Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle

I had planned on posting about a fun craft project today, but the craft project never happened. I then thought I might be able to share some of my awesome shopping finds in regards to our den redesign, but there were no finds to be had this weekend. Don’t you hate those days when you know exactly what you want but nobody has it? Well I had three of those days this weekend. Those are the days I tell myself I should have been a designer because nobody can seem to create the things I envision. I get this specific image in my mind and think to myself … yes, that would be perfect! And then when nothing I see comes close to that specific image, I go empty-handed for a while until finally deciding that there are other things that will work. So that’s where I’m at right now, which is part of the reason our den redesign is still pending and I have nothing to share with you in regards to that.

So I’m sharing a recipe with you instead. I always feel like I’m cheating when I share a recipe. I don’t know why – I seriously only share the recipes I truly love and that others have truly enjoyed as well. Trust me, I have a lot of baking/cooking disappointments that I do not share, and you’re welcome for that.

I found a Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle recipe on Pinterest last year and it was such a favorite among my friends/family that I ended up making it four times within about three months. I’ve made it once this Fall but I imagine it will be made at least two more times. It’s so easy, no-bake, and seriously delicious. Plus it has pumpkin in it, which I think is considered a super food in some people’s books, so there’s that. And lastly, what’s Fall without a fun recipe spin on your traditional pumpkin pie?

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE TRIFLE (serves 16)

(recipe adapted from momontimeout.com’s Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle)

INGREDIENTS ~

2 Sara Lee pound cakes (angel food cake would be a lower-calorie alternative, but who’s counting?)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
16 ounces cream cheese
15 ounces canned pure pumpkin
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (plus some for dusting the top)

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, beat together powdered sugar and heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside. This is your whipped cream. As you may or may not be able to tell from this picture, I accidentally used heavy cream instead of heavy whipping cream – BAKING FAIL – not really. My whipped cream was definitely on the light and runny side, but it still tasted delicious. My pics just weren’t very pretty 😦

In another bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Add pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla extract & pumpkin pie spice and continue beating until thoroughly combined.
Fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream to the pumpkin mixture.

Cut pound cakes into small pieces and line the bottom of your trifle dish with 1/3 of your pieces.

Layer with 1/3 of the pumpkin mixture and then 1/3 of the remaining whipped cream.
Repeat these layers 2 more times, ending with the remaining whipped cream.
Sprinkle top with additional pumpkin pie spice.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. I personally think the longer it sits, the better.