Fruit Trifle (with variation)

Since a number of friends were wondering about the 'creamy layers' in the trifle I took to today's 'pot luck doings', I'm moving this recipe to the top of the list in my 'DESSERT' section here in my recipe blog to make it easier to find. 

                                             (Photo by me, Doris)

Use whatever fruit you like-- or a combination of fruits that go together well.

Today, with the big bowl I used, I doubled this recipe.  And,... yesterday, I made my own pound cake for this since a small 10.75 ounce rectangle of frozen Sara Lee pound cake sells for about $3.99 and I think that's quite a large amount of moolah for so little.  With the recipe I use for making my own pound cake, I end up with more than 3# of cake and save a good amount of $$$.   You can find the pound cake recipe I used right below this posting-- it can also be found in the "CAKE" category.

Another 'variation' of  the recipe looks like this:

For the 'variation' above, I cut a layer of 'chocolate w/coconut' cake (your favorite brownies would work for this, too) into neat little squares and layered them with a mixture of cream cheese/instant vanilla pudding/whipped topping.  This could also be made using chocolate instant pudding but I thought that might be 'too much' of a good thing (IF that is possible).                                    

  ............................................................

Total time to prepare:  20 minutes
Makes:  12-14 servings of 2/3 cup each

Read through the recipe before you start.

WHAT YOU NEED to make the fruit trifle:

• 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries (save a couple of whole berries for top)
• 3 tablespoons sugar

~~~~~and~~~~~

• 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) softened cream cheese
• 1 and 1/2 cups cold milk,  added to the instant pudding powder
• 1 small-sized box (3.4 ounce) Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 1/2 pint whipping cream (whipped up), OR 2 cups thawed Cool Whip, divided.
• 4 cups pound cake cut into 1/2" cubes (If you've made pound cake ahead of time for occasions like this, you can leave it frozen right up until cubing it.) 

DIRECTIONS:

• Sprinkle the sugar over the sliced strawberries.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  (I sometimes do this an hour or so ahead of time.)
• Beat the cream cheese until softened and creamy smooth.* 
• Slowly, add pudding mix with the 1 and 1/2 cups of milk, mix well.
• Blend in 1 and 1/2 cups whipped cream OR 2 cups thawed Cool Whip.
• Put about 1" of the cream cheese/pudding/whipped topping mix in bottom of bowl.
• Top with cake cubes, berries and more of the cream cheese mixture.
• Repeat the layering, if you have enough left to do so.
• Cover top with remaining whipped cream or Cool Whip topping.
• Refrigerate for 4 hours.
• Very lightly drizzle a few small streams of Hershey chocolate syrup over top, optional.
• Garnish with a couple of strawberries or whatever fruit you are using, optional.

*I have a Cuisinart food processor, so I can put  UNsoftened cream cheese in it first, add the milk, then the pudding-- it sure is a quick way to get those three combined.

Another tip:  Instead of making just these few 'layers', you can have thinner layers-- and more of them.  This dessert could also be made in a glass 9x13-inch dish and be pretty, too.

I think I found this recipe in some literature from Kraft Foods, but I don't know which/where.