Holiday Red Velvet Trifle

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:

  1. Mix and bake the cake following the directions on the box. (*Omit one egg.)
  2. Let cool completely.
  3. Mix pudding according to the directions on the box. Once set, fold in 8 oz of the 16 oz Whipped Topping.
  4. 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.
  5. Set both bowls aside.
  6. 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.)
  7. 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!
  8. 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.