I came up with this recipe for Mother's Day, but it's so light, delicious, elegant and airy it be the perfect addition to any Spring or Summer meal. Boxed cake helps keep this recipe easy, but you could make it even easier and use store bought pound cake.
Orange and Raspberry Cheesecake Trifle
Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 60 minutes to allow cake to cool) Cook Time: 30-45 minutes (to bake boxed cake mix) Yield: 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 box white cake mix + all the ingredients needed to make it
3 cups whipping cream
1 & 1/2 + 1/4 cup powdered sugar, divided
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
Juice of 2 oranges (about 1/3 cup), divided
1 brick (227 g) cream cheese
2 cups fresh raspberries, divided
Fresh raspberries and orange slices for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the cake according to package directions. Once done, allow it to cool completely (about 1 hour) before cutting it into cubes. You can speed up the cooling process by removing it from the pan 10 minutes after it's come out of the oven, then placing on a cooling rack. Alternatively, you can place the cake in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the trifle layers.
In a large mixing bowl, add the whipping cream. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on medium speed until stiff peaks form, 2-5 minutes. Be careful not to overwhip, or you will curdle your cream.
In another mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extract, and half of the orange juice. Whisk well until fully combined. Working in batches, fold in about 3/4 of the whipped cream, saving 1-2 cups for the topping.
In a small mixing bowl, add the raspberries, remaining orange juice and remaining powdered sugar. Using a potato masher or a fork, gently mash everything together. I like to leave some raspberries whole, but get all of the juice and powdered sugar mixed in thoroughly.
To arrange your trifle, add 1/3 of the cake cubes to the bottom of a trifle dish (or any large serving bowl). Top with 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture, then with 1/2 of the mashed raspberries. Repeat layering another 1/3 of the cake cubes, then the remaining cream cheese filling, then the remaining mashed raspberries. Top this layer with the remaining cake, then top with the reserved whipped cream. Decorate the top of the trifle with fresh raspberries and orange slices, and flowers too if you wish. You can serve this right away, or let it sit for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge. The longer it sits, the more the cake will soak up the cream cheese filling and mashed raspberries.