As I was putting these together this morning, The Fruitarian wandered into the kitchen to see what I was up to. When he looked around, realized I was putting together some kind of trifle, his eyes doubled in size and he started drooling.
It was like watching a cartoon character.
He snapped a couple pictures with his phone, which he sent to his best buddy, and mused about how he could make all his Facebook friends jealous. Then he had a moment of fear. “I do get to eat this, right, Mom?”
And there’s my opening. Every mom can recognize an opening like that. “Yes, of course you can have one. Just as soon as your chores are done.”
BOOM. Just like that, the family room was getting cleaned. It was brilliant.
Red velvet is all the rage these days. You can literally find any dessert food, breakfast foods, or snack in a red velvet variety. I myself have made cookies, brownies, and dips, among other things. And my friend Deborah has an entire cookbook devoted to red velvet recipes.
With good reason, too. You absolutely cannot go wrong with red velvet. Think of it as having a light chocolate flavor, and a gorgeous deep red color.
I love pairing red velvet with cream cheese, because, well, cream cheese is heaven. And you can’t make a red velvet cake and then not cover it in cream cheese frosting.
Unless you want to go to jail. Pretty sure it’s a criminal offense.
I also love red velvet with chocolate. But let’s face it, I love everything with chocolate.
I should probably tell you that while the fillings in the recipe below only make enough for about 4 medium sized servings, the cake is enough for about 4 times that much. So if you want to make this for a crowd, double, triple, even quadruple the filling layers, but just make one cake.
And keep at least one serving for me.
Red Velvet Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 prepared red velvet cake, unfrosted (*see notes)
- 2 cups whipped cream divided
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
For Cake Layer:
- Prepare cake according to package instructions. It's easiest if you bake it in a 9x13 pan, but you can do it with any size pan. Once the cake is cooled, cut into small squares.
For Chocolate Mousse:
- Place cream in a large bowl and whip until it forms stiff peaks. Divide whipped cream in half, place half in a separate bowl.
- Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until melted.
- Add melted chocolate to the divided whipped cream. Use a spatula to gently fold chocolate in. Stir until mostly incorporated. (If there are streaks, it's okay.) Let mixture chill until you're ready to use it.
For Cream Cheese Whip:
- Whip cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix well.
- Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a spatula. Chill mixture until ready to use.
To Prepare Trifle:
- This can be made in a large trifle dish, or individual cups. Layer chunks of cake, chocolate mousse, and cream cheese whip, and repeat layers.
- If desired, garnish with cake crumbs, sprinkles, chocolate curls, or chocolate cookie crumbs.
Notes
