A refreshing and delicious no bake mango trifle with layers of cream, pound cake and a mango topping. This is one easy dessert that’s going to be on repeat in your kitchen!
My friend shared this recipe with me. Her mother makes it for their family every Ramadan. She got it from a cookbook called “Dishes of my Daughters and I”. What an amazing name!
It instantly made me want to make it. Nothing like recipes that have been passed down from a mom to her daughters. I scanned the ingredient list and just knew this would be delicious.
I did change a few things from the base recipe:
Replacing the powdered milk and water with regular milk.
Recommending the recipe with plain pound cake as the cake part of the trifle rather than the swiss cake rolls.
I also added digestive biscuits (like graham crackers) to part of this and loved the texture they gave.
Finally, I added fresh mango cubes.
What makes this mango trifle so good?
It has the perfect combination of textures and flavors that meld together so well in the fridge.
The buttery sweet pound cake is perfectly offset with a not too sweet cream mixture, and a tangy and juicy mango sauce made by thickening mango juice.
It uses really simple ingredients, is no bake, and comes together quickly and easily. It’s also really adaptable!
What are the ingredients in mango trifle?
The cake base:
In the video and photos, I used packaged vanilla swiss rolls like the original recipe called for, but I made a mini sample using Sara Lee pound cake instead. I highly preferred the plain pound cake more, because I didn’t like the texture of the frosting inside of the swiss rolls and it made the whole dessert sweeter.
Honestly, delicious either way, so go with whatever option you prefer!
The cream:
The cream is made with ingredients that are very common in the Middle East, but if you can’t find them easily in the US or abroad, don’t worry I have a great alternative for you!
Originally: we combine milk, Dream Whip, Nestle cream, and Kiri cream cheese squares.
For an easier to find substitute: use milk, Cool Whip and either Laughing Cow cheese or Philadelphia cream cheese
The mango topping:
This is made by mixing mango juice with a little sugar, and cornstarch. You heat this into a thicker reduced liquid, as set or as loose as you like.
The extras:
I riffed off the original recipe and added digestive biscuits, crumbled into chunks. This would be amazing with graham crackers too! I layer the biscuit on top of the cake layer so that they soak up the cream. They offer a little texture and are wonderful in this!
I also added fresh cubed mango to the mango sauce after it cooled. This gave wonderful flavor that added a lot to the dessert.
How to make mango trifle:
As easy as can be! I included a little video to show the steps in action, but it’s very simple.
To make the cream: You just combine the milk, Dream Whip, Nestle cream and softened cream cheese, until thick and fluffy.
If using Cool Whip as a substitute, you don’t need to whip it, just beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy, then fold it into the Cool Whip.
The cake is cut into slices and layered on the base of the serving dish, then pour the cream on top and chill for 30 minutes or so.
To make the mango topping: Combine the mango juice with the sugar and cornstarch, and keep whisking on medium heat until thickened. Set aside to cool, then fold in fresh mango cubes.
The mango topping gets poured on top of the cream topping after it’s chilled slightly, then the whole thing goes back in the fridge for a few hours or until set- this is even better when made the day before!
FAQ’s:
How long does mango trifle keep for: It will keep for 3-4 days tightly wrapped in the fridge.
Can I replace mango for another fruit: Sure! I think this would be great as a berry version made with strawberry juice and fresh strawberries.
Can I make this gluten free: If you replace the pound cake with gluten free cake slices or biscuits, then you certainly can!
My mango topping didn’t thicken enough: This happened with me actually. I was too impatient to get it off the stove. Just keep stirring until its the texture you like, because it won’t thicken much off the stove. It’ll still be delicious, just a little runnier if you don’t let it thicken enough.
Mango Trifle
Ingredients
For the mango topping:
- 4 cups mango juice 1 liter
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp sugar
For the cream:
- 8 squares kiri cheese (145g)
- 1 can nestle cream (170g)
- 1 packet dream whip
- 2/3 cup milk
Alternate cream:
- 5 oz softened cream cheese
- 8 oz thawed cool whip
For assembly:
- 1 Sara Lee butter pound cake 11oz or 300g
- handful digestive biscuits or graham crackers, crushed into large chunks
Instructions
For the mango topping:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine mango juice, cornstarch and sugar. Keep whisking until mixture thickens, then set aside to cool. Once cool, add the cubed mango
For the cream:
- With an electric mixer, mix together the kiri cheese, nestle cream, dream whip and milk. Whisk until thick and fluffy. If making the alternate cream, just beat the cream cheese until softened, then fold it into the thawed cool whip.
To assemble:
- Cut the pound cake into 1-2 cm thick slices. Line the base of a 9×13 serving pan with the cake slices evenly. Scatter biscuits or graham crackers evenly on top.
- Spread the cream mixture onto this cake/biscuit layer, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After this 30 min chilling period, pour mango sauce on top, and return to fridge for 3-4 hours until set, or overnight.
Notes
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Did you make this? Tag @everylittlecrumb or hashtag #everylittlecrumb and I’ll share your images! Don’t forget to pin for later!
Oh my goodness… this turned out so delicious! It was way easier than I thought it would be and I’ll definitely be making again!
So happy to hear that Kim!
I LOVE mangoes so this tropical element to a classic dessert is absolute genius!!
Thanks so much Charla!
This was really amazing!! A new favorite dessert at my house.
So happy to hear it Toni
this was so easy to make and turned out sooo good!
So glad to hear it!