Berry Delicious Trifle

So there was a great dessert I  recently made that I wanted to share. 

 This was to celebrate the 4th but it can be made to accommodate any occasion or no occasion at all.  

Looks good right?? 

It was.

I am calling this Berry Delicious Trifle.  Here is the recipe:

1

box white cake mix 

1/3

cup vegetable oil

3

eggs

1

tablespoon  baking cocoa

1

tablespoon red gel food color

1

teaspoon blue gel food color

2

packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1        cup sugar, divided 3/4 and 1/4

1

teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2

cups whipping cream

2        cup sliced strawberries

1        cup blueberries

1 1/4  cup  buttermilk*

* I never have buttermilk.  Instead I use regular milk with a few tablespoon of vinegar mixed in.  I do that right away at the beginning and let it sit while I get everything ready.  It will end up looking curdly ( yum).  

1. Mix cake mix, oil, eggs, buttermilk and cocoa on low for 30 seconds and then on medium for 2 minutes.

2. Divide batter in half and mix red food coloring in one and blue in the other.  But this can be done with any colors you like.  I used Wilton food gel to get more intense colors( and it is impossible to get a red color from water based food coloring).  They sell these for $1 something at Wal-Mart now.

3.  You can either use 2 8x8 pans or do what I did since I only had 1 8x8 pan.  And that is to use a 9x12 pan and pour your two colors in at the same time at opposite ends.  Be sure to spray your pan(s) with cooking spray too.  

Just be sure that you start pouring the batters at clear opposite ends and that about equal amount of each batter is entering at the same time.

4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until done.  Let cool in pan for at least 1 hour.

5. While that is baking, mix your cream cheese, 3/4 c of your sugar and vanilla till smooth. In another bowl, beat whipping cream and 1/4 cup sugar till soft peaks form.  This is best done on a high speed as it allows air to enter the mix.

6. Now fold in about 1/4 of the whipping cream mixture into the cream cheese mix.  Then add half of what's left reserving the last 1/4 of the whipping mixture for garnish.

7.When your cake has set for an hour, cut it into 1' squares.  

8. Start layering!  I started with putting 1/2 of my red squares in the bottom of trifle bowl.  Add 1/3 of the cream cheese mix on top and spread around.  Top with 1/3 of your strawberries and 1/3 blueberries ( you can really add as much fruit on each layer as you want and whatever fruit you'd like.  Think raspberries, kiwi, etc).  Now layer on 1/2 of your blue cake squares.  Add another 1/3 of the cream cheese mix and top again with 1/3 of each of your fruit.  Finish it off with rest of your red cake squares, cream cheese mix and fruit.  Add the rest of your whipped topping to the top in a dollop and garnish with a couple pieces of fruit.

9. Refrigerate

* You will have 1/2 of the blue cake squares left over to eat or throw into another dessert or if your kids are vultures like mine they will devour them in about 20 seconds flat.  

But this could easily be done with adding colors for halloween/fall.  Or with red and green for Christmas... Easter would be nice with some pastels too.  

Whatever you do though, 

DO NOT SUBSTITUTE THE CREAM CHEESE MIX FOR COOL WHIP.

It would be very bland and the cream cheese is definitely what makes this dessert pop.

And as with any trifle this fed LOTS of people and many got seconds.

BON APPETIT!!