Peppermint Bark Trifle -- A Sweet Addition to Advent's First Week

The first Sunday of December and the Christmas season is properly underway. I got the fruitcake started this week — the good kind, not the kind that gets joked about. Mama's fruitcake, which means dried apricots and golden raisins and dates and pecans and a good soak of bourbon before and after baking, wrapped in cheesecloth and left to age for at least three weeks before cutting. You have to start it in early December or there is no point.

I make three: one for the house, one for New Hope AME's Christmas bake sale, one to give away. This year the third one is going to Darnell and Paulette Carter in Decatur, because they welcomed me into their home last month for the wedding and sent me back with a jar of Paulette's fig preserves that I have been putting on biscuits all autumn. You answer a fig preserve with a fruitcake. That is the right equation.

The church put up its Advent wreath and I lit the first candle during the service, which is an honor that rotates among the congregation's families. I am always moved by the first candle — one candle in the dark is such a small thing and it is such an adequate symbol that it feels almost unfair to the symbol. One flame and the whole room changes. One child and the world changes. That is the claim of Advent and I have chosen to believe it my whole life.

Kezia came Saturday and we made the Christmas cookies that I make every year — the butter cookies with the colored sugar, the ones I've been making since Destiny and CJ were small. I let her do most of the cutting and decorating. Her trees were more precise than mine and her stars had a certain flair I admired. I told her she had a decorator's eye. She said she was thinking about going to culinary school. I said: when the time comes, I will write you a letter. She put down the cookie cutter and looked at me, and I said, I mean it, and she nodded very seriously. I mean it completely.

With the fruitcake wrapped in cheesecloth and the butter cookies boxed up, I still had it in me to bring something festive and a little showy to the table — something that felt like the season in a dish. Kezia’s decorator’s eye got me thinking about layers and presentation, and this peppermint bark trifle is exactly that: beautiful to look at, joyful to eat, and easy enough to put together while the Advent candle is still glowing. It travels well to a gathering, too, which means it will find its way to New Hope before December is done.

Peppermint Bark Trifle

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 (16 oz) package chocolate pound cake or brownie loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 1 (3.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup crushed peppermint bark (store-bought or homemade), divided
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for cream cheese layer)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whole peppermint candies or candy canes, for garnish

Instructions

1. Make the pudding layer. Whisk together the instant chocolate pudding mix and 2 cups whole milk in a medium bowl for 2 minutes until thickened. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to set.
2. Prepare the whipped cream. In a large chilled bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar and peppermint extract on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
3. Make the cream cheese layer. Beat the softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy. Gently fold in half of the whipped cream mixture until combined.
4. Assemble the first layer. Place half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a large trifle dish or deep glass bowl. Spoon half of the chocolate pudding evenly over the cake.
5. Add cream and peppermint. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the pudding layer. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup crushed peppermint bark and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
6. Repeat the layers. Add the remaining cake cubes, followed by the remaining pudding, then the remaining cream cheese mixture. Smooth the top.
7. Finish with whipped cream. Spread or pipe the remaining whipped cream over the top of the trifle. Sprinkle generously with the remaining crushed peppermint bark and mini chocolate chips.
8. Chill and serve. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whole peppermint candies or candy cane pieces just before bringing to the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 385 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 43g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 230mg