Whole Grain Apple Trifle

With the holidays here, there are treats and more treats to be had! And I love Christmas treats! Probably a little too much. Today I'm excited to share with you this recipe that I made last week for a Christmas party. I got a lot of great compliments on it. Yes, it's a treat. And not a really, really healthy one. But...my philosophy is, if you're going to have a treat, put SOME healthiness into it. And this recipe fits the bill: Yes, a treat, but lots of wholesome goodness added to it. And no, you can't tell...it still tastes like a treat! YUM!

Whole Grain Apple Trifle
Printable Recipe

*What I loved about this recipe was that the whole-grain cake didn't get soggy like some trifles do. In fact, it was still delicious leftover two days later! 

INGREDIENTS:
Cake Ingredients (see below)
Caramel Sauce ingredients (see below) or 1 bottle caramel ice cream topping
3 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding
6 Cups milk
1 tsp. apple or pumpkin pie spice
1-1/2 Cups chopped pecans, optional
2 21-oz. cans of apple pie filling (I used 2 quarts of homemade...yum...)
2 16-oz. containers of Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS:
Step 1: First bake your cakes.

CAKE INGREDIENTS:
1/4 Cup White Flour
2 Cups Wonder Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup White Sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 Cups milk

CAKE DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two 9" round pans. In a medium bowl combine sugar, flours, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate larger bowl cream together sugar and softened butter until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture and beat well. Then add flour mixture and milk alternately and mix until smooth and creamy. Pour cake mix into the 9" greased pans and bake 350 F for 22-25 mins or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Let cakes cool completely.

Step 2: While cakes are cooking and cooling, cook and cool caramel sauce or skip this step if you are using the bottled ice cream topping.

CARAMEL SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup butter
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream (you can use evaporated milk if you don't have whipping cream)
pinch of salt
1 tsp. of vanilla

CARAMEL SAUCE DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Stir in cream (or evaporated milk), salt and vanilla. Stir often and heat until it gently boils. Remove from heat. Sauce will thicken when cooled.

Step 3: Assemble trifle as follows.
Use a large glass bowl, a trifle dish or punch bowl to serve. Break up a one of the cooled cakes into the bottom of the bowl, poke holes in it and drizzle 1/3 of the caramel topping over the cake. Add 1/2 Cup of pecans (if desired) and 1/2 of the pudding mixture. On top of the pudding layer one can of the apple pie filling and one carton of Cool Whip. Repeat these steps with the cake, caramel, pecans (if desired), pudding, apple pie filling and Cool Whip. Top off the trifle with the remaining 1/3 of caramel sauce and the remaining pecans, if desired. Refrigerate until serving (best if refrigerated at least an hour).

Recipe Sources: Recipe adapted from Blue Skies Ahead and Smashed Peas and Carrots