A tasty gingerbread pumpkin trifle layered with gluten-free gingerbread cake, creamy pumpkin filling and homemade whipped cream. A favorite holiday dessert!
This Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle will be on our Thanksgiving and Christmas table every year, for sure! This is an easy and elegant dessert that takes little time to prepare and is bursting with seasonal pumpkin pie flavors just like these gingerbread men cookies and gluten-free gingerbread house recipe!
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes to assemble, plus baking the gingerbread cake ahead
- ❄️ Chill Time: chill until ready to serve; assemble within a couple of hours of serving
- 🍽️ Serving: 16
- ⚡ Calories: 460kcal per serving, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: gluten-free gingerbread cake, whipped cream cheese, canned pumpkin, light brown or coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, heavy whipping cream, confectioners sugar and pecans
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Warm gingerbread spice with creamy pumpkin pie filling and fluffy whipped cream
- 🎂 Make Ahead: bake the cake and mix the pumpkin filling the night before
- ✋ Difficulty: Bake, whip, layer
Quick Answer
Bake 2 boxes of gluten-free gingerbread cake and let them cool, saving ¾ cup of crumbled cake for the top. Beat 16 ounces whipped cream cheese until smooth, then beat in 2 (15 ounce) cans of pumpkin, ⅔ cup light brown or coconut sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whip 16 ounces heavy whipping cream on high for about 5 minutes until fluffy and slowly add ⅓ cup confectioners sugar. In a trifle bowl, layer half the crumbled cake, half the pumpkin filling and half the whipped cream, then repeat. Top with the remaining whipped cream, the reserved cake crumbs and pecans, and chill until ready to serve. It serves 16.
Jump to:
This year I made a pumpkin trifle, which has now become my new favorite go-to dessert. It is so simple to throw together! I made the cake and pumpkin cream cheese mixture the night before.
Why This Pumpkin Trifle Works
Click to see why it works
- Cream cheese makes the filling silky. Whipped smooth first, it blends evenly with the pumpkin.
- Homemade whipped cream stays light. Whipped on high for about 5 minutes with confectioners sugar added slowly.
- Crumbled cake soaks up the filling. The gingerbread softens between the creamy layers.
- Most of it is made ahead. The cake and pumpkin filling can wait in the fridge overnight.
- Assembled close to serving. Layering within a couple of hours keeps every layer distinct.
Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Trifle
- Easy and elegant. It takes little time to prepare and looks beautiful on the table.
- Gluten-free, made with gluten-free gingerbread cake.
- Seasonal pumpkin pie flavor without baking a pie.
- Feeds a crowd. One trifle bowl serves 16, perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Make-ahead friendly for busy holiday days.
Key Ingredients
- Gluten-free gingerbread cake - this recipe uses 2 cake boxes of gluten-free gingerbread cake. You can find it at most stores or online.
- Whipped cream cheese - softened, for the creamy pumpkin filling.
- Canned pumpkin - two 15 ounce cans.
- Light brown sugar or coconut sugar - plus cinnamon and vanilla.
- Organic heavy whipping cream and confectioners sugar - for homemade whipped cream.
- Pecans - chopped, for topping.
See recipe card for quantities.
A Pre-Thanksgiving Favorite
This past Thursday we were invited to attend a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with friends. It is such a fun evening filled with good times, laughter and amazing food! Everyone brings their favorite and best side dish or dessert to share.
A few hours before our party I whipped up homemade organic whipped cream, layered the dessert and topped it off with chopped pecans.
How to Make a Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle
1Bake the cake. Make the gingerbread cake and let it cool. Reserve ¾ cup of the cake, crumbled, for the top.
2Make the pumpkin filling. In an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add the pumpkin, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), cinnamon and vanilla. Beat until well combined and smooth.
3Whip the cream. Whip the heavy whipping cream on high for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the confectioners sugar.
4Layer. In a trifle bowl, crumble half of the cake, then add half of the pumpkin filling and half of the whipped topping. Repeat with the rest of the cake and pumpkin filling (you can do two or three layers depending on the size of the bowl).
5Top and chill. Add a layer of the remaining whipped cream on top. Sprinkle the reserved cake crumbs and pecans on top. Chill until ready to serve.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Make it ahead. The gingerbread cake can be made ahead of time and the pumpkin cream cheese mixture can be made the night before.
- Assemble close to serving. This is best assembled before serving or within a couple of hours of serving.
- Soften the cream cheese first so the filling stays smooth.
- Add the sugar slowly to the whipped cream so it stays fluffy.
- Save some crumbs for a pretty top layer.
More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes
More gluten-free pumpkin recipes you may enjoy: Gluten-Free White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies, No-Bake Raw Pumpkin Pie, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread and Gluten-Free Pumpkin Squash Muffins.
Savory and snack ideas: Pumpkin Hummus, Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Lasagna and Pumpkin Spice Granola. Baking cookies too? Try my gluten-free sugar cookies.
Pumpkin Trifle FAQs
Yes. Bake the gingerbread cake ahead of time and make the pumpkin cream cheese mixture the night before, then assemble the trifle before serving or within a couple of hours of serving.
This recipe uses 2 boxes of gluten-free gingerbread cake. You can find it at most stores or online.
One trifle bowl serves about 16.
Yes. Use ⅔ cup of coconut sugar in place of the light brown sugar in the pumpkin filling.
Two or three layers of cake, pumpkin filling and whipped cream, depending on the size of your trifle bowl, finished with whipped cream, cake crumbs and pecans on top.
Yes. Chill it until you are ready to serve.
More Holiday Pumpkin Desserts
Fill the dessert table with Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie, No-Bake Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pie Truffles and Vegan Gingerbread Man Cookies. If you make this gingerbread pumpkin trifle from Delightful Mom Food I would love to see your creations! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle
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Ingredients
- 2 boxes of Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake
- 16 ounces whipped cream cheese, softened
- 2 15 ounce cans pumpkin
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 16 ounces organic heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup confectioners sugar
- Pecans for topping
Instructions
- Make a gingerbread cake. Let cool.
- In an electric mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), cinnamon and vanilla. Beat until well combined and smooth.
- In an electric mixer, whip your heavy whipping cream on high for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the confectioner sugar.
- Reserve ¾ cup of the cake crumbled. In a trifle bowl, crumble ½ of the cake, ½ of the pumpkin filling (can do two layers or three layers of the trifle depending on the size of the bowl) and ½ of the whipped topping. Repeat with the rest of the cake and the rest of the pumpkin pie filling. Add a layer of the remaining whipped cream on the top. Sprinkle the reserved cake crumbs and pecans on top. Chill until ready to serve.
Natalie says
Can you please confirm how many packages of cream cheese are to be used?
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
2 (8 ounce) packages
Sharon @ savormania says
OMG this looks to die for!!!! The photos are amazing!
admin says
Thank you so much Sharon!