Granny’s Ambrosia Trifle
On episode 3 of Hallmark Channel’s Baked with Love: Holiday, Mom and I were tasked with 2 challenges. Our first challenge was to make cupcakes with Italian Meringue Buttercream. While our Italian buttercream was a success, our cupcakes sunk while baking, for reasons that we still don’t understand. Perhaps, I should have used one of my favorite cupcake recipes. The cupcake challenge presented our first struggle as a team on our baking adventure. We set our cupcake challenge struggles aside as we moved on to the second challenge of episode 3.
Photo Credit: ©️The Hallmark Channel 2025
Our second challenge of episode 3 was to create a holiday trifle comprised of 12 elements. This recipe is inspired by my Granny’s ambrosia salad which was a staple on our family holiday table. The trifle is a perfect balance of texture and nostalgia: cloud-soft angel food cake, toasted meringue topping, juicy fruit, and a pecan crumble are the signature flavors you only get from a good ambrosia. It’s the dessert that disappears fast — and the one people will ask you for every year.
Thankfully, we redeemed ourselves in challenge 2! If you’re interest in the recipe used to make the ambrosia trifle, grab the recipe card below. Thanks to all who have tuned in to watch us on this baking adventure of a lifetime. We’re thrilled to move on to episode 4!
Happy Baking,
Sally
Granny’s Ambrosia Trifle
This recipe is inspired by my Granny’s ambrosia salad which was a staple on our family holiday table. The trifle is a perfect balance of texture and nostalgia: cloud-soft angel food cake, toasted meringue topping, juicy fruits, and a pecan crumble are the signature flavors you only get from a good ambrosia. It’s the dessert that disappears fast — and the one people will ask you for every year. I hope you will try it!
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups granulated sugar (500 grams)
- 1.5 cups AP flour (187 grams)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2.5 cups egg whites (591 ml), reserve 8 yolks for custard
- 1 tsp cream of tartar (5ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (5ml)
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (5ml)
- 1 tsp coconut extract, optional
- 1.33 cups granulated sugar (266 grams)
- 1 vanilla bean pod, split and scraped
- 1/2 cup cornstarch (60 grams)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 8 large egg yolks from large eggs (reserve egg whites for cake)
- 3 cups whole milk (750ml)
- 1 cup light cream (250ml)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (28 grams)
- 4 tsp vanilla extract (20ml)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (220 grams)
- 2 Tbsp AP flour (9 grams)
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (85 grams)
- 2.25 cups toasted pecans, chopped (338 grams)
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes (25 grams)
- 1 bag mini marshmallows
- 1 jar red Maraschino cherries with stems, drained
- 1 jar red maraschino cherries without stems, drained
- fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
- 2 navel oranges, supremed
- 1lb green grapes, sliced in half
- Edible gold glitter, optional
- Edible red glitter, optional
- 2 14 oz cans of coconut cream, chilled and drained (such as Savoy’s Coconut Cream)
- 1/4 cups of confectioners sugar (50 grams)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (2.5ml)
- green food coloring gel
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tbsp confectioners sugar
- 1.5 tsp amoretto liqueur
- 8 large egg whites, at room temp
- 5 ml cream of tartar (1tsp)
- 1.25ml kosher salt (1/4tsp)
- 400 grams granulated sugar (2 cups)
- 7ml vanilla extract (1.25tsp)
Instructions
- Start by making the Angel Food Cake. Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line the bottom and sides of a 13- x 9-inch pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over the sides of the pan. DO NOT GREASE the pan or foil. In a medium size bowl, sift together the first 3 ingredients and set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, 1/3 cup at a time, folding just until blended after each addition. Fold in vanilla and lemon juice. If desired, fold in coconut extract. Spoon batter into prepared pan. (Pan will be very full. The batter will reach almost to the top of the pan.) Bake at 375F/190C on an oven rack one-third up from bottom of oven 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Invert cake onto a lightly greased wire rack; let cool for 10 minutes. Remove pan; peel foil off cake. Slice cake into bite size pieces. Place cake on a sheet tray to cool in the freezer until completely cool.
- Next, make the vanilla custard. Add the granulated sugar, kosher salt, and cornstarch to a large saucepan and whisk to combine. Add the egg yolks, milk, and light cream to the mixture and whisk until well combined. Place a large saucepan over medium-low heat and pour the custard mix into the pot. Cook the mixture for 10-12 minutes (or until thickened), whisking continuously to keep the mixture from scalding. (Mix until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.) Remove the pan from the heat, then add the butter and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Pour the custard onto sheet pan and cover by placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard, leaving no space between the plastic and custard. This prevents a skin from forming. Refrigerate the custard until cool enough to assemble the trifle. Once the custard is cool, transfer it to a piping bag.
- For the pecan crumble, preheat the oven to 350F/180C. In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients together and spread evenly on a quarter sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Remove crumble from the oven. Once cool, break crumble into small pieces.
- Place prepared fruit on a paper towel lined sheet tray until ready to layer.
- An optional step is to roll the maraschino cherries with stems in edible gold glitter and/or red glitter, and set aside as a festive topper for this trifle.
- For the coconut whipped cream, combine all ingredients in a chilled metal bowl of a stand mixer over medium-high until smooth and creamy. Fold in green food coloring gel until fully combined. Place coconut cream into a piping bag and chill until ready to use.
- In a chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat heavy whipping cream, confectioners sugar, and amoretto liqueur on high speed until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to use. Place whipped cream into a large piping bag.
- Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and kosher salt in a large, completely clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Stir ingredients on low speed until mixture becomes foamy. Increase speed to high gradually add sugar, about 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition until sugar is dissolved (about 15-20 seconds between each addition).
- Beat until mixture is thick, shiny, and has increased in volume. Mixture should have stiff peaks and sugar should be completely dissolved. Stir in vanilla extract and any other extract you may like to use. If using food coloring, add the food coloring at this stage, too. Fit a large disposable piping bag with a large tip and fill piping bag with meringue.
- In a 3 quart trifle dish, assemble the trifle with all the prepared ingredients.
- Start by piping custard evenly on the bottom of the trifle dish, reserving 1/2 of the batch for another layer.
- Next, add an even layer of angel food cake on top of the custard, reserving some cake for another layer.
- Place supremed oranges, chopped pineapple, and mini marshmallows on top of the angel food layer.
- Pipe whipped coconut cream on top of the orange, pineapple, and marshmallow layer.
- Place pecan crumble on top of the coconut cream, reserving a small amount of it for the top of the trifle.
- Place sliced green grapes and cherries without stems on top of the pecan crumble layer.
- Pipe amoretto whipped cream on top of the grape and cherry layer.
- Place another layer of angel food cake on top of the whipped cream layer.
- Pipe remaining custard on top of the angel food cake layer.
- Pipe meringue layer on top of the custard layer. Use a small kitchen torch to toast the meringue layer.
- Garnish the top with pecan crumble and maraschino cherries with stems.
Notes
The angel food cake, pecan crumble, and vanilla bean custard can be made one day ahead of assembly. The angel food cake and pecan crumble should be stored in an air tight container at room temp. until ready to use. The custard should be refrigerated in an airtight container with a sheet of plastic wrap directly placed on top before covering with a lid. Additionally, the fruit can be sliced and chopped a day ahead of assembly, and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
If you don’t have time to make every element of this trifle from scratch, here are some suggestions for swaps that will help speed up the process if you’re in a pinch for time:
- Use a store bought angel food cake.
- Use two instant vanilla pudding mixes in place of homemade vanilla custard.
- Buy pre-cut fresh pineapple.
- Buy cool whip and fold in amoretto liqueur for the amoretto whipped cream layer.