Red Velvet Trifle

Did you have a good Christmas? We had a great Christmas. I didn't do much cooking or meal planning,  but I did pick a few dishes that I felt I could make without getting in the way too much. One of those dishes was this Red Velvet Trifle. I had been wanting to make this, but I didn't have a trifle bowl, which by the way has been remedied, thanks mom! I used my mother-in-law's trifle bowl and we had this for Christmas dinner.

One of the best parts of this trifle is that you can make it ahead. There is already enough going on Christmas day to be stressing about a dessert! I also think this would be great for an office party, you keep it in a fridge and it is perfect cold or at room temperature. Another reason I love trifles, is that you just crumble everything and just layer it, there isn't a lot of stress for it to be perfect, you know, like a perfectly iced caked or a cheesecake {with no cracks!}

This tasted just as delicious as it is beautiful, it is rich and decadent. It has 3 of my favorite ingredients, red velvet, marscapone, and chocolate ganache. Yum! Make this and you won't be disappointed.
Source: Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body

Ingredients:
For the Cake:
2 1/2 cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
1 teaspoon of Salt
2 tablespoons of Cocoa Powder,  unsweetened
2 oz. of Red Food Coloring
1/2 cup of Butter, unsalted & room temperature
1 1/2 cups of Sugar
2 Eggs,  room temperature
1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1 cup of Buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon of White Vinegar
1 teaspoon of Baking Soda

For the Ganache:
1/2 cup of Half and Half
1 cup of Dark Chocolate Chips, chopped + extra for layering

For the Frosting:
8 oz. of Marscapone Cheese, room temperature
4 oz. of Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup of Sugar
2 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions:
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2, 9 inch cake pans, or 3, 8 inch cake pans; coat with butter and flour or spray liberally with Baker's Joy.

Now, in a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Next, in a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and food coloring together until they form a paste; set aside.

Now, in the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully combined. Add the vanilla and red cocoa paste. Mix until well combined. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, when it is fully mixed in, add half of the buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour, last 1/2 of buttermilk, and last 1/3 of flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl of the mixture and make sure it is completely mixed.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. Add to the cake mix and combine well.

Divide the cake batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Allow the cakes to completely cool before assembling the trifle.

Now, make the ganache. In a small saucepan, bring the half and half to a simmer, not a boil. Stir in the chocolate until it is smooth; set aside.

Next, make the frosting, in a stand mixer bowl or a bowl with a hand mixer, beat the marscapone, cream cheese, and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and add the cream in and beat until it looks like soft whipped cream.

When you are ready to assemble the trifle, crumble the cake and place 1/3 of the cake crumbs on the bottom of your trifle bowl, top with 1/3 of the ganache, 1/3 of marscapone frosting, and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips, repeat layers 2 more times.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife