The Easy Shortcut For A Bakery-Quality Trifle

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If you're hosting a dinner party and need an easy but impressive dessert that can be made ahead, look no further than the trifle. The traditional British dessert is made up of cake, custard, fruit, and cream. It was first made in the 18th century as a way to use up stale cake, but today, it's frequently made from scratch. It's both simple and stunning, especially if it's served in a trifle bowl, and its flavor combinations are endless. But before you go ahead and bake each of its core components from scratch, consider using a boxed cake mix to satisfy this portion of your trifle. Not only will this save you lots of time, but if you're not used to baking cakes from scratch, a mix will help guarantee a bakery-quality trifle that's sure to impress all your guests.

While you could just make a cake to eat as-is, a trifle is seriously one of the most creative ways to use a boxed cake mix. To do it, prepare your favorite cake mix by following the instructions. You don't even need to worry about the shape of the cake pan you use, since you'll just be breaking it up into chunks for the trifle. Once it's done, be sure to give it plenty of time on a wire rack to cool completely. Then, after assembling the other ingredients, layer everything in your trifle, starting with cake chunks and repeating layers until you reach the top of the bowl. 

If you can't decide on an overall theme for your trifle, using a boxed cake mix is the perfect solution to start to narrow down flavors. Begin with your favorite packaged cake mix; whether it be a Duncan Hines yellow cake or King Arthur's gluten-free chocolate cake mix, this is the ideal way to get some inspiration. From there, either get creative or scour your favorite sources for some flavor combinations. If you go with a yellow cake, you can keep things traditional and pair it with vanilla pudding, Cool Whip, and a selection of fresh berries. If you go with a chocolate cake, get adventurous and make our Black Forest Trifle recipe.

If you aren't a huge fan of traditional boxed cake but are intrigued by the idea of making a trifle, never fear. Pound cake lovers might find satisfaction with our Peaches and Cream Trifle recipe. This is the ideal way to enjoy those juicy summertime peaches. If cake just isn't your thing, though, give brownies a try. Of course, because this isn't a traditional trifle, it will have a different, more fudgy texture, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Pair a boxed brownie mix with chocolate pudding and Cool Whip, and then top it with your favorite crushed-up chocolate candies for a decadent, chocolate-lover's heaven.