These Banoffee Trifles are a delicious individual dessert with layers of banana, dulce de leche, mascarpone, cream and Biscoff biscuits. They’re full of those lovely banoffee flavours and look beautiful served in individual glasses.
The combination of creamy mascarpone and cream with sweet dulce de leche, fresh banana and crunchy Biscoff biscuits makes each spoonful so good. They’re a lovely option for Christmas entertaining or any special occasion.
Turning a classic Banoffee Pie into individual trifles
Banoffee Pie, you’ll know the classic dessert this is based on, it’s 4 simple layers, a biscuit crust, dreamy dulce de leche, fresh bananas all topped with a lovely light whipped cream.
As I dreamed up my 2024 trifles I thought of this idea. I then googled it and once again realised I am not as unique as I think I am! It has been done before, but I wanted to do my plan anyway and put my spin on a Banoffee Pie Trifle.
I have made these into individual trifles this year, largely because I think it looks cute!
You absolutely can make this in a larger trifle bowl, it does not make the quantity I use in my traditional 3.5 litre bowl, so use something smaller, around 2 litres would be ideal.
How to prepare Banoffee Trifles ahead of time
This is a recipe where many of the components can be made ahead of time then assembled fresh.
The method does involve a little prep. I like to have the dulce de leche made a few days beforehand if not using store bought, and the biscuit crumb will need to chill for a few hours. So, you can do this the day before also.
What is Dulce De Leche?
Dulce de leche means candy made from milk or sweet of milk. It is a thick caramel like sauce, in this case made by slow cooking condensed milk, but you can also purchase it ready made in stores.
You can find my recipe for dulce de leche made in my slow cooker, here.
Why I make the Biscoff crumb like a cheesecake base
I have made the biscuit crumb ahead of time also, using my usual cheesecake crumb. This time made with Biscoff biscuits. They have a lovely caramelised flavour that is so nice in this recipe. Mixed with melted butter, then it is chilled then re-crushed to create a decadent crumb rather than just using dry biscuit crumbs.
The reason I use the base crumbs is that they have a lovely buttery flavour, feels luxurious and holds its shape, crumbs are dry and I think they will feel odd when eating.
How does mascarpone help stabilise the whipped cream?
Instead of basic whipped cream I am sharing my more stabilised mascarpone whipped cream recipe. It is still lovely and light and fluffy, but the mascarpone gives the cream a little more structure so it holds up well between the layers and is easier to work with when assembling the trifles. It also means the cream keeps its shape for longer, which is especially handy if you are preparing these a little ahead of time.
Do the Banoffee Trifle layers need to be perfect?
Then to make my life fun I sat around and layered all of this individually, with large chunks of fresh banana into small glasses so it looked pretty for the photos to share with you all!
I do not expect you to faff around like I have done getting the layers perfect, it will all taste the same made more authentically and rustically spooned into the jar in any sort of order.
What do I need to make Banoffee Trifles?
Please scroll down to the full printable recipe card for quantities and the method. The ingredients you will need are:
- Dulce de leche (either store bought or try my Slow Cooker Condensed Milk version).
- Lotus Biscoff biscuits (or Arrowroot, Vanilla Wines, Marie biscuits or similar).
- Butter
- Bananas
- Cream
- Mascarpone
- Icing sugar
- Vanilla essence
- Optional toppings (such as dried banana, chocolate etc.)
How many servings does this recipe make?
I say the recipe serves 4 as it fills four 375 gram glasses, however that is a rather generous serving. Feel free to reduce it to spread the ingredients across 6 smaller glasses. Alternatively, use a 2 litre glass serving bowl and make it in a more traditional trifle style.
How to prepare the Biscoff biscuit crumb
The biscuit crumb is made like a cheesecake base. I crush the biscuits, add melted butter and blend. Then I added the biscuit mixture to a lined dish and chill until firm (at least 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour).
Then when ready to serve, add the biscuits back into the food processor and crush once again to make a delicious crumb.
How to make the stabilised mascarpone whipped cream
The stabilized whipped cream can be made fresh just before assembling or a few hours ahead.
The cream is made by whipping together cream, mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla essence until you get stiff peaks.
What order should I layer the Banoffee Trifles?
I use about 3 bananas for this one, sliced into lovely thick pieces.
Then you can get everything ready to assemble. Layering the biscuit crumbs, cream, chunks of banana, dulce de leche. Then, repeating the crumbs, cream, banana, dulce de leche and then finishing with a final layer of cream.
I have garnished the top with some dried banana chips, more of the crumb and some dark chocolate grated over the top.
Is this Banoffee Trifle worth the extra prep?
I love making trifles, this one is a bit more involved than some of my others, but I think it is so worth it, if you love Banoffee Pie you will love this one! Sweet and oh so indulgent.
According to my husband this is dangerous and we need to give it away immediately. So that is high praise indeed!
Other trifle recipes to try
If you love a good trifle as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my other trifle recipes below. I have lots of delicious options to choose from, whether you are looking for something for Christmas, a special occasion or simply a lovely dessert to share. Let me know which one is your favourite!
- Mascarpone Custard Trifle
- Orange Almond GF Trifle
- Classic Trifle
- Ambrosia Trifle
- Ultimate Chocolate Trifle
Banoffee Trifles recipe
Banoffee Trifles
These Banoffee Trifles combine banana, dulce de leche, mascarpone, cream and Biscoff biscuits for an easy individual dessert that’s perfect for entertaining.
Ingredients
- 1 Can dulce de leche, 395 grams
- 200 grams Lotus Biscoff Biscuits, or Arrowroot, Marie, Superwine etc
- 100 grams Butter, melted
- 1 Cup Cream, 250mls
- 1/2 Cup Mascarpone, 125 grams
- 1/4 Cup Icing Sugar, 35 grams
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
- 3 Bananas, large
Optional Toppings
- Dried Banana Chips
- Dark Chocolate, finely grated
Instructions
- If you are making your own dulce de leche, check out my slow cooker recipe here, make this at least 24 hours ahead, or use a jar of store bought.
- To prepare the crumb, line a 20 cm square pan with baking paper.
- In a food processor or blender, blitz the biscuits to a fine crumb and stir through the melted butter until well combined.
- Spread the crumb into the prepared pan and press it firmly, as if you were making a base for a cheesecake, chill this for 2 hours in the fridge or pop it in the freezer for one hour to completely cool and set.
- Once this has set firm, break up the crumb base and pop it back in the food processor and blend again to a crumb and set aside.
- To make the stabilized whipped cream, combine the cold cream, mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla essence in a large glass or metal bowl.
- Whisk with electric beaters or in a stand mixer for 2 minutes until you reach soft peak stage, then whip for just 10-30 seconds more to get to stiff peaks, careful not to overmix.
- If not using the whipped cream straight away cover and refrigerate. You may need to briefly whip it again before using if it has deflated slightly or separated. Best used same day to assemble the trifles but it will keep for up to 2 days.
- When ready to assemble the individual glasses, decide on whether you use 4 or 6 glasses.
- If using 4 glasses, mine are 375 mls and are filled to the top which is a very generous serving. If you prefer a less in each glass, then use less filling in each layer across 6 smaller glasses.
- If making one large trifle, then use a 2 litre glass bowl and make as usual.
- To begin spoon a few big spoonfuls of the crumb into the base of each glass so that you can see 2-3 mm above the base, spread evenly.
- Add to this a few large spoonfuls of the cream, and spread gently to cover the biscuit base.
- Slice a banana into chunky 1 cm rounds, then I cut each round in half, and place the curved edge of each half against the inside of the glass all the way around, then place a few pieces of banana in the middle of the glass
- Drizzle over this some of the Dulce Le Leche, allowing it to cover the banana in an even layer. More or less to your tastes.
- Then repeat the layers, biscuit crumb, whipped cream, banana half rounds, and more of the Dulce Le Leche.
- Then add a final layer of whipped cream to finish it off.
- If you wish, decorate the whipped cream with small pieces of dried banana chips, a sprinkling of the biscuit crumb and some finely grated dark chocolate.
- Chill until ready to serve, ideally cover if you can. Best eaten fresh that day, but can be refrigerated and leftovers enjoyed within 2 days of making them.
- Enjoy!
Notes
What is Dulce Le Leche?
Dulce Le Leche means candy made from milk or sweet of milk. It is a thick caramel like sauce, in this case made by slow cooking condensed milk, but you can also purchase it ready made in stores.
How to make my own Dulce Le Leche?
See how I make mine in my slow cooker here.
Why use stabilized whipped cream?
It just holds its shape and stays fresher longer, which is ideal in layered desserts or as a filling. In this case using just a small amount of mascarpone to stabilize it means it holds up better in the trifle.
Do I need to make a butter biscuit crumb or just use crushed biscuit crumbs?
The reason I use the base crumbs is that they have a lovely buttery flavour, feels luxurious and holds its shape, crumbs are dry and I think they will feel odd when eating.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 725Total Fat 57gSaturated Fat 36gUnsaturated Fat 21gCholesterol 167mgSodium 330mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 3gSugar 32gProtein 7g
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 these Banoffee Trifles as much as we do. They are such a decadent treat and well worth the little bit of extra prep!
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
Kerri-Anne says
That looks delicious! Just one question, how long before the fresh bananas go brown?
justamumnz says
If they are covered in caramel or the crumble they’ll last a day or two in the fridge. It’s the open air that makes them go bad. However, you can prepare the components for this ahead of time and assemble fresh if easier. Anna
Sonya Stavropoulos says
Can you substitute sweetened greek yoghurt /vanilla protein yoghurt for the cream ?
justamumnz says
You can use anything you like to make trifles! They are very versatile. However, yoghurt is very thin with a different flavour profile and shelf life. So make any changes knowing it may look and taste differently than mine.