Pumpkin Trifle

Submitted by diner524

"I found this recipe on-line from email I receive from Taste of Home. This is what the author of the recipe states: "It looks so elegant with alternating layers of gingerbread cake and pumpkin/butterscotch pudding," she writes from New London, Missouri. "Try making it ahead of time for a fuss-free dessert when you're planning to entertain guests." Updated 12/2010: I made this for our Christmas dessert and only used 2 boxes (rather than 4 boxes) of the pudding (which works out to be 4 cups of pudding once milk was added and it was more than enough for this trifle dessert)."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 18

ingredients

• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) package gingerbread cake mix
• 1 1⁄4 cups water
• 1 egg
• 4 cups cold nonfat milk
• 2 (1 ounce) packages sugar-free instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 (12 ounce) carton frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed

directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water and egg, beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into an ungreased 8-in. square baking pan.
2. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. When completely cooled, crumble the cake. Set aside 1/4 cup crumbs for garnish.
3. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Stir in pumpkin and spices until well blended.
4. In a trifle bowl or 3-1/2-qt. glass serving bowl, layer a fourth of the cake crumbs, half of the pumpkin mixture, a fourth of the cake crumbs and half of the whipped topping. Repeat layers. Garnish with reserved cake crumbs. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

Reviews

[Spencer #2]

I made this for dessert for Thanksgiving, as a change from pies. It was delicious and easy to make. I made the cake the day before and just put the trifle together the morning of the Holiday. <br/><br/>I wonder if this was truly from Taste of Home, or perhaps from their sister magazine, Cooking Light. I used regular Cool Whip, regular pudding and whole milk. It was much richer and tastier than it would have been had I used fat-free, sugar-free, etc. It wouldn't have been nearly as good with all the "diet" food ingredients.

 

[KLBoyle]

WOW! This desert is absolutely fantastic! So easy to make and looks so beautiful. I love that it tastes just like pumpking pie but looks so much more sophisticated. Thanks for helping me score big points at Thanksgiving!

 

[children from A to Z]

We took this church on Sunday and got rave reviews. We doubled the recipe with ease. I liked how lite this was after a big meal this was the perfect ending. Thanks so much for posting!

 

[Recipe Reader]

An excellent pumpkin dessert! It tastes like pumpkin pie, but it's just different enough for everyone to wow over. It is easy to make, and I made it a day ahead of time. The gingerbread cake had time to absorb some moisture from the pudding, and it was really good. I can't wait to make this again! Thanks, diner.

 

[teresas]

11/29/2008 Very yummy! This is easy to prepare, and looks outstanding. It is so smooth going down. The flavors are your traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie taste. It's low in fat and calories but high in flavor. I did cut the recipe in half. (I just served the remaining gingerbread with whipped topping.) This was our only dessert with our Turkey dinner. Thanks for posting. :) 12/2/2008 I just needed to update with the information on leftovers. Boy, was I surprised to find that this didn't get soggy sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. You really can make this in advance and serve later. Excellent make ahead recipe.