Please welcome Bree Hester from Baked Bree as my guest blogger today for the Celebrate Summer Series. Looks like she’s got an amazing recipe for you all. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Trifle! 
This dessert happened by accident. I was making a chocolate cake and I broke the cake into pieces. It was my own fault, I tried baking in a pan that was not meant for cake. I liked the fluted edges, and it cracked when I tried to turn it out. You live and learn, right?
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Trifle
There was no way that I could make what I had originally had in mind. I did what any resourceful girl would do, I improvised. I made a trifle out of the cake, and the end result was amazing. I have made lots of trifles before, and it is hard to say how much this makes. It is more about the size of the container and how many layers you want. I would say that this one easily served 6 to 8.
Trifle is a great dessert to make for a party or get together. It tastes better if you make it ahead of time, so you can do this a day or two before your event. I happen to have a trifle bowl, part of the appeal of this dessert is how pretty it looks on the table, the layers are gorgeous and colorful. If you do not have one, don’t worry, any bowl will do. And if I am being perfectly honest, it only looks nice before you eat it. Once you start spooning it out, it is a big ‘ol mess. A delicious one, but not the prettiest when served.
How To Make Chocolate Covered Strawberry Trifle
Midnight Chocolate Cake (adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones)
Makes (1) 8 inch by 2 inch cake pan or 16 cupcakes
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cake pan with cooking spray.
Whisk together sugar, flour, cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup boiling water at a time. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Whisk in oil.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes (20 to 25 for cupcakes) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Bean Cream
3 cups heavy whipping cream
2 (3-oz) packages French vanilla instant pudding mix
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine heavy cream, pudding mix, and vanilla bean paste. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until thick.
To assemble:
1 pound strawberries, sliced
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup whipped cream (optional)
Break cake into small pieces. Layer cake into bottom of container. Add a layer of vanilla bean cream, and strawberries. Repeat until you use all ingredients. Top with whipped cream and additional strawberries.
For easy printing……
Midnight Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup cake flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Dark)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
Vanilla Bean Cream
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 (3-oz) packages French vanilla instant pudding mix
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine heavy cream, pudding mix, and vanilla bean paste. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until thick.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cake pan with cooking spray.
- Whisk together sugar, flour, cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup boiling water at a time. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Whisk in oil.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes (20 to 25 for cupcakes) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Follow instructions for Vanilla Bean Cream.
To assemble:
- 1 pound strawberries, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup whipped cream (optional)
- Break cake into small pieces. Layer cake into bottom of container. Add a layer of vanilla bean cream, and strawberries. Repeat until you use all ingredients. Top with whipped cream and additional strawberries.
Notes
(adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones)
Bree Hester is the founder and writer of BakedBree.com, a labor of love that combines her fondness for food, photography and shared experiences with people around the world. Bakedbree.com launched in February of 2010 as a way to merge her love of photography and food and share it with friends and family. A busy mother of 3, including some very picky eaters, keep her on her toes. Her military family is on the move yet again, and currently residing in Alexandria, Virginia.
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