These individual Vegan Gingerbread Trifles are so easy to make and I can guarantee they'll be enjoyed by both vegan and non-vegan guests! A lot of the ingredients are shop bought, so they are minimal effort to put together. I was easily able to find vegan suitable gingerbread men in Tesco - although if you can't find any I have a recipe for Vegan Gingerbread Men. I couldn't find any suitable shop bought ginger cake, but I know you can get hold of it from Sainsburys and Ocado (and via the Amazon link at the end of this post). So I made one instead and it was absolutely delicious, my colleagues gladly scoffed up the leftovers! When I served the Vegan Gingerbread Trifles to my friends I didn't mention they were vegan, and no one had a clue, which just shows how yummy and indulgent they are!
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- You can get shop bought vegan gingerbread cake from Sainsburys, Ocado or from the Amazon link below in the recommended ingredients section. There are a couple of ready made vegan gingerbread cakes on Amazon, and a cake mix. I made a cake for the trifles using this recipe.
- The flavour of the trifles is really made by the cake, so I do recommend either making it or buying a good quality one. The ginger syrup is optional, but it does add that extra ginger flavour punch!
- I used whipped coconut milk for the topping. You can also use any other dairy free cream alternative that can be whipped up.
- I used 250ml serving glasses for this recipe.
- If you can't find mini gingerbread men (I got mine from Tesco) you can use any vegan ginger biscuit like ginger nuts for example. Or you can try my Vegan Gingerbread Men recipe!
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Vegan Gingerbread Trifles
You can make or buy the ginger cake for the cake layer, just check the ingredients to make sure any shop bought is vegan friendly if you are serving this recipe to vegans. I decided to make a ginger cake and I used a recipe from Domestic Gothess.
Break up the ginger cake and layer it into the serving glasses. Then drizzle some ginger syrup over it and add a layer of the dairy free custard. Next add more cake, more syrup and more custard!
Finally whip up the coconut cream with the maple syrup and vanilla and top the trifle with a good pile of it. Then add the little gingerbread men and a sprinkle of chopped crystallised ginger.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Can this recipe be made in advance?
Yes you can make it the day before your event, or the day before when you plan to eat it. You can also make it earlier in the day if you plan to eat it in the evening. They will last for 2 days in the fridge and still be delicious, but as with most things, they are better fresh. If you make them in advance, add the whipped coconut cream topping and gingerbread men right before serving. This dessert is not suitable for freezing.
Who is this recipe suitable for?
This recipe is egg and dairy free. It is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. You can make it gluten free by using gluten free ginger cake and gingerbread men, or another gluten free ginger biscuit.
How can you increase or decrease the portion sizes?
You can halve the ingredients if you want to make two portions, or you can double the recipe for eight servings. Depending on the size of serving glasses you use, you will get slightly different serving amounts. I used 250ml serving glasses. You could also make a large trifle in a big dish!
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More gingerbread recipes...
- Gingerbread Traybake
- Gingerbread Baked Donuts
- Ginger & Lemon Cake
- Vegan Gingerbread Men
- Gingerbread House
- Gingerbread Bonfire Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce
- Gingerbread Loaf Cake
- Gingerbread Cake with Ginger Buttercream
- Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Gingerbread Pavlova
- Gingerbread Men
- Gingerbread & White Chocolate Cookies
- Gingerbread Rocky Road
Vegan Gingerbread Trifles
Ingredients
- 100 g Ginger cake homemade or shop bought
- 500 g Dairy free custard I used Alpro
- 2 tbsp Ginger syrup from a jar of stem ginger or ginger liquor
- 800 ml Coconut milk (use only the white fat on top) left in the fridge for a couple of hours before using
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Maple syrup
- Mini gingerbread men homemade or shop bought
- 2-3 tbsp Crystallised ginger chopped up
Instructions
- Break up the gingerbread cake and layer it in the bottom of your serving glasses (the ones I used have a capacity of 250ml), then drizzle over 1 tbsp of the ginger syrup
- Pour some of the custard on top
- Add more broken up cake, syrup, and another layer of custard
- Whip up the coconut milk with the maple syup and vanilla until thick
- Add it on top of the custard, then sprinkle over some of the crystallised ginger and stick a gingerbread man in the top!
- Serve immedieately, eat leftovers within 1 day
Notes
- You can get shop bought vegan gingerbread cake from Sainsburys, Ocado or from the Amazon link below in the recommended ingredients section. There are a couple of ready made vegan gingerbread cakes on Amazon, and a cake mix. I made a cake for the trifles using this recipe.
- The flavour of the trifles is really made by the cake, so I do recommend either making it or buying a good quality one. The ginger syrup is optional, but it does add that extra ginger flavour punch!
- I used whipped coconut milk for the topping. You can also use any other dairy free cream alternative that can be whipped up.
- I used 250ml serving glasses for this recipe.
- If you can't find mini gingerbread men (I got mine from Tesco) you can use any vegan ginger biscuit like ginger nuts for example. Or you can try my Vegan Gingerbread Men recipe!
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
Jenny Paulin
happy new year Kat! I am so sorry for the late commenting on behalf of #BakeoftheWek. I have literally only just sat down tonight to do blog stuff, as I have not been on here since before Christmas!
Your vegan gingerbread trifles sound delicious and perfect for this month being Veganuary. I have not had a trifle in too long! xx
thebakingexplorer
Happy new year Jenny and thank you!
Carolyn
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr...well I'm not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say superb blog!