Are you looking for a Christmas dessert to wow your guests? This orange and cranberry Christmas trifle is as beautiful as it is delicious. With quintessential Christmas flavors, the tart and citrus base is balanced out by a light and creamy vanilla whipped cream.
Want another great Christmas dessert idea? Check out my chocolate peppermint ice cream cake.
Orange and Cranberry Christmas Trifle
I was asked to make some desserts for the women’s dessert at our church. To add variety, I committed to making a few different options. I was unable to attend the dessert as I was headed out of town, but I needed a few make-ahead options that I could assemble the day of, drop off at the church, and then head to the airport.
These mini peanut butter cheesecakes were my first choice. While they may not scream Christmas, they are always a hit. I love that I can make these ahead and freeze them.
My second pick was this chocolate cream pie. While this isn’t my recipe, it has been another favorite make-ahead dessert. I did some whipped cream rosettes on the top to elevate the presentation. These I made the day before and then just added the whipped cream before taking to the church.
While brainstorming, I realized I had two rich, chocolate desserts, so I wanted a third option that shouted Christmas but didn’t involve chocolate. A trifle came to mind, but I asked myself, “What are some cake flavors that remind me of Christmas but that don’t involve chocolate?” This orange and cranberry Christmas trifle was born out of this brainstorming session.
I decided I wanted to create a delicious orange pound cake and pair it with a cranberry sauce. Now, cranberry sauce can be super tart, and I wanted to cut that a bit, so I added sugar, orange juice, lemon, and vanilla to take the edge off the tartness. Balancing that with my favorite whipped cream was key, also.
How to Make this Orange Pound Cake and Cranberry Compote Christmas Trifle Ahead of Time
Don’t be dismayed by the steps involved in this dessert. You can make the components ahead of time.
The Cake: I love to make my cakes ahead of time and freeze them. Not only does it make the assembly super easy, but it also eases the day of responsibilities when entertaining. Freezing cakes ahead of time also locks in moisture. If freezing the cake, it can be made 2-3 months in advance.
The Cranberry Compote: Cranberry compote can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, giving you a lot of flexibility.
The Whipped Cream: I like to make my whipped cream and assemble it the day of, but this is not necessary. Homemade whipped cream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-3 days. This is not the method I prefer, as it can deflate. You can do soft peaks and then whip it to stiff peaks the day of, but homemade whipped cream is so quick and easy to make, I feel ike it is just more complicated to make in advance.
The Whole Trifle: All that said, this entire trifle could be made and assembled a couple of days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. You just want to do the final decor on top of the day, or build the trifle lower in the trifle dish so that covering doesn’t ruin it. I wouldn’t add the sugared cranberries and orange peel until the final day.
How Can I Make this Orange and Cranberry Trifle Semi-Homemade and Super Simple?
If an Orange and Cranberry Christmas Trifle sounds amazing, but making everything from scratch feels overwhelming, let me make it easy for you.
Making an easy but impressive trifle dish is fairly simple, and I’ll show you how.
The Pound Cake: First of all, you could be an orange pound cake box cake like this (Amazon affiliate link) and follow the box instructions for the pound cake. You can also buy a frozen pound cake and either skip the orange or add an easy orange simple syrup to your store-bought pound cake. Simply, poke holes in your cake with a toothpick and use a pastry brush to spread the simple syrup, and let it soak in.
The Cranberry Sauce: You can purchase your favorite cranberry sauce. I found an article rating the worst to best here. World Market also had a cranberry and orange curd that looks delicious and has a high star rating. If I were doing this recipe semi-homemade, that’s the one I would try.
The Whipped Cream: I have a stronger opinion about the whipped cream. While a store-bought option is acceptable, and you could totally do that to make life easy, I don’t feel like it has the stability or flavor I like to create. However, if you are in a hurry or if baking in general feels overwhelming, just pick your favorite store-bought whipped topping. I want to encourage you that homemade whipped cream is easy to do.
The Assembly: To assemble, cut the pound cake into squares instead of the layering I will propose with this recipe. Layer 1″ cake cubes, then cranberry sauce, compote, or curd, and then a layer of whipped cream. Continue layering until the trifle dish is full.
Recipe Card for this Orange Pound Cake and Cranberry Trife
Orange and Cranberry Christmas Trifle
Ingredients
Orange Pound Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tbsp orange zest from 2-4 oranges
- 1 cup sour cream
Cranberry Compote
- 2 oranges zested
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 36 oz fresh cranberries
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp vanilla
Topping
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries not frozen
- slivered orange peel from 1/2 orange
- 1/3 cup water
- 2/3 cup sugar divided
Instructions
Sugared Cranberry and Orange Peel Topping
- Make the topping first, for a most efficient process.
- Using a citrus peeler or carrot peeler, cut 2" orange peels.
- Add 1/2 cup fresh cranberries and orange peels to a medium glass bowl.
- Combine 1/3 cup water and 1/3 cup granulated sugar and heat in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is fully dissolved, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Pour the sugar syrup over the cranberries and orange peel, cover, and allow to rest for about 15 minutes.
- Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries and orange peel to the parchment paper. Allow to sit, uncovered, for an hour.
- In a medium bowl, add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar. Toss in cranberries and orange peel, and gently stir to fully coat. These can be used immediately or stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If they look wet after storage, just toss in a bit more sure.
Orange Pound Cake
- Preheat oven to 325. Grease the sides of two 8" cake pans, coat with flour, and line with parchment paper, cut to size.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift the 3 cups of flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir until fully combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 3 cups of granulated sugar with 1 cup of softened butter. Mix on high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Add one egg at a time (6 eggs total), mixing until fully incorporated between each addition. Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 2 Tbsp orange zest, and mix until combined.
- Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and 1/2 cup sour cream, and mix until fully combined. Scrape down the sides, then add the remaining flour and the remaining 1/2 cup sour cream. Mix until fully combined.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared 8" cake pans. Bake for 40-42 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool. Once cooled, level to 3/4" inch thickness. Then, use your trifle dish as a stencil, and cut the cake to fit inside the trifle dish, trimming off the excess cake as needed. Cakes can be frozen for up to two months.
Cranberry Compote
- While the cake is baking, prepare the compote. Finely zest 2 oranges. Squeeze the juice from these oranges to make 1 cup. If 1 cup is not reached, add more orange juice or water.
- Add orange zest, 1 cup orange juice, 36 oz cranberries, 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 Tbsp vanilla, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar to a medium saucepan set on medium-low heat. Continue cooking while stirring consistently until the mixture begins to thicken and cranberries pop open, about 8-10 minutes. Use a potato masher to push down any stubborn cranberries. If the cranberry compote gets too thick, stir in extra orange juice or water to thin. Set aside to cool until ready to use. This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or frozen for up to two months.
Whipped Cream
- Put heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Mix on high until soft peaks form.
- Add 3 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp honey, and 2 tsp vanilla together, and continue whipping on high until stiff peaks form.
Assembling the Trifle
- Add one layer of cake, with a thin layer of cranberry compote, and a 1" layer of whipped cream. Repeat layering 2 more times, decorating the final whipped cream layer as directed.
- For the top whipped cream layer, use a 1M piping tip to pipe whipped cream swirls around the edge. Fill the center of the cake with whipped cream.
- Sprinkle sugared cranberries into the center of the cake. Add orange peel to each dollop of whipped cream around the edge, twisting the orange peel to add height and interest.
Video Tutorial for Assembling this Orange Pound Cake and Cranberry Compote Trifle Recipe
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