Easy Tres Leches Trifle

I couldn’t end a series on Tex-Mex dishes without doing something on desserts.

And this is a dessert, y’all.  Oh, my heavenly SWOON.

Most Tex-Mex restaurants serve three dessert options: Churros, Sopapillas, and Tres Leches Cake.

Traditional Tres Leches is made by pouring the tres leches mixture (milk or cream, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk) over a sponge cake.  It’s rich and drippy.

I’ll be honest — this Mama isn’t a fan of drippy.  I adore the flavor of Tres Leches but I can’t do soggy cake.  Just. Can’t. Do. It.

Despite the sogginess, when I started brainstorming a Tex-Mex dessert, I just couldn’t get the idea of Tres Leches out of my head.  So, I spent one Saturday afternoon talking aloud to the Husband, going through all of my ideas for the dessert.  And, in a moment of sweet genius, I hit on the idea of a trifle.

Trifles are every bit as decadent and rich as Tres Leches, but there is more texturally going on with a trifle.  And, I adore them — my mother make a variety of trifles (I suspect they are her favorite too) and they are always my favorite desserts.  There’s just something about the pairing of cake, whipped cream and fruit.

Sigh ….

This trifle takes the flavor of Tres Leches and reinvents it as both pudding and cake, and — thanks to the pop and tang of fresh blueberries — even though it is rich, it never even comes close to being cloyingly sweet.

I “plate” this in individual serving sized jars — it looks amazing and gives everyone just the right portion.

The first time I made it, I served it the fourteen adults in our small group.  One man told me I was to make him his own “mixing-bowl” sized portion next time … while the Husband watched another group member all but lick his jar clean.

This is a winning recipe, folks.

Tres Leches Trifle

Ingredients

1. 1 cups Milk
2. 1 can Evaporated Milk
3. 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
4. 2 packages of Instant Vanilla Pudding
5. 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Paste (optional)
6. 1 pound cake, cubed
7. 1-2 cups of Blueberries
8. Whipped Cream (or whipped topping of your choice)

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix the three milks till well blended; reserve 1 and 1/2 cup of the milk mixture and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, pour in both instant pudding packets and then add the reserved 1 and 1/2 cups of milk.  Use a whisk to thoroughly blend the pudding mix and milk.  It will be very thick; additional milk may be added if you prefer it thinner.
3. Add the teaspoon of vanilla paste and carefully fold it in till fully incorporated.
4. In your individual serving jars*, carefully dollop 1-2 tablespoons of the Tres Leches pudding at the bottom.
5. Next, place several pieces of the cubed pound cake over the pudding and then drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of the remaining Tres Leches milk over the cake.
6. Top with a layer of blueberries.
7. Repeat the pudding, cake, and milk layers.
8. Spread whipped cream on top of the final pudding layer.
9. Top with a few additional blueberries.
10. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

Number of servings (yield): 8

Notes

This can be made in one large bowl rather than individual cups/jars.

If you don’t like blueberries, raspberries or strawberries may be substituted.

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Recipe by Rachel Lacy