Growing up, there was one dessert my mom would bring to family gatherings that I just never got: an angel food and pistachio torte (trifle? fluff?).
It was all sorts of things I didn’t really like that much: angel food cake (bland, dry and sticky all at once), pistachios and toffee. This dessert never held much appeal. Also, it was very ugly.
But one party, I finally gave this treat a try and I am not ashamed to say it: My mom was right; this dessert was delicious.
So in honor of Mother’s Day, here is the recipe for this absolutely inexplicable dessert.
Angel Food Pistachio Trifle Recipe
This one of those delightful Midwestern follies full of Jell-O pudding mix, Cool Whip and more. As much as I love scratch-made everything, I’m also a sucker for treats like this. Here’s what you need:
- 1 package of angel food cake mix (preferably the one with the rainbow sprinkles inside)
- 1 tub Cool Whip
- 1 small box Jell-O instant pistachio pudding
- 2 cups milk
- 2 Heath or Skor bars, crushed
Step 1: Bake the Cake
Before you ask, yes, you can absolutely make a homemade angel food cake for this recipe. But if you ask me, now is not the time to fuss with all the eggs and the tedium. This cake gets torn up, coated in fluff and topped with candy.
It’s really OK just to use a boxed mix—these are the best brands to use according to a very scientific test I conducted.
A few things about the cake, homemade or not, make sure not to grease the pan. Also, you want to cool it upside down once it comes out of the oven. It’s all on the box, but these are still some pro tips.
Once the cake is totally cool, remove it from the pan and cut or tear into chunks.
Step 2: Make the Fluff
Now here’s where the Midwestern comes in: Whip up a package of instant pistachio pudding according to the package directions. Once it’s set—about five minutes—fold a tub of Cool whip into the pudding. That’s your fluff.
Step 3: Assemble
All that’s left to do is to put all these pieces together. Grab any serving container you like. My mom uses a 13×9″ pan, but I pulled this Pyrex dish from my collection. You could also make this in a trifle dish or make individual parfaits.
Spoon a bit of the fluff on the bottom, then add some cake. Continue adding layers of the two until it’s all used up. Finally, topped with some crushed toffee bits.
Serving and Saving
Once this dessert is all put together, pop it in the fridge to chill for at least an hour. Then scoop and serve.
This trifle (torte? fluff?) does keep pretty well for a few days; I’d say eat it within three days of making it. It’ll get softer as time goes on, but it still tastes pretty darn good.
This year, I don’t get to celebrate my mom the way she deserves on Mother’s Day (she’s currently in the hospital), but I did get to see her. She even gave me a few tips on this recipe. And making this treat Mother’s Day morning did help me feel a bit better.
Just a reminder to everyone to hug their moms extra today. Like extra on top of the Mother’s Day extra. And then extra every day after that.
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