This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jewel-Osco. All opinions are 100% mine.
This easy pumpkin trifle recipe is made with layers of cinnamon cake, pumpkin pudding, whipped cream, and maple vanilla toasted pecans. It’s a fitting dessert to serve at Thanksgiving or at any fall gathering.
When I think of Pumpkin, I think of Thanksgiving. And when I think of Thanksgiving, I think of Rachel making Trifle. Don’t worry, this recipe doesn’t involve combining cake and beef.
Instead, this Pumpkin Trifle has layers of cinnamon-flavored cake, pumpkin pudding, whipped cream, and vanilla maple toasted pecans. It’s an easy-to-prepare dessert that celebrates fall flavors.
I was able to buy all of the ingredients for this recipe from my local Jewel-Osco. It’s my go-to grocery store since Jewel-Osco has all the baking staples and seasonal items that I need which enables me to do one-stop-shopping saving me time. When I do my grocery shopping I always try to shop Jewel-Osco‘s in-house brands like O Organics®, Open Nature®, and Lucerne® since they balance high quality with affordable prices. Plus, Jewel-Osco proudly stands behind their exclusive brands with a 100% money-back guarantee.
When it comes to buying canned pumpkin, I like the O Organics® brand. Not only is it organic, but there is also just one ingredient on the label: pumpkin. Did you know that many brands of canned pumpkin are actually made with different squashes? In this recipe, O Organics Pumpkin gets mixed with vanilla pudding to make pumpkin pudding. You could eat the pudding on its own, but I love it layered in this trifle.
One of the things that keeps this recipe quick and easy is that the cinnamon cake is made with a boxed yellow cake mix that I seasoned with cinnamon and a touch of ground ginger. Using cake mix is a big time-saver, and Open Nature®’s Yellow Cake & Cupcake Mix is gluten-free which makes this dessert gluten-free!
The ingredients for each layer of the trifle get prepared separately. Put the cake in to bake first and then you will have time to prepare everything else while it bakes. When it comes to assembling the trifle you have two choices: you can make a large trifle or several smaller individual trifles. I opted to make individual trifles since I don’t have a large trifle bowl. I just assembled the trifles in glasses instead. (Note: a half batch is pictured here).
The most challenging part of this recipe is not eating all of the maple vanilla pecans. They are sweet, salty, and add just the right amount of crunch and texture to this sweet treat. Jewel-Osco’s Open Nature brand has perfectly chopped and portioned Pecan Chips – another time-saver.
I love this recipe because each layer has its own distinct flavor and they go together beautifully. You can taste the pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla, and pecans in each bite. This is a dessert that I couldn’t put down.
I shopped at Jewel-Osco, but you can also find O Organics, Open Nature, and Lucerne products at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, ACME Markets, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb, and Vons. Jewel-Osco also offers Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go™ for convenient ways to shop!
How to Make Pumpkin Trifle:
1 box of Open Nature Yellow Cake & Cupcake Mix
1 stick of Butter
3 cups plus 2/3 cup Fat-Free Milk
3 large Eggs
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 (5.1 ounces) package of Vanilla Pudding
2 cups O Organics Pumpkin
1 teaspoon Butter
1/4 cup Open Nature Pecans Chips
1 tablespoon O Organics Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon O Organics Vanilla
1 teaspoon O Organics Maple Syrup
a dash of Sea Salt
Lucerne Original Whipped Topping
First, prepare the cake. Follow the instructions on the box: preheat your oven and then combine the cake mix, melted butter, 2/3 cup milk, and eggs. Then add the cinnamon and ground ginger. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a cake pan and bake according to the instructions.
While the cake is baking, prepare the pumpkin pudding. Following the instructions on the box of pudding mix; whisk 3 cups of milk into the mix. Place in the fridge to set for 15 minutes. Then whisk in 2 cups of the pumpkin and return to the fridge.
Then prepare the pecans. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Then add the pecans, brown sugar, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt. Stir well and let the nuts toast for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside to cool.
Remove the cake from the oven once fully baked. Let cool, then use two forks to crumble the cake.
To assemble the pumpkin trifle, layer the cake crumbs, then the pumpkin pudding, whipped topping, and pecans in a trifle dish or glass. Then repeat so that there are two layers of each filling.
Refrigerate until serving.