Of all the holiday desserts I make, trifles are my father-in-law’s favorite. He just adores the soft cake and the whipped cream and pudding. He likes it better than cake he says because frostings are too sweet, but trifles are the perfect marriage of creaminess and moist cake.
So every year I make a trifle for Christmas. Last year I remember I made a red velvet one with coconut and pecans; another year I made a chocolate coconut and almond. They’re so much fun because you can make them a hundred ways. This year, I decided to make a chocoalte peppermint trifle. I used peppermint baking chips in the pudding part of the trifle and then garnished it with crushed candy canes.
I usually just make a cake mix cake for my trifle, but this year I wanted to really make a special cake for my trifle, so I decided to make a chocolate sponge cake. I wanted a super light cake that would stay moist and compliment all the creamy goodness of a trifle.
The cake in this trifle starts off with 3 large eggs that are beaten until they are light and slightly thickened in a stand mixer. Then you add sugar, cocoa powder, and a good quality light flour, like Gold Medal all purpose flour. I bake this cake on a jelly roll pan, then cut it in pieces, but you can also bake it in a 9 x 13 baking pan.
Then I layer the cake pieces with chocolate pudding and whipped cream. I made this in one big trifle bowl, but you can also make several mini trifles and add pretty bows to them.
Yield: Serves 12
For the Cake:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the chocolate filling
1 (3.9 oz) package instant Chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Peppermint baking chips
For the whipped cream:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
For garnish:
2 Peppermint candy canes, crushed
1 tablespoon semi-sweet baking chocolate, grated
Heat oven to 375°. Line a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick spray grease with butter.
In stand mixer, add eggs. Whip on high for 5 minutes until light in color and thickened. Turn mixer to low and add vanilla and water. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Gradually add dry ingredients to eggs and beat just until batter is smooth.
Spread batter evenly on cake pan. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool cake completely. Whip chocolate pudding mix with milk until soft set. In another container, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add cream to pudding and mix well. Add peppermint baking chips and fold together.
In a separate bowl, whip cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
To assemble trifle, break up cake and divide into 3 portions. Line the bottom of the trifle dish with 1/3 of the cake. Top with 1/2 of the chocolate pudding mixture. Top with 1/3 of the whipped cream. Add more cake, pudding, cream. Them cake and cream. Garnish with crushed peppermints and grated chocolate.
This post sponsored by Gold Medal. All opinions 100% mine.
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