Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle Recipe

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My Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle is a showstopper that never fails to have many tasters asking for the recipe.  When it comes to boxed cake mixes, I like Betty Crocker gingerbread and angel food cake  more than from scratch.  The gingerbread mix requires no added fat and the angel food mix is simple to prepare yet always turns out picture perfect. You can add flavorings such as almond extract or lemon zest to the angel food batter to create the illusion that your cake is from scratch.  Most home cooks would not think to look at the expiration date on boxed mixes, but do look at them.  These mixes do age and not very well.

My sister, Janet, tells a story about laboring over an old Martha Stewart scratch recipe.  She faithfully purchased the prescribed ingredients and diligently followed the painstaking steps to bake and frost a chocolate cake.  The result was expensive and inferior to a quality boxed mix.  Other than the gingerbread and angel food, I recommend Duncan Hines.  Grandma Julie was an excellent baker who preferred Duncan Hines over all other brands and over scratch cakes as well.  She added oil as instructed and the result was moist and tender, but if you are wanting more of a homemade taste and texture, try swapping melted unsalted butter for the oil.  She always made her frosting from scratch and on that subject I will not equivocate.  Prepared canned frostings are the sensible thing for school bake sales and the like, but they are no equal to a superbly made from scratch butter frosting.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
Serves 16 and best made the day before

Ingredients
14 ounce box of Betty Crocker Gingerbread cake mix (if unavailable, try a spice cake mix and if you don't like spice cakes, use vanilla!)
a large box of pudding mix (your choice of vanilla, butterscotch or white chocolate cheesecake)
14-15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon, or to taste, pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup of brown sugar
8 ounces of frozen whipped topping
1/4 cup of crushed gingersnap cookies, OR, 1/4 cup of chopped pecans toasted in a skillet with a bit of butter and then salted

Instructions
1.  Earlier in the day, prepare the gingerbread cake as directed and cool before continuing.
2.  Prepare the pudding mix as directed.  Fold in the pumpkin puree, pie spice, and brown sugar. Set aside.
3.  Crumble half of the cake into the bottom of your bowl or trifle bowl.  Layer 1/2 of the pumpkin mixture and then half of the whipped topping.  Repeat the layers one more time.
4.  Scatter the crushed cookies or nuts on top.  Cover and chill overnight.