Pumpkin Trifle - a Beautiful Make-Ahead Fall Dessert with Gingersnap Cookies

Serves 10 in about 2 hours. An oven recipe built around spice cake mix and caramel sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 box spice cake mix (or gingerbread) see note
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup chopped pecans
• 2 8-ounce blocks cream cheese, softened
• 1 can pumpkin puree (not pie filling mix)
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 8-ounce tubs cool whip, divided
• Caramel sauce
• Gingersnap cookies, optional

Method

1. Prepare the spice cake mix as the package says (use the ingredients listed on the box if they differ from mine). Once baked, set the cake aside to cool completely.
2. In a dry skillet over a medium flame, toast the chopped pecans for a few minutes until fragrant. Mix frequently to avoid burning. Lift out from heat and let cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
4. Stir in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Beat until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Gently fold in one tub of the Cool Whip until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. keep it nearby.
6. Once the cake is fully cooled, cut it into small cubes.
7. Layer the ingredients in a large trifle dish or clear glass bowl. Here's the order:
8. Layer 1: Cake - Add a layer of cake cubes to the bottom of the dish.
9. Layer 2: Pumpkin Cream - Spoon and gently spread a layer of the pumpkin mixture over the cake.
10. Layer 3: Pecans - Sprinkle a handful of the toasted pecans.
11. Layer 4: Caramel - Drizzle on caramel sauce.
12. Layer 5: Cool Whip - Spread half of the second tub of Cool Whip over the top.
13. Layer 6: Cake Cubes
14. Layer 7: Pumpkin Cream
15. Layer 8: Pecans
16. Layer 9: Caramel Sauce
17. Final Topping - Finish with the remaining Cool Whip, a few more pecans, an extra drizzle of caramel sauce, and a few cake cubes or crushed gingersnap cookies, if you want it.
18. Put a lid on and refrigerate the trifle for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the trifle to set up and the flavors to meld.

More dessert ideas are in the dessert collection.