Trifle is an easy dessert to make, and one that's sure to impress. This Melon Ball Trifle is from my book, “The Spirited Baker”, themed on a favourite cocktail!
Originally published November 18, 2011. Updated on 5/5/2021
Much like the Rum Runner Trifle I posted recently, this was one of the first recipes slated for The Spirited Baker.
Also like that recipe, managed to forget to include this one as well! Whoops! You’ll have to buy the book for the other 160+ awesome recipes!
Melon Ball Cocktail Recipe
Before I get into the composition of this trifle - and the actual recipe - let’s look at the source material: The Melon Ball Cocktail.
These are refreshing and very easy to make, with only 3 ingredients:
In a tall glass filled with ice, pour:
1 oz vodka
6 oz orange juice
“Float” 1 oz Midori melon liqueur on top.
Melon Ball Trifle
I designed this cake to use the flavours of the cocktail:
Cake: Orange and Vodka
Cake Soak: Midori syrup
Pudding: Flavoured with Midori
Assembly: Mandarin Orange segments and Honeydew Melon.
This recipe seems involved, but it comes together quite easily.
The cake should be made at least a day before serving, but can be made even further ahead than that. Feel free to tightly wrap the slab of cake in plastic wrap and freeze for a couple of weeks, allowing it to defrost for an hour or two before cutting it up.
While I like to make up my trifles fresh RIGHT before serving them, many people find that they get better by aging a day or two in the fridge - making them an excellent dessert for entertaining!
This recipe comes from my first cookbook, The Spirited Baker. It’s FULL of fun, tasty recipes using spirits and liqueurs for flavour – you should check it out:
Combining liqueurs with more traditional baking ingredients can yield spectacular results.Try Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake, Candy Apple Flan, Jalapeno Beer Peanut Brittle, Lynchburg Lemonade Cupcakes, Pina Colada Rum Cake, Strawberry Daiquiri Chiffon Pie, and so much more.
To further add to your creative possibilities, the first chapter teaches how to infuse spirits to make both basic and cream liqueurs, as well as home made flavor extracts! This book contains over 160 easy to make recipes, with variation suggestions to help create hundreds more! Order your hard copy here on my website, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller.
BBQ Sides and Desserts Recipes
Looking for a dish to bring to a cookout? Here are a few ideas!
Cactus Cut Potatoes & Dip
Canadian Candy Bar Salad
Cold Smoked Potato Salad
Creamed Corn
Dill Pickle Waffle Fries
Gramma's Potato Salad
Hop Brownies
HopCorn - Hopped Popcorn!
Marie's Pasta Salad
Pina Colada Bundt Cake
Roasted Corn & Potato Salad
Rum Runner Trifle
Scalloped Corn
Smoked Cheese Balls
Sweet Corn Bruschetta
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Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you post it to Bluesky, be sure to tag us - @CelebrationGen. We're also on Pinterest, so you can save all your favourite recipes to a board!
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Melon Ball Trifle
Equipment
- 9 x 13 cake pan
- Trifle Bowl
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups Cake flour
- 2 ¼ cups Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 ½ oz Instant vanilla pudding mix
- 6 Eggs
- ½ cup vodka
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 ½ cups Butter melted
- 2 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 orange
Melon Soak
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup Midori melon liqueur
- ½ cup sugar
Pudding**
- 2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding
- 1 ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup Midori melon liqueur
Assembly
- 2-3 cans Mandarin orange segments drained
- 1-2 Honeydew melons
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Liberally a 9x 13? cake pan with vegetable shortening, and/or spray with baking spray.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs, vodka, and orange juice, beating until smooth. Carefully add melted butter, vanilla, and orange zest to the mix, mixing on medium speed until smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake until golden and knife inserted into center of batter comes out clean – about 45 minutes. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before turning cake out onto baking rack to cool fully. Ideally, allow to cool to room temperature, wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
- Allow cake to sit overnight, assemble trifle the following day.
Melon Soak
- Combine ingredients in a small saucepan, heat until sugar dissolves. Set aside. (Alternatively: Substitute ¼ cup reserved water/syrup from the canned mandarin orange slices for the plain water.)
Pudding
- Whisk together pudding mix, milk, melon liqueur, and food coloring – if desired. Allow to set up slightly before assembling trifle.
To Assemble Trifle
- Cut cake into 1- 1.5″ cubes.
- Cut melons in half, scoop out and discard seeds. Slice, remove rind, and chop into bite sized pieces. (You can use a melon baller if you want to get fancy with it!)
- In a large trifle-type bowl, arrange ⅓ of the cake cubes (or whatever percentage it takes to get a good solid layer down) on the bottom. Drizzle with Melon soak, spoon ⅓ of the pudding mixture evenly over top. Arrange orange segments and melon pieces on top of pudding layer.
- Repeat twice with remaining cake, pudding, and fruit. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Interested in making wickedly delicious cakes? You'll LOVE my second cookbook, Evil Cake Overlord!
We've long been known for our “ridiculously delicious” moist cakes and tasty, unique flavors. Now, you can have recipes for all of the amazing flavors on our former custom cake menu, and many more!
Bake your moist work of gastronomic art, then fill and frost your cake with any number of tasty possibilities. Milk chocolate cardamom pear, mango mojito.. even our famous Chai cake – the flavor that got us into “Every Day with Rachel Ray” magazine!
Feeling creative? Use our easy to follow recipe to make our yummy fondant. Forget everything you’ve heard about fondant – ours is made from marshmallows and powdered sugar, and is essentially candy – you can even flavor it!
Order your copy directly through my site, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller!
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