If you love a good dirt cake pudding, you have to try this trifle made with red velvet cake. It’s fluffy, creamy, and flavorful–perfect for holidays and special occasions.

This red velvet trifle is made with layers of red velvet cake, white chocolate cream, and whipped cream, then garnished with chocolate chips and chocolate sauce.

An individual serving of easy red velvet trifle in a glass dish.

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We love creamy layered desserts in our home. There’s something about fluffy cream fillings and flavor combinations that makes them satisfying, but not too heavy.

My youngest recently came up with an idea for his birthday dessert that involved layering red velvet cake with a creamy pudding-like filling, so we ended up making this red velvet trifle together.

Cubes of red velvet cake pair perfectly with tangy cream cheese and white chocolate pudding, making it sort of like a red velvet version of this speculoos dirt cake.

It’s lovely AND delicious, but super easy to make. It’s a great dessert for a Valentine’s Day or Christmas celebration, but it can also be enjoyed year-round.

More Creamy Desserts:

Side view of a glass trifle bowl showing the layers of red velvet cake and creamy pudding filling.

Making Red Velvet Dirt Cake Pudding

Just like my Christmas tree cake trifle, the key to making this dessert is all in the layers.

I baked my own red velvet cake, using a cake mix, for the cake cubes, but if you’re short on time or need a no-bake dessert, you can simply buy a pre-made red velvet cake from the grocery store.

Then the creamy layer is made up of cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar, combined with both vanilla pudding and white chocolate pudding, plus some Cool Whip.

This makes a fluffy, sweet filling that serves as a substitute for icing on the cake. The final layer on top is some more Cool Whip.

We added some chocolate syrup and chocolate chips as garnish, along with a little bit of crumbled cake bits, just because it makes everything pretty. But you could omit those if desired.

It’s like the classic dirt cake made with crushed Oreo cookies, except with a few tweaks!

More Red Velvet Desserts:

overhead view of red velvet dirt cake trifle served in a glass dessert cup, with the remaining bowl of trifle in the background. A spoon is next to the dessert cup.

How to Make Red Velvet Cheesecake Trifle

It’s really easy to make this beautiful dessert.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Red Velvet Cake Mix
Oil
Eggs
Water
Cream Cheese
Butter
Powdered Sugar
White Chocolate Pudding Mix
Vanilla Pudding Mix
Cool Whip
Optional garnishes, such as chocolate syrup, white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips

Overhead view of the top surface of red velvet cake trifle, complete with chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, and cake crumbles.

How to Make It:

Find the full printable recipe available below

Bake the cake. First, you’ll prepare the red velvet cake by mixing together the cake mix, oil, eggs, and water.

Pour the batter into a greased baking dish and bake for 24-29 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

two photos; one shows red velvet cake batter in a glass 9x13" pan; the other shows the cake in the pan after baking.

Prepare the filling. Then, you’ll beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until combined well.

two photos; one shows powdered sugar being added to the cream cheese and butter mixture with an electric mixer; the other shows the mixture once it's beaten together.

In a separate bowl, whisk together both pudding mixes and milk until the mixture starts to thicken.

Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture, using an electric mixer to combine until smooth.

Add half of the whipped topping to this mixture. Mix on low speed just until it’s incorporated.

two photos; one shows pudding mixture in a mixing bowl; the other shows the creamy filling ready for layering in the trifle.

Layer. Then, you’ll cut half of the red velvet cake into cubes. Set aside two cubes, then layer a little less than half of the cubes on the bottom of a large bowl or trifle dish.

If desired, drizzle some chocolate sauce over the cake cubes.

two photos; one shows red velvet cake cut into cubes; the other shows cubes of cake topped with a chocolate drizzle.

Spread half of the cream mixture over the cubed cake pieces. Then take the remaining half of the cake cubes and arrange them over the cream layer.

Top with the remaining cream layer, spreading evenly. Next, you’ll spread the remaining Cool Whip over the cream layer.

If desired, garnish with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and chocolate sauce. Then take the two cake cubes you set aside and use your fingers to crumble them into small pieces, sprinkling the crumbles over the top.

Cover the dish and refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) before serving. Then enjoy!

two photos; one shows red velvet cake cubes over a creamy filling in a trifle dish; the other shows the finished top of the red velvet creamy layered dessert, complete with whipped cream, chocolate chips, and chocolate sauce drizzle.

Notes and Adaptations:

The garnishes are optional, but my family likes the crunch of the chocolate chips, and I think it makes everything even prettier.
You’ll only be using about half of the prepared cake. I wrap the rest of the cake in plastic wrap and freeze it for later. You can also buy pre-made red velvet cake from your grocery store if you want to save time. I would scrape the icing off before cutting the cake into cubes. You’ll probably want at least 4-5 cups of cake cubes.