I recently created this dessert for a cooking contest. The rules for the contest were to create a recipe using any flavor pie filling. I love a good challenge so decided to give it a try.
The hardest part was deciding which pie filling to use. There are so many choices. There’s apple, cherry, key lime, lemon, peaches, strawberry, banana cream, blackberry, blueberry, pumpkin and more. How was I to choose? So I thought, and thought, and thought some more hoping for divine inspiration. Apple and cherry are homey and comforting. I love the tartness of key lime and lemon. How could I go wrong with blueberries or peaches? Since it is the holiday season, pumpkin would be a timely choice.
The more I thought about dessert ideas the more I was drawn to the deliciousness and beauty of strawberry pie filling. Next, I had to decide what type of dessert to make. Would it be cheesecake, pie, tart, cake, cookies, or candy?
I knew I wanted the dessert to be easy to make, include simple inexpensive ingredients, and of course be irresistibly delicious. Once I narrowed it down, it wasn’t too difficult to come up with this yummy strawberry and chocolate trifle. I knew I couldn’t go wrong with classic flavors of strawberry and chocolate. The combination of the cream and chocolate sauce are rich and decadent yet light and refreshing.
Buon Appetito!
Strawberry Cream and Chocolate Trifle
- Prep Time : 30 minutes
- Yield : 12 servings
Ingredients
- ricotta cheese - 1/2 cup
- sugar - 3 Tbsp.
- cream cheese - 8 ounces
- vanilla - 1 tsp.
- whipping cream - 2 cups
- strawberry pie filling - 21 ounce can
- chocolate animal crackers - about 7 ounces
- chocolate sauce:
- sugar - 1 cup
- butter - 5 Tbsp.
- milk - 1/2 cup
- semisweet chocolate chips - 6 ounces
Instructions
- For the chocolate sauce, in a small saucepan add sugar, butter, and milk. Heat until melted.
- While constantly stirring, bring to a boil for one minute.
- Remove from heat and add chocolate chips.
- Allow to cool. This makes more sauce than needed. Simply put the leftover in fridge or freezer to use later. It makes a great icing for your favorite cupcakes or cake and is divine poured over ice cream.
- In a mixing bowl, add ricotta, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla mix until light and fluffy.
- In a separate large mixing bowl add whipping cream. Using the whisk attachment on either a stand or hand mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Watch carefully and do not over beat.
- Fold strawberry pie filling and cheese mixture into whipped cream.
- In the bottom of trifle bowl place 2 layers of animal crackers. Drizzle some of the chocolate sauce over crackers. Spread half of cream mixture over chocolate sauce.
- Repeat.
- Drizzling chocolate sauce on top and garnish with crushed animal crackers and fresh strawberries, if desired.
- Chill 8 hours.
