Mini Gingerbread Hazelnut Crunch Trifles

With Christmas around the corner, tis the season for gingerbread! It’s one of my favorite flavors for the season, and I paired it with a hazelnut crunch topping on mini trifles for the ultimate mini dessert sure to wow your friends and family at holiday parties this year. Not hosting a party? Just serve up these fancies to your family on Christmas Eve around your fireplace while sharing your favorite memories of the year.

Why I love this dessert? It’s EASY! We’re all adding last minute decorations around the house, wrapping gifts, and getting caught up in the hustle and bustle. We need easy, cute recipe ideas that are tasty in minutes. These mini gingerbread hazelnut crunch trifles can also be made in advance and saved in the refrigerator (just pull out 30 minutes before serving).

If you don’t have mini trifle glasses, just swap in a martini or wine glass for an equally fancy twist! You can even tie a ribbon around for extra pizzazz.

The gingerbread cake is soft and moist while the cinnamon ginger buttercream adds a creamy twist. The topping is a hazelnut crunch that is ready in minutes!

Mini Gingerbread Hazelnut Crunch Trifles

Author: Courtney Whitmore

SERVINGS 1 dozen mini trifles

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Ingredients

  

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For the Gingerbread Cake:

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup butter - room temperature
• 1 egg
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot water

For the Cinnamon Ginger Buttercream:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter - room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

For the Hazelnut Crunch topping:

• 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup flour
• 4 tablespoons butter

Instructions

 

For the Gingerbread Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 brownie pan. Cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add in egg and molasses. In a separate bowl, combine flour, spices, and salt. Slowly add to creamed butter and sugar until combined.
• Add water and beat for 30 seconds or until combined.
• Pour into pan and bake 30-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean and cake springs away from edges of pan. Once cooled, cut into small chopped squares.

For the Cinnamon Ginger Buttercream:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter until thick and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix well for 2 minutes. Add spices and heavy cream. Beat for 2 minutes or until fluffy. If too thick, add in more heavy cream (or milk).

For the Hazelnut Crunch topping:

• In a saucepan on medium heat, combine all ingredients and stir until toasted and combined. Spread out on a cookie sheet until cooled. Crumble to topping!
• Build trifles by layering gingerbread cake, cinnamon ginger buttercream (I used a fluted piping tip) and hazelnut crunch topping! You can also garnish with a gingerbread cookie! Enjoy!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Cheers,
Courtney