Recipe adapted from Taste of Home
Trifles just may be my new favorite dessert. There’s always some form of cake which is a plus in my book. There’s also always some sort of pudding or cool whip mixture, which also ranks really high with me. Throw in some other related ingredients and you’ve got one heck of a dessert. I have been dying to make this recipe since last Fall but just never got around to it. We all know how much I love any kind of caramel and apple combination so needless to say I loved this! The original recipe called for a pound cake, and if you really like it or are pressed for time it would work well, but I made my own yellow cake. I think a spice cake would also be delicious. The apples have an amazing aroma, and the cream cheese caramel layer is surprisingly very tasty. I am posting the recipe as I made it, but next time I might make more of that layer. Or maybe I just need to get a smaller trifle bowl! This was one of those desserts where I really had a hard time stopping myself once I started eating. Enjoy!
Caramel Apple Trifle
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1 box yellow cake mix
Ingredients on box + 1 additional egg
3 Tbsp butter
4 cups peeled, chopped apples (3-4 large apples)
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp apple pie spice, divided
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 jar (12 ¼ oz) caramel ice cream topping, divided
12 oz cool whip, room temperature, divided
Cinnamon
Make cake according to directions on box. Set aside and let cool, then cut into cubes. In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Stir in apples, brown sugar, and ½ tsp of apple pie spice. Cook 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until apples are tender. In a medium sized bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in ½ cup of the caramel topping and remaining ½ tsp of apple pie spice. Fold in 2 cups of the cool whip.
In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish layer half of the cake cubes. Spread cream cheese mixture over the cake, then top that with the apples. Repeat once more with layers of cake, cream cheese, and apples. Top with remaining cool whip. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with caramel if desired.
Here’s a recap of my other caramel apple recipes, in case you love them as much as I do!
Graham Cracker Caramel Apple Cookies
