strawberry trifle

Whenever I think of trifles I remember the episode of Friends where Jenifer Aniston's character, Rachel, tries to make a holiday dessert. The pages of her cook book got stuck together and she ended up mixing fruit, whipped cream, beef and onions. Not wanting to hurt her feelings her friends devoured the disgusting mixture. What a sign of devoted friends! Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all had friends that were so daring as to eat whipped cream and sauteed beef to spare our feelings? We all know that is unrealistic, so I suggest a dessert that won't be so challenging to their taste buds. In fact this dessert is so delicious it will even make your enemies smile. And with less than ten ingredients it is practically fool proof. Here is what you will need.

1 package jello cheesecake flavored pudding

2 cups cold milk (for pudding)

1 8oz container cool whip

1 bunch of fresh strawberries (frozen sliced berries work just as well)

1 pound cake (found in the freezer section near the pie crust)

Chocolate for dipping (you can melt your own chips or use a pre made container of dipping chocolate)

slice the pound cake 1/4 inch thick

make the pudding according to package directions

once the pudding is set fold in the whipped cream

dip one side of the pound cake in the chocolate and layer it chocolate side down in your dish of choice. A glass dish makes for an amazing presentation.

pour a layer of pudding over the cake.

Then top the pudding with a layer of sliced strawberries.

repeat the layers until all your ingredients are gone.

let set overnight before serving. It is very important to follow the layers in this order. As the dish sets overnight the pudding mixture will soak into the cake. Make sure the chocolate dipped side of the cake is facing away from the pudding so it does not create a barrier between the pudding and cake.

This recipe is easily adapted to your personal tastes. Try substituting the strawberries with raspberries, blueberries, bananas, peaches or any of fruit or combination of fruits. The pudding flavor is flexible too. Although the cheesecake flavor is my absolute favorite flavor for this dish, check out your local grocery stores selection to see if they carry another flavor you prefer.