Mom’s Jelly Roll Trifle

Mom’s Jelly Roll Trifle starts with a store-bought raspberry jelly roll that is sliced and layered with raspberry jello, custard, fruit cocktail, and dream whip. This uncomplicated dessert, with its humble beginnings, is how I remember my mom’s deliciously satisfying Sunday trifle.

When I was growing up, Sunday dinner dessert was almost always my mom’s no-bake cheesecake.  It was a simple dessert with no fuss and all of us kids loved it.  Another dessert that I remember quite fondly was her trifle. She had two go-to trifles that she would prepare, although not as often as she did cheesecake. Trifles were saved for company or special occasions. Today, I’m sharing what I think is an exact replica of my Mom’s Jelly Roll Trifle.

This recipe has me feeling a little nostalgic. It’s the one thing I need from time to time to make me feel better.  As soon as I taste just one heaping spoonful of this trifle, my senses are immediately flooded with memories of when life was simple and carefree. Am I the only one that regularly associates the look and taste of food with memories? For example, this trifle reminds me of my mom and Sunday night dinner. I think more than any other type of food, my mom loved desserts. I have tried my best to recreate her trifle, and I think I finally have it right!  I’m sure she would agree.

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season. But first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. Over the past seven Christmases, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

Before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more! Welcome, Dear Reader, to my first Christmas series this holiday season! I’m calling this series Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifles.

Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifles Series! Even though this is the first series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

LAYERED DESSERTS ARE THE EASIEST AND THE BEST!

Layered desserts have been popular for many, many years. For those of us who were not blessed with the ability to decorate elaborate cakes or whip up a choux pastry or even master the art of a good meringue, there are layered desserts. Think about it! The popularity of desserts like no-bake cheesecakes, trifles, tiramisus, etc., is proof.

I like to think that a layered dessert can certainly be just as elegant if prepared the right way. Make it simple. Overcomplicated desserts are no fun to prepare or eat. Choose two or three flavour combinations, because too many will just become muddled and the flavours will compete with each other. That’s what I think of trifles. I do love them, but I don’t care for them if they too many ingredients and too many layers. I’ll do my best to keep the trifles in this series uncomplicated.

If you are looking for more layered desserts, look no further! I’ve got you covered right here. Try these Stacked Vanilla Strawberry Shortcakes, for example. Or a breakfast version using waffles! Speaking of strawberry shortcakes, you have got to try these puff pastry flakies – they are probably my favourite dessert of all time.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Jelly Rolls – Mom used to use a larger store-bought jelly roll, but I could not find them anywhere. I did find the mini jelly rolls though, so that is what I used. These are just like chocolate Swiss rolls, but filled with raspberry jelly and a layer of vanilla frosting.
• Jello – To match the flavour of the raspberry jelly in the jelly rolls, I’m using raspberry jello here.
• Canned Fruit Cocktail – Oh, yes, this was certainly present in my mom’s trifle! Drain it well! Buy the can labeled extra cherries if you can; you will not be disappointed!
• Custard – I use Bird’s Custard Powder, but you can use any custard you like.
• Dream Whip Dessert Topping – Can you use whipped cream? Sure! But, Dream Whip is what is used nearly 100% of the time in his recipe.

HOW TO MAKE MOM’S JELLY ROLL TRIFLE

Begin by preparing the raspberry jello according to the instructions on the package. Do not refrigerate! Set aside to cool for 5 minutes while you cut the jelly rolls into one-inch slices. Next, place the slices of jelly roll into a trifle bowl, positioning them so that they are standing up inside the perimeter of the bowl. Fill in the bottom of the bowl with the leftover slices. Pour the cooled raspberry jello into the bowl, covering the jelly roll slices. Next, spoon in the well-drained fruit cocktail, evenly dispersing the fruit. Place the trifle in the refrigerator until the jello is firm.

Prepare the custard according to the instructions on the package. Transfer the prepared custard to the trifle bowl, layering it onto the set jello layer. Next, prepare the Dream Whip Dessert Topping as per the package instructions. Spoon the whipped topping over the custard layer. Refrigerate the trifle for 2 hours. Garnish before serving.

WANT TO MAKE IT A CHOCOLATE JELLY ROLL INSTEAD?

As previously mentioned, my mom had two go-to jelly roll recipes. The one I’m sharing with you now and a chocolate version. You can easily make the chocolate version by switching up a few of the ingredients. First of all, you will need to use the chocolate Swiss rolls instead of the raspberry jelly type. They are filled with a vanilla frosting only, so no need to worry about matching the raspberry flavour.

Secondly, instead of using jello, use pudding! I would layer in chocolate pudding instead of raspberry jello. And instead of using fruit cocktail, I would use some type of chocolate or even nuts. Since custard pairs well with chocolate, I would not change that layer. I would not change the Dream Whip Dessert Topping layer either, because in my mother’s world that would be a sin!

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN PREPARING TRIFLES

First of all, there are no steadfast rules about how many layers you should or shouldn’t have. My rule of thumb is this – make the trifle big enough to feed your family and/or guests, and use a bowl that is big enough to accommodate the layers. If you have a larger trifle bowl, you can simply add another layer or add more berries or cake to fill it up. Likewise, if your bowl is too small, you can make mini trifles with the leftover ingredients in stemmed dessert bowls.

Trifles cannot be prepared days in advance, nor can they be frozen. Since most trifle recipes are assembly-type recipes, the best thing to do is to prepare them on the day you plan to eat them. However, with that said, every trifle in this series can be prepared a day in advance. If you prepare the trifle a day in advance, it’s a good idea to set the garnish aside and place it onto the trifle just before serving. That way, your trifle will look like it was just freshly prepared.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!