Apple Spice Trifle

– September 5, 2012

With Rosh Hashanah just around the corner, I wanted to come up with an apple dessert that was a little bit different. I tried to think of variations on pies, cakes, and tarts, then decided to go completely outside the box with a layered dessert called a trifle. A trifle is a traditional English dish that involves fruit, custard, cake, and whipped cream. There are endless modern varieties, so I thought I’d create my own for the holiday. I tested the recipe with spice cake (pictured). It would work well with either spice cake or gingerbread—use the spice cake if you want a milder flavor, the gingerbread if you want more of a contrast between the layers. You could easily make this dish parve by using margarine instead of butter and non-dairy whipped topping instead of whipped cream.

Total time: 1 hour 45 min. (including cooling time)

Yield: 12 servings

Level: Moderate

Ingredients

1 package spice cake or gingerbread mix
Vegetable oil, as directed by cake mix
Eggs, as directed by cake mix
12 Granny Smith apples
Juice of 1 ½ lemons
½ cup brown sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste, if using spice cake)
½ cup butter
1 cup dried cranberries
3 tbsp honey
2 cups heavy whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar

Directions

Prepare spice cake or gingerbread in a 9×13 pan according to package directions. Once it is done cooking, set aside to cool to room temperature.
Place a bowl and beaters in the refrigerator to use for making the whipped cream.
While the cake is cooking, peel and core the apples and cut into ½ inch pieces. In a large bowl, toss apples to coat with lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. (Note: it takes a while to chop all of the apples. To prevent browning, pour 1/3 of the lemon juice over the apple pieces after every four apples you add to the bowl.)
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and stir to coat with butter. Once the apples begin to release some juice, about 4 minutes, stir in the honey and ¾ cup of the cranberries. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just beginning to fall apart, about 12 minutes total. Increase heat to high and cook for 2-3 minutes more to reduce the liquid in the pan. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Add the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the chilled bowl. Beat on high until the cream forms stiff peaks.
Crumble ½ of the cake into the bottom of a large, clear bowl, a punch bowl, or a trifle dish. Spread ½ of the apples on top of the cake. Spread ½ of the whipped cream on top of the apples. Repeat with the remaining layers. Top the second layer of whipped cream with the reserved ¼ cup of cranberries.