Ina Garten Banana Rum Trifle

Ina Garten banana rum trifle takes 1 hour 20 minutes plus an overnight chill, with bananas, ginger snaps and rum-spiked cream, to make a creamy layered dessert. Save this easy dessert for potlucks, Easter or summer cookouts, because it's make-ahead and feeds 10 people.

Chill the trifle overnight, because that is when the ginger snaps soak up the cream and turn soft and cakey. Serve it too early and you get crunchy cookies sitting in loose cream.

Ina Garten built this on the famous southern banana pudding that Magnolia Bakery in New York made so popular. She swapped the usual Nilla wafers for ginger snaps and added dark rum and real vanilla bean for a spicier, grown-up flavor, and it comes from her book Modern Comfort Food (2020).

Source: Modern Comfort Food (2020)

Ina Garten Banana Rum Trifle

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Calories

560

kcal

Spiced ginger snaps soften into cake-like layers between sliced bananas and a fluffy rum and vanilla cream. After a night in the fridge it spoons out cold, creamy and sliceable.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  

• 1/4 cup sugar
  

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  

• 3 cups cold heavy cream
  

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  

• Seeds from 1 split vanilla bean
  

• 3 tablespoons dark rum, such as Mount Gay
  

• 1 (1-pound) box Nabisco Ginger Snaps, divided
  

• 6 large bananas, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  

• Sweetened Whipped Cream, for decorating (this page)
  

Directions

• Cook the custard base: Bring 1 1/2 cups whole milk, 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly and scrape the bottom, and when it thickens, cook for 1 more minute, still stirring.
• Chill the base: Whisk in the can of sweetened condensed milk and move everything to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• Whip the cream: Pour 3 cups cold heavy cream into the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on low until it thickens, then on high until it forms soft peaks.
• Make the rum cream: Add the chilled milk mixture, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, the seeds from 1 vanilla bean and 3 tablespoons dark rum. Whisk on medium for about 3 minutes, until it forms soft peaks.
• Layer the trifle: In a 3 1/2-quart straight-sided glass bowl, lay down one full layer of ginger snaps without overlapping, breaking them to fit so they touch the sides. Add a layer of sliced bananas, then a quarter of the cream mixture.
• Finish the layers: Repeat until you have 4 layers of cookies, bananas and cream, ending with cream and swirling the top. Save the remaining cookies for decorating.
• Chill overnight: Chill the trifle for 1 hour, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. That gives the cookies time to absorb the liquid in the cream.
• Decorate and serve: Top with sweetened whipped cream and the reserved ginger snaps. Serve it cold.

Tools for this recipe

• Anchor Hocking 104 oz glass trifle bowl with lid, KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer, Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 3-quart saucepan, Madagascar vanilla beans, grade A, 10 pods. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use Nilla wafers instead of ginger snaps?

Yes, Nilla wafers are the classic banana pudding cookie, so they work well here. You will lose the spicy ginger note, which is what makes this version stand out.

How long does banana rum trifle keep in the fridge?

Bananas brown over time, so it looks best within 1 to 2 days. Keep it covered with plastic wrap and serve it cold.

Can I make this trifle ahead of time?

Yes, it is made to be. The overnight chill is part of the recipe, and the custard base can be made up to 24 hours before you whip the cream.

Can I leave out the rum?

You can skip the 3 tablespoons of rum if you are serving kids or avoiding alcohol. The vanilla bean and ginger snaps still give plenty of flavor, though you lose a little depth.

What is the most common mistake with this trifle?

Serving it before it has chilled overnight is the big one. The cookies stay crisp and the layers are loose instead of soft and sliceable.