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Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle

This Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle is a dessert filled with creamy irresistible citrus deliciousness. It starts with our family recipe for Lemon Lovers Pound Cake that’s liberally brushed with a homemade lemon simple syrup. The pound cake is cubed and then layered with fluffy lemon cream and whipped cream then garnished with fresh lemon slices. It’s outrageously delicious!

Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle

Easy Outrageous Lemon Trifle Recipe

I am a huge fan of trifles both sweet and savory. They fall into the category of edible centerpieces in my kitchen and I gravitate to them in various flavors when entertaining. I have several over-the-top trifle desserts on the website that remain fan favorites and this lemon trifle is no exception. How to make Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Make Lemon Syrup – In a small saucepan over medium-high heat the granulated sugar and lemon juice together. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved then set aside to cool.
  • Filling – Whip both packets of Dream Whip with 2 cups of cold whole milk. Whip for 5 minutes or until soft peaks form.
  • Pudding Mx – Add both packages of lemon pudding and the remaining 1 cup of whole milk. Whip for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
  • Assemble – Divide the cubed cake in half. Begin with a layer of cubed cake on the bottom of the trifle bowl. Brush with 1/2 of the lemon syrup. Add a layer of lemon pudding and 1/2 of the whipped topping.
  • Repeat with cake, brush with lemon syrup, lemon pudding mixture ending with whipped topping.
  • Garnish – Sprinkle the top with grated white chocolate and garnish with lemon slice and fresh mint if desired.
  • Chill thoroughly for at least 4 hours prior to serving.
Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle

How to Make the Best Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle

When spring blooms so does this Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle in my Southern kitchen. It’s a happy flavor combination that’s spectacular for any occasion such as a bridal or baby shower, girls night with friends, Easter dinner, Mother’s Day, a casual backyard picnic, a church potluck and beyond.

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make Lemon Lovers Trifle recipe: Lemon pound cake and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice to make the simple syrup to brush on the cake layers. Whole milk or half and half plus 2 boxes of instant lemon pudding mix, Dream Whip mix, whipped cream or Cool Whip to frost the top and grated white chocolate and lemon slices to arrange on top.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: Large trifle bowl, stand mixer or hand mixer, large bowl, sharp knife and cutting board, measuring cups and spoons.
  • Let’s talk trifle bowls. I am a trifle lover and have a variety in different sizes. This is a big lemon trifle and you’ll need a 5 quart or larger bowl to make it. You can also use any large glass bowl to display the layers or in a pinch make it in a 13 x 9 inch dish. If you plan on purchasing a trifle dish now or in the future, my rule of thumb is go bigger not smaller.
  • You can make this trifle using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. A stand mixer makes light work of the extended amount of time it takes to fully whip the lemon filling. That said, either will work, of course.
  • Dream Whip is a dry whipped topping mix that’s readily available on the baking aisle of most grocery stores including stores like Walmart and Target. It’s an important ingredient to make the layers for this lemon trifle adding a creamy texture, volume and flavor.
  • You can make this trifle using my recipe for lemon lovers pound cake  or my lemon butter bundt cake.  If you’re pressed for time with no time to bake, you could use a lemon or vanilla cake from your local bakery in a pinch.
  • This trifle can be made one day in advance, then covered and chilled in the refrigerator. When doing so, wait and decorate and garnish the top until just before serving.
  • You can store leftovers chilled in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
lemon Lovers Trifle ingredients

More Lemon Desserts and Trifle Recipes to Make

This stunning outrageous lemon trifle should be made and assembled in advance and thoroughly chilled to allow the flavors to become even more robust. It’s a happy dessert for a happy occasion. More lemon desserts you may like to try:

Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle

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Outrageous Lemon Lovers Trifle

Prep Time25 minutes
Chill Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: lemon-trifle-recipe, outrageous-lemon-lovers-trifle
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 582kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 1 Lemon Lovers Pound Cake cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 2.7 oz box Dream Whip
  • 3 cup very cold whole milk divided
  • 2 3.4 oz boxes instant lemon pudding mix
  • 16 oz frozen whipped topping OR 4 cups fresh sweetened whipped cream
  • 2 Tbsp grated white chocolate
  • Lemon slices and sprigs of fresh mint for garnishing

Instructions

  • Lemon Syrup: In a small saucepan over medium-high mix the granulated sugar and lemon juice together. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved then set aside to cool.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer whip together both packets of Dream Whip [The box contains 2 envelopes use both] with 2 cups of cold milk. Whip for 5 minutes or until soft peaks form.
  • To the bowl add both packages of lemon pudding mix and the remaining 1 cup of milk. Whip for 2-3 minutes on medium high speed until thickened.
  • Assemble: Divide the cubed cake in half. On the bottom of the bowl begin with a layer of cubed cake. Brush the cake with 1/2 of the lemon syrup.
  • Add a layer of lemon pudding mixture and 1/2 of the whipped topping. Repeat with cubed cake, brush with lemon syrup, lemon pudding mixture ending with whipped topping.
  • Sprinkle the top with grated white chocolate and garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint, if desired.
  • Chill thoroughly for at least 4 hours prior to serving.

Notes

A bakery lemon or vanilla pound cake may be substituted, if desired.
See Lemon Lovers Pound Cake recipe here

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 459mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 90g | Vitamin A: 980IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

235 Comments

  1. Tomorrow will be my 2nd time making this dessert at my family’s request. We all LOVE it. I use the pre-sliced lemon creme cake from Wal-Mart’s bakery. No offense, I just don’t have the patience to bake a cake THEN make the trifle. I’m sure your cake is delicious. Maybe one day.
    Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s a new favorite in my family!

  2. Instead of buying a cake and lemon whip, can you make any of these? If so how would you suggest you could.make these?

    Thanks

    1. This recipe doesn’t call for buying a cake. I recommend you use my lemon lovers pound cake recipe found in the recipe archives. The dream whip is essential to the filling.

  3. Hi, this looks divine and I desperately want to make it…but…I’m in the UK and have no idea what instant lemon pudding mix is…I’ve googled an alternative but I’m having no luck… could you describe what it is and possibly give me an alternative please… thankyou

    1. Hi Annamarie, you could easily adapt using a lemon custard mixed with fresh whipped cream in place of the pudding and whipped topping mix.

  4. So after making this I was trying it out and before I knew it I had eaten a little of two thirds of this yummy desert. Looks like I need to make another one now as it was for guests this evening. Does this desert make you fat? Really love anything with lemon!

    1. Ha, that’s funny! It is rather addicting and probably wouldn’t be a good idea to eat this everyday. But, it is fun to splurge once in a while isn’t it?

  5. So before adding the lemon pudding mix I should save 1/2 the whip cream? I couldn’t find how you saved the whip cream

    1. The whipped cream/topping is separate from the lemon filling. There’s one layer of whipped topping in the trifle and the remaining is on top.

      1. I am wondering if this is really lemony or is there anywhere I could add lemon curd either by itself or in the lemon pudding mixture? Thank you.

  6. I was looking for a dessert to add a little limoncello to. Do you think poking holes in the cake and allowing 1/2 c of the liqeur to soak into it would take away from this dessert?

  7. 2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant lemon pudding mix????

    I just have no idea what this is, we dont sell it in our supermarkets, just googled all to check! I presume you not in UK, could you please advise what i could use as a substitute?

  8. Can something else be used instead of Dream Whip like whipped cream mixed with a little cream cheese for stability.

    1. If you’d like to adapt using those ingredients you could if you want, of course. I developed this recipe just as it’s written so, I can’t tell you if those adjustments will work.

    1. Amazon or any online retailer should have it. Otherwise, you might try adapting this using lemon curd.

  9. For a dessert contest at work, I made my mother’s scrumptious sour cream lemon pound cake . Imagine my dismay when the cake got stuck in the bundt pan! Scrambling for a “Plan B”, I Googled for a lemon pound cake trifle recipe and discovered this gem.
    I followed the recipe exactly, with only one change. I added one layer of coarsely crushed ginger snap cookies in the middle.
    I was beyond thrilled when my trifle won the dessert contest! Move over chocolate!!
    Thanks for helping me turn my cake disaster into a prize winner.

  10. At 62, I’ve never owned a trifle bowl, but I’m now motivated to get one. Since they vary greatly in size, from two quarts to four quarts, and everything in between, what size would you recommend? Thank you!

    1. retirees are downsizing and donating, I found my trifle bowl at a second hand store, as well as a beautiful cake plate on another visit.

  11. This is my new favorite recipe to make for dessert! I made it for Easter and everyone loved it, and I just made another today to take to a potluck. For today’s, I made it in a large container, instead of my trifle bowl, and it still looks great! Im sure it will be a hit today as well!

  12. This is one of the BEST desserts I have had in a very long time! my grandkids and I made it this past week and the whole family fell in love with it! Thank you so much for sharing!

  13. The Trifle came out AWESOME!! The limoncello was an added bonus. I used 1/2 cup of limoncello and cooked it along with the fresh lemon juice and sugar. It definitely added flavor but it was very subtle and did not taste like you doused the cake in alcohol. I also used Duncan Hines Boxed Moist lemon cake mix. I used the directions for 13 X 9 pan. The cake came out the perfect height to cut 1 inch high cubes. I only needed half the cake for two layers in the trifle bowl. Also, I brushed the half of cake with the lemon juice/limoncello and sugar mixture before placing the cubes in the trifle dish. The mixture of flavors in this recipe were awesome! it didn’t take long for everyone to devour it. Thank you!

    1. Oh that sounds so good with the added Limoncello. I use Limoncello to make a bundt cake a very costly bundt cake considering Limoncello is not cheap. I’ll have try your idea for my b’day on the 14th of July.

      1. Thank you! That’s what I was thinking. Making it this weekend. I will let you know the results.????

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