Starving Artist

Looking for an easy, lightened up, yet extremely decadent dessert for your holiday table? This trifle will definitely impress! It’s so simple to make, so it’s a great dessert to bring to a party. I really like making trifles for the holidays. There are so many different combinations of flavors that you can play with. I love the cheesecake, raspberry and chocolate-y red velvet cake together! Enjoy :)

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The Red Velvet cake cooling

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The lineup of yummy ingredients

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RECIPE

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Ingredients:

• 1 package of red velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 2 1oz packages of Jello Instant Sugar Free Cheesecake Filling
• 2 cups of cold skim milk
• 1 12oz tub of Lite Cool Whip
• 3/4 cup of raspberry preserves
• 2 oz of dark chocolate
• 3 tbsp Frangelico (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Red raspberries for garnish

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Directions:

1. Cook the red velvet cake according to the directions, but substitute the apple sauce for the oil. Also, stir in the chocolate chips right at the end. Let the cake cool completely after baking.
2. Make the cheesecake filling according to the directions on the box (mix the packets with the skim milk, and chill for 30 minutes).
3. Mix the raspberry preserves in a small bowl with 2 tbsp of the Cool Whip.
4. In the tub of Cool Whip, mix in 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
5. Once the cake and the cheesecake filling are ready to go, you may begin layering. Break up 1/3 of the cake and layer it at the bottom of the trifle bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of Frangelico. This will keep the cake moist and add a nice hazelnut flavor. The Frangelico can be omitted if you’d like.
6. Spread 1/3 of the cheesecake filling over the cake layer.
7. Spread 1/3 of the raspberry mix over the cheesecake layer.
8. Spread 1/3 of the Cool Whip over the raspberry layer.
9. Repeat twice more. The Cool Whip should be your final layer. With a vegetable peeler, shred the dark chocolate over the top of the trifle. Garnish with fresh raspberries if you have them.
10. Chill for an hour or two before serving.

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Happy Holidays! :)

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Well after realizing that the last time I posted was on Thanksgiving, I figured that I better get my butt in gear and get back to it with the blog! Work has been crazy busy, which is always a good thing, but unfortunately that doesn’t leave me much energy for jumping back on the computer after a 10+ hour day. Luckily I am on V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N this week, so it’s time to get a’ posting :)

I’ll be back tomorrow with some more healthy yummy holiday recipes for you, but in the meantime I’ll leave you with some snowy snapshots of wintry Boston.

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For a short amount of time this winter, Fenway Park has been converted into an ice rink for some special events, public skating, college and Bruins games! My dad’s company is one of the main sponsors of Frozen Fenway, so we got to go skating last weekend. It was so much fun!

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MMMM hot chocolate!

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I hope you all are able to relax and enjoy the holidays! If you’re in need of some last minute dessert ideas, I’ll have 2 delicious ones for you tomorrow! Good night for now :)

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