Refreshing and creamy Peach Mousse Trifle is the perfect summer dessert! Creamy peach mousse is layered with vanilla whipped cream, light yellow cake, and fresh peach slices. This easy recipe makes a smaller batch dessert with 4 individual servings or one larger trifle.
Peach Mousse
We all love chocolate mousse, right? Until I started baking, I would have never thought of a fruit mousse though. But, I thought if it was the same creamy consistency and overall yumminess, it couldn’t be all that bad. And I was right.
Basically, mousse is made when you add whipped cream to a soft, creamy base. Take chocolate pudding for example. You can transform it into a mousse when you fold in whipped cream. Easy enough. So, we are going to make it with a fruit base in this Peach Mousse Trifle.
Making peach mousse involves a few easy steps:
- Blend the peaches to a puree in a blender – I recommend fresh peaches, but frozen will work. If you choose to use frozen, I would defrost and drain off excess water.
- Bloom the gelatin and heat with maple syrup – Or any sweetener of choice will work.
- Fold the peach puree with whipped cream
Gelatin vs. Egg Base Mousse
Like pudding, your mousse base can be made with gelatin or tempered eggs. For this mousse, I chose gelatin because I wanted to make sure the peach flavor really came through and the texture was light.
An egg base, or custard, would be just as good though. It would be richer and a bit thicker, like a pudding.
The gelatin we are using in this recipe is unflavored. Rather than the flavored Jello packets. Again, to make sure there was no interference with the fresh fruit flavor of the peaches. And I will say, this Peach Mousse Trifle has a robust peach flavor!
Summer Peach Trifles
Needless to say, the star of the show in this summer dessert is the peach mousse. And while it would be just as fantastic on its own, making it into a trifle gives the mousse more to complement it. So, what is a trifle anyway?
Glad you asked. The dessert originated in England and is a dessert consisting of fruit, custard, and cake. With all of these components, there are likely an infinite number of variations to the dessert. With that, the trifle dessert doesn’t have to be relegated to just the summer. You could make a variation for fall using apples or pears. Or a zesty citrus trifle with a combination of oranges and grapefruits. You get the idea – the possibilities are endless!
But, because it is summer, we are going to celebrate a summer fruit. Fresh peaches. And anytime we are in season for a specific fruit, I will always recommend using the fresh variety. That said, you could swap in frozen peaches. They would have to be defrosted and drained of extra liquid. Just keep in mind a defrosted slice of peach may not have the same pretty presentation as a fresh peach.
Serving A Trifle
How you choose to serve your Peach Mousse Trifle it is entirely up to you because there are not any hard and fast rules about making a trifle. And as we discussed, a trifle is essentially a dessert made up of a few different components:
- Mousse (or Custard)
- Fruit
- Cake
With that, the recipe for the yellow cake I have included is easy to make. But if you prefer to make your summer dessert prep even easier, a store-bought cake would work just as well. Or, if you have a tried and true cake recipe of your own, you won’t hurt my feelings!
The order in which you arrange your trifle is your choice, as are the serving vessels. The only thing I would recommend is use something that is glass (or clear), so you can see the pretty layers of your dessert. With that, this trifle can be served in a single large trifle bowl (yes, there actually is a trifle bowl!) Whatever you choose, keep in mind this is a smaller batch dessert, so your vessel shouldn’t be too large.
What You Need To Make Peach Mousse Trifle
Ingredients
- Fresh Peaches
- Heavy Cream
- Maple Syrup – Or another sweetener of choice.
- Unflavored Gelatin Powder – I recommend powder, only because I have never worked with gelatin sheets before.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Sparkling Water – Any flavor. Sparkling water makes cakes light and fluffy.
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
Baking Equipment
- 8-Inch Square Cake Pan
- Biscuit/Cookie Cutter – To make the cake rounds to fit the size of your serving glass.
- Blender – To blend the peaches into a puree.
- Serving Glasses or Bowl(s)
Helpful Questions and Answers For Making Peach Mousse Trifle
You do not, but I do recommend it – especially if they are in season. Fresh fruit has such a bright flavor and it makes for a pretty presentation. Frozen fruit can be used if thawed and excess liquid drained off.
I honestly can’t say. We are using gelatin to help set the mousse firm. The flavored gelatin packets have extra ingredients and I am not able to say how to much to use in lieu of unflavored gelatin powder. And extra flavor may overpower the fresh fruit flavor.
Of course! I like maple syrup for its flavor and it is not as processed as white sugar. Feel free to swap in any sweetener you prefer. If using an artificial/low-calorie sweetener, I would just follow the product recommendations for substitution.
You certainly do not! Feel free to use your own favorite cake recipe if you have one. Or even a store-bought cake!
Really, the choice is yours! I would just recommend something that is clear so you can see all of the layers.
I highly recommend giving the mousse some time to firm up to get that creamy mousse texture.
More Fresh Fruit Summer Dessert Recipes
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake – Gluten Free
- No-Bake Key Lime Bars
- Small Batch Strawberry Cupcakes
- Cherry Almond Galette For Two
- Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream
- Mini Peach and Cream Cheese Tarts
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Peach Mousse Trifle
Equipment
- 1 – 8-Inch Square Cake Pan
- 4 – Serving Glasses
Ingredients
Peach Mousse
- 4 fresh peaches
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup – divided (or any sweetener of choice; 3 tablespoons for peach puree; 1 tablespoon for whipping cream)
- 1 cup heavy cream
Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sparkling water (any flavor)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
Peach Mousse – Part 1
- Peel and chop into cubes 3 of the fresh peaches. Add to a blender along with the lemon juice and maple syrup. Puree until light and smooth. Keep in the blender and set aside.
- For the last peach, chop or slice for the peach layer of the trifle. Peeling the peach is optional. Sprinkle with lemon juice so it does not brown. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Add the water to a small prep bowl or ramekin and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom – it will resemble a firm gel when bloomed. Then, heat the bloomed gelatin to a liquid in the microwave – only about 5 – 10 seconds.
- Pour the liquified gelatin into the peach puree in the blender, and mix for another 30-45 seconds – until all ingredients are thoroughly blended. Keep the peach puree in the blender and cover with a lid. Chill in the refrigerator until the mix starts to thicken. About 1 hour. Note: I keep the peach puree in the blender because it is one less bowl to clean. However, you can transfer it to another bowl if you prefer.
- While the peach puree is chilling, make the whipped cream. Beat the heavy cream in a chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Divide the whipped cream in half and place half of the whipped cream in another bowl. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of the pan. I like to use Pam Baking Spray with Flour.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a liquid measuring cup, mix the sparkling water, egg, cream, and vanilla extract until combined. Add the liquid ingredients, along with melted butter to the dry ingredients. Whisk until no streaks of flour remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Then, invert the cake onto the wire rack and carefully remove the parchment paper. Flip the cake back over and let cool completely on the wire rack.
- Once the cake has cooled, use a cookie/biscuit cutter to match the size and shape of your serving glasses. Or you can cut the cake into cubes for the cake layer of the trifle.
Peach Mousse – Part 2
- Add the chilled peach puree to one of the whipped cream bowls and gently fold the mix together. The mousse will be the consistency of the whipped cream and will continue to firm as it chills.
- In the other bowl of whipped cream, add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and gently fold until the syrup is fully incorporated. At this point, you can start to assemble the trifle.
Assembling the Trifles
- In each serving glass, alternate the mousse, cake, whipped cream, and fresh peaches – starting with the mousse.
- Chill the trifles for at least 1 hour for the mousse to set. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Peaches – I do recommend fresh peaches (if in season) for their flavor and presentation. Frozen peaches can work if you defrost and drain off excess liquid.
- Maple Syrup – You can opt to use any sweetener of choice. I like maple syrup for its flavor.
- Gelatin Powder – I have only worked with gelatin powder. There are gelatin sheets, but I can’t give instruction with confidence on how to use them in this recipe.
- Cake – Feel free to make your own version of your favorite cake. Or use a store-bought cake to make it easier!
- Sparkling Water – I like using sparkling water in cakes because it helps to make the cake light and fluffy. Any flavor, or unflavored, will work.