pumpkin spice cake trifle

So I have recently learned that I love to make desserts in my new trifle bowl.  The recipes are usually very simple and the end result looks like you have spent hours decorating a decadent dessert.  I found this recipe and decided I was going to make it for our next church meal.  I made all the separate items the night before and then assembled it that morning.  The original recipe I found called to use Gingerbread cake mix, but the spice cake mix was on sale and the substitution work out just fine.  I hope you enjoy this dessert, let me know how yours turned out!

Ingredients

• 1 packages (14-1/2 ounces each) spice cake or gingerbread cake mix
• 1 package (4.6 ounces) cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups milk
• 1 can (29 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

Directions

• Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a greased 9-in. round baking pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
• Meanwhile, for pudding, combine pudding mix and milk; stir until smooth.  Cool in refrigerator until thickened.  Combine pumpkin and brown sugar; stir into pudding.
• In a 4-qt. glass serving bowl, crumble one gingerbread cake; gently press down. Top with half of pudding mixture and whipped topping. Repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Yield: 25 servings.

I sprinkled the top with cinnamon!!

Oreo Brownie Trifle

Here is a dessert I made for a church picnic. It was super easy and everyone loved it. I think the hardest part of this dessert was getting people to forget that its pretty and just dig in. Once they did… it was gone in minutes. If you don’t like Oreo cookies, you can substitute with any pudding you would like. (white chocolate, cheesecake, butterscotch…yum!!!)

Ingredients:

• 1 package fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)
• 2-1/2 cups cold milk
• 2 package instant Oreo pudding mix
• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 to 3 Oreo Cookies, chopped ( I didn’t have any Oreo cookies so I just just crumbled up a chocolate chip cookie for the top.)

Directions:

Prepare and bake brownies according to package directions for cake-like brownies, using a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat milk and pudding mixes on low speed for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in whipped topping.
Cut the brownies into 1-in. cubes; place half in a 3-qt. glass trifle bowl or serving dish. Cover with half of the pudding. I poured some chocolate syrup around the edges.  Repeat layers. Sprinkle with chopped Oreo cookies. Refrigerate leftovers.