Gingerbread Cranberry Panettone Trifle – Easy Christmas Dessert

If you’re looking for a show-stopping holiday dessert that’s both luxurious and effortless, this Gingerbread Cranberry Panettone Trifle is your answer. With layers of soft panettone soaked in coffee syrup, spiced mascarpone-cream cheese filling, and a tangy homemade cranberry sauce, it’s a festive dessert that tastes like Christmas in a glass.

Hello, everyone – I hope you all are doing well!

Today, I am thrilled to share an easy, yet elegant and luxurious holiday dessert. So, let’s dive into this decadent Gingerbread Cranberry Panettone Trifle

Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Cranberry Panettone Trifle

• Combines all your favourite holiday flavours: panettone, gingerbread spices, and cranberries.
• No baking needed — just a few easy stovetop steps and layering.
• The make-ahead factor: chill it overnight and serve stress-free.
• Elegant presentation in a trifle bowl or small dessert glasses.
• Perfect for Christmas dinners, parties, or cozy evenings by the fireplace.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Gingerbread Cranberry Panettone Trifle

This Gingerbread Cranberry Panettone Trifle has three distinctive elements.

Trifle Cream

Soft, rich, and delicately spiced, this creamy layer ties the dessert together.

• Store-bought panettone, crusts removed and cubed – choose a plain or lightly fruit-studded panettone for best texture. The soft, buttery crumb soaks up syrup and cream beautifully.
• Mascarpone, at room temperature – provides a velvety richness and mild sweetness.
• Cream cheese – adds tanginess and lightness, balancing the mascarpone.
• Powdered sugar – gives smooth sweetness and stability without grittiness.
• Vanilla extract – enhances aroma and blends the flavours.
• Honey – brings floral notes and depth.
• Fancy molasses – adds the signature gingerbread warmth and caramel tones.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a pinch of cardamom– the classic holiday spice blend that fills your kitchen with festive fragrance.

This spiced cream is luscious and thick, yet airy enough to create beautiful layers that hold together while still spooning softly.

Cranberry Sauce

A bright, tangy contrast to the creamy layers, this sauce brings balance and festive colour.

• Fresh or frozen cranberries – their tartness offsets the richness perfectly.
• Orange juice – adds a citrus sparkle and helps the cranberries break down into a jammy consistency.
• Honey – gently sweetens while keeping the sauce vibrant.
• Cinnamon – adds a warm spice note that echoes the trifle cream.
• Water – ensures the sauce simmers smoothly without burning.

Simmer everything until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens; once cooled, it will have a glossy, jewel-like texture.

Coffee Syrup

This simple syrup adds subtle bitterness and aroma, perfectly balancing the sweetness of the cream and fruit.

• Strong brewed coffee – freshly made, it gives a delicate mocha undertone.
• Brown sugar – adds molasses richness that pairs beautifully with panettone.
• Vanilla extract – softens the coffee flavour and adds warmth.

Lightly drizzle this syrup over the panettone cubes before layering – just enough to moisten them without making them soggy.

How to Make This Gingerbread Cranberry Panettone Trifle

Prepare the cranberry sauce first by simmering cranberries with orange juice, honey, cinnamon, and water until thickened and glossy. Let it cool completely. In a separate bowl, whip together mascarpone, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, honey, molasses, and spices until smooth and fluffy. Combine coffee, brown sugar, and vanilla for your syrup and set aside to cool.

To assemble, layer cubes of panettone in a trifle bowl or glass cups. Drizzle lightly with coffee syrup, then spread a layer of cranberry sauce followed by a thick layer of spiced cream. Repeat until the bowl is filled, finishing with cream on top. Garnish with reserved panettone crumbs, sugared cranberries, or a dusting of cinnamon. Chill for a few hours before serving – the flavours deepen beautifully with time.

More Easy Festive Desserts

• Chocolate Cranberry Orange Trifle (Christmas Trifle with Brownies)
• Christmas Gingerbread Tiramisu (Christmas Gingerbread Trifle)
• Christmas Panettone Tiramisu
• Sparkling Wine Trifle (New Year’s Eve Dessert)
• Irish Cream Chocolate Dessert (Baileys No Bake Dessert)

I’d love for you to try this Gingerbread and Cranberry Panettone Trifle. If you give the recipe a go, please share your results in the comments, message me on Instagram, or post your photos with the hashtag #havocinthekitchen. I look forward to seeing your creations and hearing your thoughts!

Cheers!

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Gingerbread and Cranberry Panettone Trifle – Easy Christmas Dessert

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Christmas, Festive Christmas DessertsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Trifle Cream:

• About 1 lb (450 g) mascarpone, room temperature

• About 1 cup (250 g) plain Philadelphia cream cheese

• About 1 1/2 lb. (550 g) store-bought panettone, brown crust removed and cubed
  

• ⅓ to ½ cup (40–60 g) powdered sugar, to taste

• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) honey

• ¼ to ⅓ cup (80 ml) fancy molasses

• ½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon

• 1 whole nutmeg, freshly grated (or about ½ tsp / 1 g)

• 1 to 2 tsp (2–4 g) ground ginger

• A good pinch of ground cardamom

• For the Cranberry Sauce

• 3 cups (about 450 g) fresh or frozen cranberries

• Juice of 1 orange (about 3 Tbsp / 45 ml)

• ¼ cup (60 ml) honey

• Pinch of ground cinnamon

• About ¼ cup (60 ml) water

• For the Coffee Syrup

• 1 cup (240 ml) very strong brewed coffee

• ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar

• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract

Directions

• In a small saucepan, combine the coffee and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and let cool completely. (This can be done ahead of time.)
• Prepare the cranberry sauce
  In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, orange juice, honey, cinnamon, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 12–15 minutes, until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
  For a smoother consistency, blend the sauce until nearly smooth, then chill until ready to use.
• In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone and whipped cream cheese together for about 1 minute, until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, honey, molasses, and spices. Beat again for 1–2 minutes until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust sweetness or spices to your preference.
• Place a layer of cubed panettone in the bottom of a large trifle bowl or individual dessert glasses. Drizzle with some of the cooled coffee syrup. Spread a layer of the spiced mascarpone cream on top, followed by a layer of cranberry sauce.
  Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used – typically two layers of panettone and cream, and one layer of cranberry sauce. Finish with cream on top. (There’s no strict rule – adjust layer thickness and order as you like.)
• You can serve the trifle immediately, but it’s best to refrigerate for at least 2–3 hours or overnight. This allows the flavours to meld and the texture to become beautifully soft. Garnish with crumbled panettone, a dusting of cinnamon, or sugared cranberries before serving.