Elderflower and Lemon Mini Trifles are elegant and dainty, and an easy no-bake and no-cook dessert that can be made the day before your party.

Elderflower and Lemon Mini Trifles are elegant and easy to make. Lemon and Elderflower are combined in both a drizzle and a pudding to make a citrusy flavor with a soft, white floral overtone that is fresh and sweet.

Then, buttery pound cake is flavored with the drizzle and layered with lemon and elderflower pudding, and then with clouds of whipped topping.

Yellow and white mini trifles are on a lovely mirrored serving tray.

🔍 Quick Look: XYZ Recipe

Ready in: 5 Hours, 30 Minutes (4 Hours Chilling Time)
Servings: 12
Calories: ~232 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
Main Ingredients: Elderflower Syrup, Lemon Juice, Lemon Pudding, Milk, Pound Cake, & Frozen Whipped Topping
Elements of Taste: Sweet, Tart, & Creamy
Cook Method: No Cook & No Bake! Mix, Layer, & Chill
Difficulty: Easy, the majority of the time is chilling the ingredients, and the recipe can be made ahead.
Why You'll Love It: Soft elderflower matches perfectly with lemon for a delicious, beautiful, and elegant dessert that is perfect for spring and summer parties, showers, girls' brunch, and Mother's Day.

Jump to:

🔍 Quick Look: XYZ Recipe
What is a Trifle?
How to Layer a Trifle
Cheat Sheet for Layering Trifle Ingredients
How to Make the Best Elderflower and Lemon Trifle
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Elderflower and Lemon Mini Trifles
My Top Tips
How to Make a Large Bowl of Elderflower & Lemon Trifle
Substitutions
Make-Ahead & Storage
Elderflower Posts You Might Like
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

What is a Trifle?

A trifle is a layered dessert that originated in England. It typically contains layers of sponge cake that is soaked in sherry, fruit or jelly, custard, and whipped cream.

Many variations can be made using different types of cakes, fortified wines, or non-alcoholic drizzles, and may contain chocolate or other flavors.

How to Layer a Trifle

Trifle desserts are generally layered in a specific order, starting with cake that is soaked in sherry, fortified wine, or flavored syrup. Then a layer of fruit or jelly is spread over the cake layer, followed by custard or pudding, and then whipped cream or whipped topping.

The layers may be thick or they may be thin and repeated. Glass containers are used to show the beauty of the layers. A variety of glassware can be used from footed bowls, non-footed bowls, small parfait glasses, and even glassware.

A mini trifle with a text overlay of the layers and their order.

Although I have often made trifles, I still use a cheat sheet to keep track of the layers' order. This helps me complete the assembly very quickly!

Cheat Sheet for Layering Trifle Ingredients

Cake that is Soaked in Fortified Wine or Liqueur
Drizzle... if Cake is not Soaked
Jelly or Fruit
Custard or Pudding
Whipped Cream or Whipped Topping

How to Make the Best Elderflower and Lemon Trifle

One of my absolute, all-time, favorite desserts to make is a trifle. Even though a trifle is easy to make, the layers look elegant and party-perfect. In this version, elderflower and lemon are combined to make a soft and refreshing flavor combination, a perfect end to a spring or summer meal.

This trifle is simplified by not having a fruit or jelly layer and instead of custard I use lemon pudding that includes a good pour of elderflower syrup. The flavor of lemon with elderflower is divine and in my opinion, adding a fruit or jelly layer to this trifle would overpower the elderflower flavor.

The garnish is one thing you will want to make on the day you assemble the trifles. I used quarter slices of lemon, a small blackberry, and a sugar flower to decorate each of these trifles. These combined, small touches look amazing but are very simple to do.

Although I developed this recipe with the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in mind, the combined flavors of elderflower and lemon are so delicious and ethereal that it is bound to be a favorite of mine for a very long time. I hope you agree!

So, let's cook!

Ingredient Notes

The Ingredients, clockwise from top left: whole milk, whipped topping, lemon instant pudding mix, pound cake, and elderflower syrup.

Here's what you need:

Pound Cake - I layer this trifle using pound cake. You can make your own basic pound cake, but I find using one that is frozen or from a bakery is very convenient.
Elderflower Liqueur or Syrup - You can use either an alcoholic liqueur or a non-alcoholic syrup which both taste delicious. I've used a variety of different products and any will taste delicious but will have varying strengths of elderflower flavor. My absolute favorite syrup to use is D'Arbo Elderflower Syrup. Check out my full review of elderflower syrups and liqueurs. If your chosen product is an elderflower cordial check the label to see if it is alcoholic or non-alcoholic if that is a concern.
Lemon Juice - You will need lemon juice to make the drizzle that moistens and flavors the cake. For the best lemon flavor use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Lemon Instant Pudding - You must use an instant pudding mix for this trifle. Do not substitute a "cooked" pudding mix as it won't have the same flavor.
Whole Milk - I prefer whole milk to make the pudding layer. You can use 2% but the flavor won't be as rich.
Whipped Topping - Use your favorite frozen whipped topping that has been thawed. I use the original Cool Whip.

Garnishes - Fresh Blackberries, Fresh Lemon Slices, and Sugar Flowers

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

How to Make Elderflower and Lemon Mini Trifles

Process Photo 1 - Lemon juice and elderflower syrup is mixed in a measuring cup to make the drizzle.

Make Drizzle Syrup. In a small bowl or a 1-cup liquid measuring cup mix the elderflower and lemon juice. Stir well and set aside

Process Photo 2a - Elderflower syrup is poured into a bowl containing whole milk and lemon instant pudding mix.

Process Photo 2b - The lemon and elderflower pudding is fully mixed.

Make Pudding Layer. In another small bowl make the lemon instant pudding according to package directions using the cold milk and ¼ cup elderflower syrup or liqueur. Set aside at least 5 minutes to thicken.

Process Photo 3a - The brown sides and edges of the pound cake is trimmed away with a serrated knife.

Process Photo 3b - The trimmed pound cake is cut in ¼ inch cubes.

Cut Cake. Trim the brown edges from the pound cake and slice the cake into ¼" slices. Then cut slices into ¼-inch cubes.

Process Photo 4a, b, c, d - A collage of four photos showing the steps to layer a trifle: a) cake, b) drizzle, c) pudding, and d) whipped topping.

Layer. Place half of the cake cubes in the bottoms of 12 very small individual dessert dishes. Drizzle half the elderflower and lemon syrup over the pound cake cubes. Spoon or pipe half of the pudding over the pound cake. Spoon or pipe half of the whipped topping over the pudding layer.

Repeat layers with remaining pound cake, elderflower and lemon syrup, pudding, and whipped topping.

The dessert dishes I used in this recipe and the photos each hold 5 ounces.

The trifle layers are repeated, filling the dish.

Chill, Garnish, and Serve. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Garnish with blackberries, lemon slices, and sugar flowers just before serving.

Mini trifles are garnished with lemon slices, blackberries, and sugar flowers and placed on a serving tray.

My Top Tips

♡ To make it easier to layer the trifle in small dishes use a small plastic squeeze bottle for the drizzle and pastry bags for the pudding and whipped topping.

♡ An offset butter knife works great to smooth the top of each trifle to make it prettier.

How to Make a Large Bowl of Elderflower & Lemon Trifle

Trifle in a large glass bowl garnished with lemon slices and blackberries.

This recipe can be made in a medium-sized trifle bowl instead of small individual dishes. You will need to double the recipe to fill a large-sized, 16-cup trifle bowl.

Layer the ingredients in the same manner as for the mini trifles, and garnish with blackberries and sliced lemon.

Substitutions

Substitute Elderflower Liqueur. Instead of elderflower syrup in the drizzle and the pudding, you can use elderflower liqueur for a lightly alcoholic dessert. Check out my review of elderflower liqueurs and syrups to help you choose the best liqueur.

Substitute Raspberries. Instead of blackberries, you can use fresh raspberries for the garnish.

Make-Ahead & Storage

Make-Ahead: If you wish, the individual components of a trifle can be made up to 2 days before serving and the final assembly of the trifle can be made one day in advance.
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap for up to 2 days. Do not freeze.

Mini trifles in square dessert cups garnished with lemon slices, blackberries, and sugar flowers on a white platter.

Elderflower Posts You Might Like

♡ Did you love these Elderflower and Lemon Mini Trifles? Please leave us a star rating and a comment below!

📖 Recipe

Comments

5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Quiche Lorraine says

August 26, 2022 at 5:03 pm

Hello, I am preparing to make this recipe. Regarding the pudding preparation, my package says to mix package contents with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water, then stir in 2 egg yolks and 2 cups of water. I’m not clear about your instructions. Does the 1-3/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of elder flour syrup replace the 2 cups of water in the recipe on the box, and should I still add the sugar and egg whites and 1/4 cup of water as directed?

- Jan Nunes says
  
  August 26, 2022 at 5:27 pm
  
  Hi Quiche Lorraine, Thank you for your question!
  
  My recipe calls for using an "instant lemon pudding mix", which normally uses 2 cups of cold milk plus the pudding packet mix and is not cooked. So, yes, the 1 3/4 cups of milk plus 1/4 cup of elderflower are equal in volume to the 2 cups of plain milk.
  
  However, it sounds like you are going to use a cooked pudding mix. I have not made this recipe with a cooked pudding mix, but I think you can with a small adjustment.
  
  I would reduce the 2 cups of water to 1 3/4 cups and stir in the 1/4 cup of elderflower after cooking and partially cooling the pudding. This should work if your mix makes just a little over 2 cups of pudding. You will notice that your pudding will look pretty thick just after cooking due to the reduction of liquid when making it. But the addition of elderflower will thin it out.
  
  Please let me know how it turns out for you!
  Kindest Regards, Jan
  
  - Quiche Lorraine says
    
    August 29, 2022 at 5:49 pm
    
    Hi Jan, thank you for your quick response. I decided to correct my shopping mistake and purchased the instant pudding instead, I did not want to experiment on the birthday dessert that I was making for my sister. The result was a huge hit, everyone loved it. It tastes so light and fresh, like a burst of sunshine in your mouth. For anyone who does not want to purchase a large, expensive bottle of elderflower liqueur, I purchased two airplane sized bottles of St. Germain liqueur for the recipe and it came out delicious!
    
    - Jan Nunes says
      
      August 30, 2022 at 6:42 am
      
      Hi Quiche Lorraine, Thank you again for reaching out to me.
      I am so glad to hear that the trifle was a hit for your sister's birthday. Using small bottles of St. Germain is an excellent idea and I love the idea of serving a trifle of a birthday dessert!
      Have a wonderful day... ~Jan
      
Nicole Branan says

January 11, 2019 at 9:41 am

These trifles look beautiful and sound so delicious, I love the generous amount of elderflower liqueur in this recipe, I think it's one of the best flavors in existence. Thank you for sharing, Jan! 🙂

- Jan Nunes says
  
  January 11, 2019 at 10:09 am
  
  Thank you Nicole! I really appreciate your kind words. This recipe is one of my favorites and I agree... elderflower is a wonderful flavor.

Elderflower and Lemon Mini Trifles