Layer brownies with a cheesecake filling to make Brownie Cheesecake Trifle, a dessert anyone with a sweet tooth will devour.
Jump to RecipeDon’t you love when a mistake turns out to be amazing? This recipe started with a mistake I made in another recipe I was following, so I made up the rest as I went!
We love brownies and we love cheesecake at our house and this combines the two. I used a box set of brownies, but you could also make homemade brownies if you want them to be truly from scratch. But using a box helps to speed up the process just a little bit.
Originally, I wasn’t quite sure what normally goes into a cheesecake filling. I tried to find some recipes online, but didn’t have the ingredients for most of them. Since I also didn’t have time to go to the store, I decided to wing it with what we had.
The first time I made this recipe, I brought it to my in-laws for Easter. Let’s just say it was devoured. Most of us have a sweet tooth, so had large helpings. And the boys might have gone back for seconds! Then I made it again more recently as a treat for the first day back to school for the boys.

Brownie Cheesecake Trifle Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix, plus ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 oz hot fudge topping

Preparation
Bake the brownies according to the package, using the cake-like option if available, and let cool.
Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, sugar, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Use a fork to coarsely crumble the brownies. Put 1/3 of the brownies in the bottom of a trifle bowl.

Cover with 1/2 of the cheesecake filling.

Put another layer of 1/3 of the brownie mixture.

Layer with the remaining cheesecake filling.

Garnish with remaining brownies.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
Just before serving, warm the hot fudge and drizzle on the trifle.

Brownie Cheesecake Trifle Leftovers
The brownie cheesecake trifle needs to stay refrigerated. Cheesecake filling, because of the ingredients, needs to stay cool. If you have leftovers, cover and store in the refrigerator. It should last for 2-3 days.

Recipe
Originally Published On: August 23, 2021

Brownie Cheesecake Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix (plus ingredients)
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 oz hot fudge topping
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Bake the brownies according to the package, using the cake-like option if available, and let cool
- Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, sugar, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until smooth
- Use a fork to coarsely crumble the brownies
- Put 1/3 of the brownies in the bottom of a trifle bowl
- Cover with 1/2 of the cheesecake filling
- Put another layer of 1/3 of the brownie mixture
- Layer with the remaining cheesecake filling
- Garnish with remaining brownies
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight
- Just before serving, warm the hot fudge and drizzle on the trifle
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Brownie Cheesecake Trifle FAQs
Traditionally, a trifle is an English dessert of sponge cake, fruit, and custard. Now, it usually refers to any dessert with layers of something cake-like, creamy, and often fruit.
Src: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/what-is-a-trifle/
You can use any brownie, but I usually buy the Duncan Hines brand brownies. If you can find one that has the “cake-like” option, go with that one. It needs to be crumbly, not fudge-like.
More Brownie Recipes to try
- Paleo Brownies in the Blender (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)
- Brownies from Scratch
- Brownie Cheesecake Trifle
- White Chocolate Blondies with Peppermint
We love brownies and we love cheesecake! This will be devoured by our family too. Such a delicious and easy to make dessert.
Oh my gosh, it’s so good. I think y’all will love it!
OH my gosh this looks delish! I love brownies and I love cheesecake so this combo is everything!
It’s dangerously good 🙂
What a fabulous hybrid dessert! I’m not surprised it was devoured 🙂
I love mixing two things together to come up with something wonderful 🙂
I need this! I’m a HUGE brownie fan but I’ve never seen it in a trifle!!! I’m going to get the stuff and make it this weekend and I can’t wait!
Oh my gosh, you need to try it then! I wasn’t quite planning it in a trifle, either, but it worked really well.
You know my heart, brownies, and cheesecake! This looks super easy to make but I would have to make brownies from scratch as we don:t have brownie mix here in Japan.
I bet it would be even better with homemade brownies! I have a recipe on here if you need one.
Yum! Brownies and trifle are a match made in heaven. Delish!
Thanks! It was such a yummy dessert.
It was delicious, thank you for the detailed steps!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Wow this has my name written all over it! Making it today.
Enjoy! It’s hard to stop once you start eating 🙂
The cheesecake looks soooooo good!!! I can’t wait to make it, I love cheesecakes, they’re my fav cakes.
They are my husband’s favorite, too. He’s the one who ate most of this dessert!
Two of my all time favorite desserts combined–cheesecake and brownies. I’m actually sad that we don’t eat sugar seeing this.
Oh no! We have such sweet tooths at my house. I try to cut back on the sugar, but my family would rebel if we cut it completely.
We have a sweet tooth here too. I can see how it would get devoured.
Definitely. I have to watch portions for all of us if we want it to last.
How delicious does this sound. Brownies and cheesecake – the perfect partnership.
Oh my gosh, they come together so well!
What a treat! We are chocolate lovers in this household and brownies are a favourite for all of us. I will definitely be trying this recipe soon. Thanks for sharing.
Chocolate is my weakness, for sure. I hope you enjoy this!
How yummy does this sound. We love brownies but haven’t ventured into trifles much yet.
Trifles are pretty easy since you are just laying things. And it’s a great way to have something a little different 🙂
This is a delicious trifle! My family absolutely loved it…such an elegant and delicious way to serve up brownies!
Thanks! I agree, it makes it a bit more interesting than just regular brownies.
Wow! This looks so indulgent and perfect when having family or friends around. Can’t go wrong when brownies are involved
I completely agree! And I bet your friends would, too 😉
What an awesome combination! This would be a nice dessert for a special occasion.
It’s perfect for a special occasion because it looks fancy but is easy to make.
I think I’m the only person in this world who never tasted cheesecake in life, LOL! I love the recipes, and it’s looking easy too.
Oh my goodness, you are missing out! It’s so creamy and yummy. You should definitely give it a go.
This Brownie Cheesecake Trifle sounds and looks delicious. I cannot wait to try!
It’s so good, and so hard to only eat a little bit 🙂
This looks so good and will be on my table this weekend. Thanks for sharing the recipe
I hope you and your family enjoy it for a wonderful weekend indulgence!
You had me at Bronwie Cheesecake, but I love the addition of Trifle! What an interesting dessert – one that is sure to spark conversation.
It’s great because it does spark conversation, but in reality is so easy to put together.