Chocolate and Fruit Trifle

Happy New Year!!  My hope for everyone is peace, health and joy in the new year for my family and friends.   We are going to have our annual family dinner, crab legs and filet, before everyone heads out to celebrate.   I cherish this special time,.   The dessert we have with our meal varies, however, one of the often requested is the Chocolate and Fruit Trifle, one of Taste of Home's Fast Family Favorites.   This scrumptious dessert layered with devil's food cake, a creamy pudding mixture, red berries and green kiwi is perfect for the holidays.   With all of the fruit, we like to rationalize that this is perfect start to everyone's new year's resolutions.   I like making it is a clear crystal bowl to show off the festive red and green.  This defnitely needs to be made the day that you are serving it.  Also, once you cut into it, it no longer looks appealing, but the leftovers are still delicious.   I hope this becomes one of your favorites as well.

Ingredients:

1 package devil's food cake mix

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup cold water

1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

2 cups whipping cream, whipped

1 T orange juice

2 C fresh strawberries, chopped

2 C fresh raspberries
2 C kiwifruit, peeled and chopped

Prepare cake batter according to package directions; pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.

Cool cake completely.   You will only need about half of the cake for this dessert.  Cut up 1/2 of the cake into about 8 cups of bite-size pieces, and set aside.  I save the other half in a gallon ziploc and we snack on that later, unfrostened.   

In a mixing bowl, combine milk and water until smooth.   Add pudding mix; beat on low speed for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.   Fold in the whip cream.

To assemble: spread 2-1/2 cups of pudding mixture in a 4-qt. glass bowl.   Top with half of the cut up cake; sprinkle cake with 1 T orange juice.   Arrange half of the berries and kiwi over the cake.   Repeat the pudding, cake and fruit layer (saving some of the berries and kiwi for the topping, about 1/4 c of each).   Top with remaining pudding mixture.  Spread remaining fruit around the edge of the bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until serving.