First time making one...can I make it the morning I plan to serve it for lunch...or does it need to be made "right before serving"? Does it turn to mush if you make it several hours in advance?
I typically make it within a few hours of serving it, but I don't like the cake part to be mushy! I cut all of the items well ahead of time and then assemble it before company arrives. It should be fine in the fridge for an hour or two!
You can make it the night before if you want. If you need a recipe, Google Joys Prizewinning Trifle. I've made it a bunch of times and it's fabulous! And don't worry about cutting the angel food cake into 3 pieces, just rip it apart in chunks. And easy on pineapple, too much liquid will make it mushy.
You don't need to make it "right" before. It will be fine in the fridge for a couple hours. Good luck!
It should be fine as long as it is not too liquidy - the one I make has more dense cakes - ginger and carrot so they tend to not get soggy and hold up for a day or two.
