Everything is Better in Layers

Triple Chocolate Black Forest Trifle Dessert

Cast of Characters:

Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake Mix

12 oz. tub Cool Whip

1 lrg. can cherry pie filling

1 jar Hershey's Hot Fudge sauce (heated until spoonable)

1 container Smucker's Caramel Sundae Syrup

Bake cake according to package instructions. Let cool up to 1 hour, or overnight. I usually bake it the night before so I don't have to sit around for an hour waiting on it to cool off.

You will need a large trifle bowl to create the layered dessert. I've used a short, wide trifle bowl, and I prefer the taller ones. You get more of a layered look, and it's just prettier. The one in the pictures is in the short bowl, and as you can see, you only get two layers of cake in it.

Assembly:

Cut sheet cake in squares, and begin crumbling in the trifle bowl. For the first layer I use anywhere from 5-8 squares, usually about 1/4 of the cake. (Maybe more.) Try to leave some larger chunks of cake as you are crumbling. You want it to be crumbled, but not so finely that you need a vacuum to suck up the crumbs. :)

Spoon hot fudge over the layer of cake. About 3-4 heaping spoonfuls. Next, cover the layer of hot fudge with the caramel sauce.

When I first made this, I was shy about how much caramel and fudge I used, and ended up having leftovers in the jar. Now, I'm VERY liberal with how much I use. You need to use the ENTIRE jar of hot fudge on this dessert. It's what makes it so moist and delicious. You will have extra of the caramel leftover, but you shouldn't have a lot.

Next, spoon on a liberal amount of cherry's, being sure to get plenty of juice with each spoonful. Top with Cool Whip, being sure to seal off the layer (meaning, spread the cool whip out to the sides of the bowl).

Now you just repeat these layers until you reach the top! You want Cool Whip to be the top most layer, so try to space them out according to the size of your trifle dish.

I like to be fancy, so I always reserve a few cherries, and enough hot fudge and caramel to decorate the top. This isn't a must, but it's just an easy step that makes it look more complete.

This is seriously one of the easiest things you will ever make. And it is SO delicious.

And believe me. it won't last very long!

Notes:

Cake Mix - I prefer to use this one because it is super moist and it has chocolate chips in the mix. Of course you can use whatever chocolate cake mix you prefer, or make your own if you are feeling ambitious!

Caramel - I've found the squeezable topping is easiest and most flavorful. If you want more of a melted effect, go with the Smucker's Caramel Topping.

Refrigeration - I was leery of saving this dessert in the fridge, but it's actually okay. It doesn't look very pretty when you spoon it into the bowl, but it saves nicely, and can be eaten cold.

If you have a hankering for something delicious, whip this up at home! Or if you have a party to go to, just take the ingredients with you, making sure to take a fully cooled cake with you, and assemble it before you eat. You don't want it to sit too long before it gets eaten.

Happy grubbing! =)

-Jenn (With 2 N's)