Trifle

Ahh, trifle-- That British dessert Americans are missing out on because too few of us know what it is:

"Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, choclate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding..." (Sorcerer's Stone 125).

I won't lie, the dessert I envisioned when reading the word "trifle," turned out to not really be anything like a trifle at all. Trifle is really just a fantastic way to use up leftover cake. 

... though I don't think I've ever known any family that had leftover cake long enough to really call it "leftovers." 

While there is a recipe for Chocolate Trifle in The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, it is created using the recipe from Harry's First Birthday Cake. And if you recall, I was not really a fan of that cake. But I found a recipe that appears on multiple websites, including Taste of Home. So today, in honor of the sudden Autumnal weather, we shall make "Colossal Caramel Apple Trifle." Heads up, trifle is (in my opinion) not worth making unless you have a clear glass trifle dish or salad bowl or something similar to build and serve it in. 

You Will Need:

1 package yellow cake mix (and whatever is required to make said cake: probably 3 eggs, some water, and some vegetable oil)

6 cups cold milk

3 packages (3.4oz) instant vanilla pudding (I used 2 of the 6ish oz ones)

1 tsp apple pie spice (I didn't have this, so I used a bit of cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg)

1 jar (12oz) Caramel ice cream topping (Note that the jar pictured here is 16oz)

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

2 cans (21oz each) Apple pie Filling

32oz whipped topping

1. Bake the cake according to the package's directions, using two 9" round pans. Cool them completely (I recommend baking them the night before). 

2. In a large bowl, prepare the instant pudding using the 6 cups of milk, and whisk in the apple pie spice. Let stand for at least 2 minutes or until soft-set.

3. If necessary, trim one of the cake layers so it will fit in the bottom of your bowl and set it in. Use a wooden skewer (or, in my case, a metal knife sharpener...) to poke a bunch of holes in the cake.

4. Pour 1/3 (ish) of he caramel topping over the cake.

5. Sprinkle pecans over the caramel.

6. Spread half the pudding mixture on top.

7. Pour 1 can of Apple Pie Filling on op of the pudding, then spread 16oz of whipped topping on top.

8. If you sill have space in your bowl, repeat all the layers one more time (I couldn't fit anything else in my trifle bowl). Then sprinkle pecans on top and drizzle with the remaining caramel sauce. Refrigerate until serving (and probably cover with foil).

Since I could only fit half the ingredients in my trifle dish, I used the rest of the ingredients to make "individual" (albeit enormous) trifles in tall glasses. 

This is a ridiculously tasty and impressive-looking dessert that should definitely appear on dinner tables more often! So enjoy!

Seriously, it's all about the serving dish!