious dessert to share.
The combination of soft sponge, fruity jelly and creamy ambrosia makes every spoonful a little different. It is a great choice for Christmas, family gatherings or any occasion when you need a dessert to feed a crowd.
A Christmas twist on two classic Kiwi desserts
Each year I like to create a truly decadent delicious new Christmas recipe to provide you with an idea for a true Christmas Showstopper. This year I wanted to bring you something so easy to make but so pretty that you will be the talk of the party!
Ambrosia is a classic dessert that has been appearing on tables here in New Zealand for generations. My lovely Aunty Dianne has been making this for our Christmas day desserts since I was a little girl.
I finally asked her for the recipe and then realised I could fuse it with another classic Kiwi dessert, the trifle for something truly special.
What is ambrosia?
Ambrosia is a combination of whipped cream, yoghurt, fruits, marshmallows and often grated chocolate. Sometimes called Summer Salad, or dessert, it has been around for years. You can find my recipe for it here.
What fruit and yoghurt can you use in Ambrosia Trifle?
I have shared the more traditional version here with boysenberries, but the options are endless in terms of fruits you can use and the flavour of yoghurt. As long as the yoghurt is a sweetened fruit yoghurt it will work perfectly.
I have used boysenberries in this recipe, along with mixed berries and a mixed berry yoghurt, but you can easily change things up to suit your tastes. If you prefer peaches or apricots, simply swap the berries and choose a yoghurt and liquid to complement the flavours. Make it your own!
If boysenberries are hard to find, you can use any canned, frozen or fresh berries you like. Even canned peaches or plums would be lovely! For the liquid, orange juice, Ribena or the juice from canned fruit would all work well.
How much liquid should you add to the trifle sponge?
Traditionally trifle uses some form of alcohol to pour over the sponge, this adds extra flavour and does not leave the sponge too dry. Here I have left out the alcohol but an orange liquor would be lovely added to the boysenberry juice.
There is some contention as to whether trifle sponge should be soaked in liquid and therefore soggy or left dry. I fall somewhere in the middle, I like to add a little liquid to soak in and add flavour but not so much it is mush!
Can you make Ambrosia Trifle ahead of time?
This is such an easy to assemble recipe, it can be made ahead and enjoyed the next day or 6 hours time. I always find trifles are best the next day, and of course I highly encourage this as a breakfast food too!
What do you need to make Ambrosia Trifle?
You will need the following ingredients for this recipe:
- Cream
- Fruit Yoghurt
- Marshmallows
- Tinned Boysenberries & Juice
- Chocolate
- Large sponge cake
- Raspberry Jelly
- Frozen Mixed Berries
- Extra toppings to serve
How to make Ambrosia Trifle (Video)
Step-by-step method for making Ambrosia Trifle
You will need to prepare the jelly the night before. I set this in a square baking tin so that it is only a few cm high.
First, you prepare the Ambrosia. Then you prepare all of the ingredients while that chills slightly and begin to layer these until you have done two layers. You will require a large trifle bowl for this, mine is 3.5 litres and it was full!
I usually make this the night before and this allows the Ambrosia to set and the flavours to blend well. You can decorate the top just before serving. With what is up to you!
I have used a combination of fresh strawberries, marshmallows, frozen blueberries and grated chocolate. You could add a few mint leaves to be extra festive.
Other trifle recipes to try
If you love a good trifle, I have a few more delicious versions for you to try! They are lovely for Christmas, special occasions or whenever you need a dessert to share with family and friends.
Would you like another version of trifle that is totally divine and cream free? Check out my Mascarpone Trifle.
Onto the recipe for Ambrosia Trifle!
Ambrosia Trifle
This Ambrosia Trifle combines sponge cake, jelly, berries and creamy marshmallow ambrosia for a delicious layered dessert that's lovely for sharing with family and friends.
Ingredients
Ambrosia
- 400mls Cream
- 375 mls Yoghurt, Mixed Berry
- 1 x 425g Can of Boysenberries, drained, reserve juice* See notes
- 220 Grams Marshmallows, cut in half, reserve ten for topping
- 50 grams Chocolate, grated
Trifle
- 1 large Premade Sponge Cake
- 2 - 3 Cups Mixed Frozen Berries
- 1 Packet Raspberry Jelly, made ahead
Optional
- Orange Liquor for the boysenberry juice
Topping
- Fresh strawberries
- Reserved Marshmallows
- A few frozen blueberries
- Chocolate, grated
Instructions
- The day before prepare the jelly according to packet directions and pour into a square baking dish and allow to set completely before preparing trifle. The jelly should only be 1.5 cm high
- On the day of preparation make the Ambrosia first
- Prepare the marshmallows, slice them in half, drain the boysenberries (set aside the juice in a jug) and grate the chocolate
- In a medium bowl pour in the cream and using electric beaters whip for 2-3 minutes on low to medium until the cream begins to froth or foam
- Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the cream thickens and leaves a trail. Beat until soft peaks form, see below for details. Careful not to overbeat.
- Add to the cream the yoghurt and gently fold into the cream until well incorporated
- Add to this the chopped marshmallows, drained boysenberries and grated chocolate and gently combine
- Set aside in the refrigerator to keep cold while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Slice the sponge into 2-3 cm chunks, run a sharp knife through the jelly down and across to create 1 cm chunks
- Add the reserved boysenberry juice to a jug, if adding a liquor add a small amount of this now
- In a large 3.5L Trifle bowl add half the sponge chunks to cover the base of the bowl.
- Carefully pour over half the boysenberry juice until it has given some colour to the sponge but not so much it soaks it
- Add the jelly squares all over the sponge pieces and half the frozen berries
- Over this carefully spoon in half the Ambrosia, and spread with a spatula to smooth
- On top of this add the remaining sponge chunks, lightly pressing them down.
- Pour over the rest of the boysenberry juice, again not to soak just to colour and the remainder of the mixed frozen berries
- Carefully spoon over the remainder of the Ambrosia and carefully spread this to cover the trifle.
- Place lightly covered in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight
- When ready to serve slice up some fresh strawberries, the reserved marshmallows halved, a few frozen blueberries and grate some more chocolate to sprinkle over.
- Serve while cold.
- Will keep for up to 2-3 days if covered and stored well in the refrigerator.
- Enjoy!
Notes
*Boysenberries - if your chosen berries are proving hard to find use any canned or frozen, or fresh berry you like! Even canned peaches or plums would be lovely. In terms of the juice, you can use OJ, Ribena, or the juice from the can.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 3464Total Fat 84gSaturated Fat 54gUnsaturated Fat 30gCholesterol 326mgSodium 3718mgCarbohydrates 404gFiber 2gSugar 392gProtein 278g
JustAMumNZ.com, occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although justamumnz.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
I really hope you love this Ambrosia Trifle as much as we do. It is such a lovely dessert for Christmas and special occasions, and I hope it makes an appearance on Christmas tables all around the world! I love how easy it is to make while still feeling a little bit special, and I cannot wait to hear what you think.
If you give this recipe a go, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you in the comments. You can also leave a ⭐ rating in the recipe card above, it really helps others find and enjoy this recipe too.
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Happy baking,
Anna x
Sandra Korostchuk says
Wow this recipe is soooo delicious. I made it for christmas an everyone loved it,it is better than the vanilla custard trifle and so easy to make,thankyou for this yummy recipe.
Amanda says
I made this today for a friends bbq, I added some swiss rolls too and it turned out gorgeous, I had a little leftover so I tasted a mini deconstructed version and it was delish. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Tammy says
Tried this recipe for our Christmas dinner and it was a hit! The recipe was easy to follow and I was chuffed with the outcome as this was the first trifle I have ever made.
justamumnz says
Awesome! I’m so pleased to hear that. ☺️
Nova says
Oh I’m so going to try this for dessert this Christmas. We love Ambrosia salad first tasted it in the States where they often use it as a side dish for the main meal but this looks great. Two of my favs a trifle and ambrosia …who could wish for more? Thank you for sharing I sooooo love kiwi desserts Merry Christmas!
justamumnz says
Thank you, enjoy!
Janet says
Fantastic recipes, many thanks.
We have the ambrosia for dinner tonight.oxo
justamumnz says
My pleasure! Ambrosia is such a lovely treat