Birthday Cake Funfetti Trifle
This colorful Birthday Cake Funfetti Trifle recipe is the perfect excuse to party like it’s your birthday any day of the year. This funfetti trifle is a celebration dessert that’s both fun to make and eat.
Ingredients to Make Birthday Cake Funfetti Trifle Recipe
It’s no secret I love baking and most often, I choose to bake completely from scratch. It’s a passion for me that was born from the sheer joy of taking simple ingredients from my pantry and turning them into something amazing. I also know there are moments that it’s completely fine to take advantage of convenience items like cake mix, to make life a little easier. That’s where this birthday trifle recipe comes in. If just saying the phrase birthday cake makes your heart flutter, then this funfetti trifle is for you! It features layers of cake, confetti sprinkles and lots of whipped cream in every bite. It would also make a beautiful Easter Trifle. Ingredients to make Birthday Cake Trifle: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)
- Cake – One box golden butter or vanilla cake mix plus eggs, water and oil called for on the package.
- Sprinkles – Rainbow sprinkles for the batter plus additional for garnishing the top of the trifle.
- Pudding Mix – Two boxes of instant cheesecake pudding mix plus whole milk or half and half to prepare.
- Cream Cheese – Softened plain cream cheese for the cheesecake layer.
- Whipped Cream – One large Cool-Whip or 4 cups sweetened fresh whipped cream.
- Garnishes – Birthday Cake Oreo Cookies. You could also use Golden Oreos.
How to Make the Best Birthday Cake Funfetti Trifle Recipe
When do you serve a birthday cake trifle? Well first of all, it doesn’t have to be your birthday. You can use this trifle recipe as a dessert for any special occasion from picnics, church and office potlucks, baby and bridal showers, graduation parties, the holidays and more. If it’s a celebration, this funfetti trifle will be the talk of the table! It’s a party in a bowl.
- Cake Batter – Prepare the cake per the package instructions using a 13×9-inch baking pan. Mix 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles into the batter by hand. Bake per the instructions and cool completely. Cool then cut into 1-inch cubes. Set aside.
- Pudding Mix – Using an electric mixer, whip together both packages of pudding mix with milk or half. Pour into another container.
- Cream Cheese Layer – In the same mixing bowl cream together the cream cheese with whipped topping just until combined.
- Combine – Stir the pudding into the whipped creamed cheese mixture.
- Assemble the Trifle in this Order – Layer the cake and mousse in a 4 quart trifle bowl or large glass bowl, beginning with a layer of cake. (Divide the cubed cake into thirds and the cheesecake mousse in half.)
- Line the edge of the bowl with cubed cake and roughly crumble the cake in the center on the bottom of the trifle dish. Spread with dollops of the cream cheese mixture.
- Sprinkle each layer of cheesecake mousse with additional sprinkles.
- Whipped Cream – Frost the top with the remaining whipped topping, garnish with sprinkles and Oreo cookies, as desired.
- Refrigerate – Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge.
Tips for Making Birthday Cake Trifle
- Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: Large mixing bowl, medium bowl, hand mixer or stand mixer, measuring cups and spoons, 13×9-inch pan, sharp knife and cutting board.
- Cake Mix: When using a cake mix for this birthday cake trifle I choose not to use the funfetti cake mix as I recommend that you use the same sprinkles in the cake as you use to garnish the cake. Should you prefer, you certainly can if you have sprinkles that match.
- Homemade Butter Cake: I have also made this birthday cake trifle using my from scratch Old Fashioned Butter Cake recipe. That said, it’s perfectly delicious using a butter or yellow cake mix or a white cake mix as demonstrated in the recipe for the cake layers.
- Make-Ahead Tip: The easy cheesecake mousse in this trifle is simply delicious and the ingredients are easy to find. You can assemble funfetti trifle one day in advance, then cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving.
Recipe Variations
- Pudding Mix: If you’re unable to find cheesecake pudding you can use white chocolate pudding mix instead. Instant vanilla pudding mix would work in a pinch.
- Sprinkles: Rainbow sprinkles work wonderfully and they are everywhere you look. You can find them easily at grocery stores, baking supply and specialty stores, as well as big box stores such as Target and Walmart.
- How Do You Make Cake Mix Taste Better? One cake mix rule of thumb that I live by is; to replace the amount of water called for on the package with buttermilk. It does wonders for the taste and texture of the cake.
- Add an Extra Egg and Extracts: You can also add an extra egg and vanilla extract or almond extract to give the batter more of a homemade taste.
- Use Mason Jars for Single Servings: You can assemble trifle desserts in mason jars for individual servings.
Storage and Leftovers
- Leftovers: Store leftover Birthday Cake Funfetti Trifle covered with plastic wrap chilled in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. It won’t be quite as pretty after scooping it into a container, but the flavor will still be delicious. Thaw in the fridge and enjoy.
More Decadent Southern Trifle Recipes to Make
My love of trifles and birthday celebrations combined to make my day even more special this year, and not a spoonful of this crazy delicious birthday cake funfetti trifle was leftover. Trifles are an absolute love of mine and I have many other variations here on my website for you to try. See also a few from friends at the end of this list.
- Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle is perfection filled with the strawberries and cram flavor we love.
- Berry Trifle with White Chocolate Cream is a terrific choice for Patriotic holidays.
- Peanut Butter Brown Trifle is a Reese’s cup fans dream dessert!
- Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle remains a viral Pinterest sensation.
- Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Trifle is made with angel food cake for a lighter take.
- No worries about melting ice cream when you make a Banana Split Trifle for dessert.
- Coconut Cream Cake Pan Trifle is easy to transport to gatherings and picnics.
- Turtle Cheesecake Trifle from Mom on Timeout.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Birthday Cake Funfetti Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 oz box golden butter or vanilla cake mix plus ingredients to prepare
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles plus additional for garnishing
- 2 3.4 oz boxes cheesecake instant pudding mix
- 3 cups whole milk or half and half
- 2 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened
- 1 16 oz Cool-Whip, thawed or 4 cups sweetened fresh whipped cream
- 6 Birthday Cake Oreo Cookies for garnishing optional
Instructions
- Prepare the cake per the package instructions using the amount of water, oil and eggs called for. Mix 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles into the batter by hand. Bake in a 13×9 inch baking pan per the package instructions and cool completely. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, whip together both packages of pudding mix with 3 cups whole milk or half and half in a medium-size mixing bowl. Whip for 2 minutes or just until the pudding is beginning to thicken but is still pourable. Pour into another container. Set aside.
- In the same medium-size mixing bowl cream together the cream cheese with 2 cups whipped topping or fresh whipped cream. Whip just until combined.
- Add the pudding to the whipped creamed cheese mixture. Continue to whip on medium speed about 2 minutes or until smooth and fully combined.
- Layer the cake and cheesecake mousse in a 4 quart trifle bowl or large glass bowl beginning with a layer of cake. Divide the cubed cake into thirds and the cheesecake mousse in half. Cover with dollops of the cheesecake mixture.
- Sprinkle each layer of mousse with additional sprinkles. Line the edge of the bowl with cubed cake and roughly crumble the cake in the center.
- Frost the top with the remaining whipped topping, garnish with sprinkles and Oreo cookies, if desired.
- Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Store leftovers chilled.
Notes
2) To garnish the top with a piping bag as pictured you’ll need one additional 8 ounce container of thawed whipped topping or 2 cups of fresh sweetened whipped cream.
Nutrition
This was really good and easy to make.
Thank you!
Have you ever tried to use whipped cream cheese vs the softened cream cheese?
You can use whipped cream cheese, sure!
Under the ingredients it says 3 cups whole milk and instructions says using 3 cups half and half. Which is correct. Thanks
Hi Gail, you can use either one for this recipe. Half and half will give it a richer flavor, but mild will work fine.
Would it problem if I doubled this recipe and just used a bigger trifle bowl?
You can double this, sure.
Do you have the nutritional information for this recipe?
There are many free online apps and nutritional calculators you can use to calculate. This article from Good Housekeeping discussing some of the most popular may help.
How would you modify if you used strawberry box cake?
You’d follow the same process no need to change anything else.
This was delicious and a big hit. I was unable to find the cheesecake pudding ( not sure if maybe that is a product only available in the US ) so I substituted vanilla pudding instead. I also added some sliced fresh strawberries and raspberries in between the layers. Will definitely make this again.
I’m glad you enjoyed this trifle, thanks so much!
I hope someone makes this for my birthday!
Haha me, too!
This stole the show!
Thank you!
This was amazing!!! Such a fun idea for birthdays!!
This is my new favorite birthday treat!
You make the BEST trifles so I had to try this one! I was not disappointed—just delicious!!!
Say I make this for 50 people how much of each ingredient would I need to make enough
I would recommend you make several rather than one huge batch.
I’m so excited to try this trifle for my boyfriend’s birthday! He loves funfetti cake and I’ve been looking for variations to try.
I won’t have time to make the whole trifle on the day I need it, how much of it can be made in advance without compromising the final product?
Thanks!
You can make the cake 2 days in advance if needed, cool then wrap tightly and chill. Assemble the entire trifle the day before and keep chilled and you’ll be good to go. I hope he enjoys this one!
I made this at Easter and it was such a huge hit, I didn’t have any leftovers to take home! I’m back to see your modifications to the box mix for a strawberry cake I’m going to make.
Oh great so happy you loved this one!
Are you sure on the 2 x 3.4 oz l cheesecake pudding? Jello sells 1 oz boxes. I’ll need 7 boxes!
I’m sorry but, you’re mistaken. Cheesecake instant pudding mix made by Jell-O brand comes in 3.4-oz boxes. You do indeed need 2 total.
I also found the pudding only in 1 oz boxes
I just made this and didn’t even look at the pudding box weight. I used 2 boxes of Jello brand cheesecake pudding BUT I see that they are indeed 1 oz boxes. They are sugar-free however which is why the weight is off! I did not find any cheesecake pudding mix that was not sugar-free. 2 boxes was plenty! In fact my trifle bowl was not big enough and I forgot the last layer of cake, oops!
Well, I’m glad the amount was OK but, I can’t say I’ve ever seen the sugar free in any size.
This looks so delicious!!
Thank you ☺
Would it be a problem if I used 2% milk?
If you’d like to transform milk into homemade buttermilk add 1 Tbsp of distilled white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for 2 minutes and it will curdle and you’re good to go.
How much Vanilla or Almond Extract would you recommend adding to the cake mix should I choose to do so?
This Trifle Recipe sounds amazing. Can’t wait to try this trifle recipe since it’s so not the normal versions we’ve all had or tend to make.
I add 1 teaspoon of vanilla or 1/2 to almond extract. Almond extract is strong so perhaps begin with 1/4 tsp and taste, then you can adjust to your personal taste.