I found this recipe on Artsy Chicks Rule last year and have been waiting for the right opportunity to try it. I made this Red Velvet Trifle for a Christmas party a few weeks ago and it was quite good. I added Oreo cookies to my version and made a few suggestions at the bottom of the post. I can’t wait to make it again. This would make a great dessert any time of the year, but the red velvet makes it a perfect choice for Christmas or Valentine’s Day celebrations!
Holiday Red Velvet Trifle
Ingredients:
- 1 Red Velvet Cake Mix (prepared according to instructions minus one egg)
- 1 – 16 oz frozen Whipped Topping (large)
- 1- small package of either Cheesecake or White Chocolate Pudding Mix
- 1 – package of cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar (more or less, to your taste)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- White Chocolate Bar (optional)
- Oreo cookies, about 16 crushed
Instructions:
- Mix and bake the cake following the directions on the box. (*Omit one egg.)
- Let cool completely.
- Mix pudding according to the directions on the box. Once set, fold in 8 oz of the 16 oz Whipped Topping.
- In a separate bowl, mix the softened cream cheese with the other half of the Whipped Topping. Add in 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla. Mix well. Add about 2/3 of the crushed Oreos and stir to combine.
- Set both bowls aside.
- Once the cake is cool, remove it from the pan(s) and cut into squares. (I broke mine and I felt it was a bit too “crumb like” – next time I’ll be sure to cut it.)
- Layer the cake, followed by the shaved white chocolate, and both fillings. Repeat. (I was struggling a bit because of the size of the bowl and knew I was not going to get good coverage for the filling, so I opted to alternate the fillings.) You should end up with three repeats depending on the diameter of your bowl and height – **see note below.) You really can’t mess this up!
- Finish with shaved chocolate, remaining crushed cookies and a few cake crumbs for colour!
* I did not leave out the egg as suggested in the original recipe from Artsy Chicks Rule. After doing some research, I learned that adding an extra egg to a brownie mix can result in a more cake-like brownie – a lighter, softer and less crumbly brownie. So, I’m thinking the reverse would be true when you omit one egg from the mix as suggested. You would end up with a denser, more crumbly version of the cake. I think this texture would be preferable for a trifle. I’ll definitely do that next time.
**Word of caution: When making a trifle, you want to make sure you use a bowl with a smaller diameter and increased height. If you use a bowl that is too wide, the layers aren’t as thick and this impacts how the layers “meld” together. You want to get good coverage. I usually use such a bowl (7 1/2″ diameter by 6″ height), but opted for a shorter/wider bowl thinking it would be better for a larger number of guests. The result was that the layers too thin. I found it difficult to spread the layers and get good coverage and thus the overall taste was somewhat impacted.
Enjoy! If you end up giving this recipe a try before I make it again, I’d love to hear how your trifle turns out with the recommended changes.