Description
This Halloween trifle is a festive layered dessert featuring moist chocolate cake, creamy orange-tinted vanilla pudding, and fluffy Cool Whip, decorated with spooky candy accents like gummy body parts and chocolate eyeballs. Perfect for holiday parties, it combines easy-to-make components into an eye-catching, delicious treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
Pudding
- 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
- 2 cups milk
- Orange food coloring (optional)
Topping & Decoration
- 8 oz container Cool Whip
- Sprinkles
- Chocolate balls wrapped like eyes
- Gummy body parts like brains, teeth, fingers, etc.
- Any decorations you like
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F to prepare for baking the cake.
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Spray a small rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Mix Cake Batter: In a large bowl, beat together the chocolate cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs until the batter is smooth and well combined.
- Spread Batter: Evenly spread the cake batter into the prepared baking sheet ensuring an even layer for baking.
- Bake Cake: Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the cake is done.
- Cool Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack; allow it to cool completely before assembling the trifle.
- Prepare Pudding Mixture: While the cake cools, whisk together the instant vanilla pudding mix with 2 cups of milk in a medium bowl until smooth and free of lumps.
- Add Color to Pudding: Add several drops of orange food coloring to the pudding mixture and whisk until the color is evenly incorporated.
- Chill Pudding: Place the pudding in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes or until fully set and slightly firm.
- Prepare for Assembly: Remove the chilled pudding and Cool Whip from the refrigerator to use in layering.
- Prepare Pastry Bags: Fit two pastry bags with large round tips; fill one with the orange pudding and the other with the Cool Whip.
- Cut Cake Circles: Using the rim of your trifle dish as a guide, lightly press it onto the cooled cake and then cut out circles. Adjust size if needed so they fit comfortably into the trifle dish.
- Layer Cake: Place the cut cake circles carefully into the bottom of the trifle dish as the first layer.
- Pipe Pudding: Pipe the orange vanilla pudding evenly over the cake layer.
- Top with Cool Whip: Pipe or spread the Cool Whip on top of the pudding layer to add creamy texture and balance flavors.
- Decorate: Garnish the trifle with festive sprinkles, chocolate eyeball candies, gummy body parts, and any other Halloween decorations you like.
- Serve or Store: Serve the trifle immediately for best texture or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before serving.
Notes
- Ensure the cake is completely cooled before cutting and assembling to avoid crumbling and mixing layers.
- Adjust the amount of food coloring based on desired intensity of the orange pudding layer.
- The trifle can be assembled in individual serving glasses for easier portioning and presentation.
- Use fresh Cool Whip and pudding for best texture and flavor; homemade versions can be substituted for a from-scratch approach.
- Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator and consume within 1 day to maintain freshness.
