Peaches and Cream Trifle is light, sweet, and perfect for the coming hot summer months. Delicate angel food cake, yummy canned peaches, vanilla pudding, and pillows of whipped cream make for an utterly decadent dessert.
I owe this recipe entirely to my great-grandmother; the beloved matriarch of my mother’s family, who had 7 children, a small army of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was affectionate, witty, and her love for her family knew no bounds. She would drink tea instead of coffee, make pancakes the size of a platter that she served with a tall glass of Tang (if it was good enough for the astronauts, it was good enough for her).
I wish I knew where and why she came up with the recipe, but unfortunately, I do not know. This recipe, which was created and handed down by her, I don’t believe ever had a name. As far as I knew, we always called it the “peach stuff” or “her peach dessert”. My mom would make it when we were growing up, and she’d always end up with leftover whipped cream and pudding mixture. I would sit there eating it out of the mixing bowl while she finished assembling the dessert. It’s another nostalgic and personal recipe, one that I hope you love and enjoy just as much as we do.
Tips for making the Peaches and Cream Trifle:
- Big one here, HUGE: use peach pie filling, not canned peaches. Canned peaches are soaked in a thin sugary juice, whereas the peach pie filling is thicker and more gelatinous. The last thing you want is a watery filling and mushy angel food cake.
- No need to get fancy here, use a store bought angel food cake. You will be ripping it into small bite-sized pieces anyway.
- Whip the heavy cream just until it forms soft peaks.
- You want to use instant vanilla pudding here. Cook and serve will work, but you will have to wait for the pudding to cool completely before folding it into the whipped cream.
That’s it! It’s simple, easy, no baking required, unless you wish to make the cake from scratch (you do you!). I may be biased, but this dessert it perfection. I say that about a lot of the recipes that are handed down (I’m lookin at you Russian Tea Cakes) but they really are wonderful dishes. From our family to yours, I hope you enjoy!
Peaches and Cream Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 packet (3.4oz) instant vanilla pudding
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 21oz can peach pie filling
- 1 15oz angel food cake store bought
- cinnamon to top
Instructions
- Gently rip the angel food cake into bite sized pieces and place into the bottom of a 13×9 pan. Set to the side
- Prepare the instant vanilla pudding according to the package instructions. Set to the side. Next, pour the heavy cream into a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, gently whip the cream until soft peaks have formed. Fold in half of the prepared vanilla pudding mixture. Set to the side
- Pour the peach pie filling into the bowl with the remaining pudding. Stir to combine. Next, spoon the peach mixture over top of the angel food cake in one even layer. Next, gently spoon the whipped cream mixture over top of the peaches. Sprinkle the top with a light dusting of cinnamon. Enjoy!