Chocolate and Dulce De Leche Trifle with Caramel Corn

Trifle is a dessert historically made with fresh fruit and sponge cake, but for special occasions and during the holidays I make this rich version with chocolate cake, whipped cream, pudding, and dulce de leche. I found that canned dulce de leche works perfectly but feel free to make your own. The crown on the dessert is a mound of caramel corn, and nestled inside is crumbled toffee candy from a SKOR candy bar. To save time, you can make the cake and pudding up to 2 days in advance. It’s a beautiful dessert that should be served soon after assembling,

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Ingredients

Serves 16

Cake:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 3/4 cup water

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Pudding:

• 1/4 cup cornstarch

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 4 cups whole milk

• 4 egg yolks

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or vanilla paste)

• 2 tablespoons butter

Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla paste)

Additional Ingredients:

• 1 can of dulce de leche

• 2 SKOR candy bars (or 2 ounces  toffee), crumbled

• 2 cups of caramel corn (or Moose Munch)

• 1 trifle dish

Process

Make Cake:  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cocoa and stir until smooth.  Remove pan from heat and add water and sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and whisk again until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk until all dry ingredients are blended. Pour into a buttered 9X13” pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Make Pudding:  

In a large saucepan combine cornstarch, sugar, salt, and milk over medium high heat. Whisk frequently until mixture comes to a simmer. Let simmer for one minute then turn down heat. In a medium size bowl, stir the egg yolks.  Slowly add small amounts of the pudding to the yolks while whisking, until half the pudding has been added. Then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pan with the remaining pudding. Turn heat back up and whisk to combine. Let mixture simmer for two minutes, then turn off heat and add vanilla and butter. Whisk to combine. Pour pudding into a sieve over a bowl. Discard any solid bits that collect in the sieve. Place plastic wrap over the pudding, allowing the wrap to touch the entire surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Make Whipped Cream:  

In a medium bowl, add cold cream and whip with a hand mixer (or standing mixer) until it just starts to thicken. Slowly add the powdered sugar while mixing and increase mixer speed until cream is thick and forms soft peak when the beaters are lifted. Mix in vanilla at the end. Keep refrigerated until ready to assemble the trifle.

Assemble the Trifle:  

Have everything ready to go into the trifle: cake, pudding, whipped cream, dulce de leche, chopped candy bars, and popcorn. Cut or tear the cake into large chunks and cover the bottom of the trifle dish with one third of the cake pieces. Top with dollops of pudding (one third), dollops of whipped cream (one third), one third of the SKOR candy, and one third of the dulce de leche. Repeat layers, and end with the last of the dulce de leche. Top the trifle with a mound of the caramel corn. Serve right away or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. It is best eaten within 4 hours of assembly.