If you are looking for a festive dessert this Christmas season, this Red Velvet & Cream Cheese Candy Cane Mousse Trifle is easy to make, fun to present and delicious to eat. I want to show you how you could serve these in two different ways for a variety of occasions. I’ve prepared some in mason jars for a more casual or homey atmosphere, while the taller square cups might be for a more elegant celebration. For other holiday desserts you might want to consider this Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Cake or Buche De Noel Yule Log.
Red Velvet & Cream Cheese Candy Cane Mousse Trifle
This mousse is kind of cheating. A proper mousse is made of raw eggs, but I was serving these to someone who is pregnant. I made up an alternative cream cheese component that has a mousse-like texture.
This dessert is made of two components: a red velvet cake and a cream cheese mousse. After making both components you will layer to serve. I will walk you through that below.
Ingredients Needed to Make a Red Velvet Cake
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar + 1 tsp vinegar, divided
- 1 cup (minus 1 Tbsp) Horizon Organic Milk
- 2 Horizon Organic eggs
- 2 Tbsp red dye
- 1 tsp vanilla
Note: With concern about red food dye, it is great to look into alternative options for you family. Here’s a link to natural food options available for dying cake a nice red color. I need to take the time to experiment more with these options. Here is a link to a red velvet cake that does not have red food dye, if this is a food product you try and avoid.
How to Make Red Velvet Cake
- Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in one bowl.
- Mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Note: I make my own buttermilk by combing 1 Tbsp vinegar and then adding Horizon Organic milk to the one cup line. Let it sit for five minutes before adding it to the rest of the wet ingredients. It seems more moist when I do it that way and then I don’t need to have buttermilk on hand.
- Mix the two bowls together.
- Put mixture in two greased 8-10″ baking pans. Bake at 350 30-35 minutes. Glance at cake through window and watch carefully from there. It may take up to 50 minutes to bake completely, depending on the size of your pans. Check with a toothpick.
- Cool completely.
Ingredients Needed to Make Cream Cheese Candy Cane Mousse
- 2 packages of cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 Tbsp butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar + 4 Tbsp, divided
- 2 tsp vanilla + 1 tsp, divided
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 cup Horizon Organic heavy whipped cream
- broken candy cane for presentation
How to Make Cream Cheese Candy Cane Mousse
- Whip heavy cream, 4 Tbsp powdered sugar & 1 tsp vanilla until soft peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese and 4 Tbsp butter until creamy and smooth.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, & peppermint until well combined.
- Gently fold in whipping cream.
How to Composed Red Velvet & Cream Cheese Candy Cane Mousse Trifle
To compose the trifle, simply cut up the red velvet cake in squares and then layer red velvet and then cream cheese mousse up the serving vessel. You will want to put the candy cane in the side before starting the layering. I also find it is easiest to use a pastry bag to add in the cream cheese mousse. Sprinkle candy cane on top and enjoy. My kids love to help!
You will want to serve these quickly. If you leave them in the refrigerator overnight the colors from both the candy cane and red velvet will bleed. You can always make the components before and just compose the dessert before serving.
As promised, there are two different ways to present this Red Velvet & Cream Cheese Candy Cane Mousse Trifle:
Here’s the mason jar presentation, which I love and always creates a real warm feeling in a home or at a party.
Here’s a tall, square, plastic cup that is good for easier clean up and a more elegant look. I hope you enjoy this Red Velvet & Cream Cheese Candy Cane Mousse Trifle as much as we do.
I love working with Horizon Organic. They say it best, “At Horizon, we’re more committed than ever to bringing you the very best. By supporting happy families and communities today, we pave the way to a healthy planet for all of us tomorrow.” Their heart for growing healthy families through not only great products but by a commitment to bringing imagination and fun into family life makes we want to support their efforts.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.
