Red Velvet, the buzz word in every baker’s kitchen. If you have baked it before, you are comparing everybody else’s red velvet cake you yours. If you have never baked it, you are most probably on the hunt for the perfect recipe!

Red Velvet Cake has to have coloring, cocoa, buttermilk and cream cheese frosting! Those are the essential basics. It is interesting to know that the original red velvet cakes had no food coloring, but it was the reddish color of the cocoa that gave it a red color.

Red Velvet is not only limited to cakes, I have seen it in Ice Cream, cookies, waffles and even a red velvet cheesecake! I am not sure what about the red velvet cake is so appealing to people, but for me I like the cake because it is not overly sweet and the cream cheese frosting is also not too bad!

With the jolly season upon us and lots of  entertaining and catering that comes along with Father Christmas and his merry reindeer, it can be quite daunting thinking up new recipes and ideas all the time! A more daunting thought is spending hours in the kitchen while the rest of the crew sits around the swimming pool sipping long cocktails.

Whenever I plan a meal, I almost always think of the desserts and starters first. Once I have them sorted, the main meal is easier. Desserts are easy with all the berries and fruit available or make a few different flavored ice-creams and keep them in your freezer. A scoop of homemade ice cream and a hot caramel sauce goes a long way!

Now, I know I’ve said we are taking things easy,but trifle is definitely my favorite dessert to eat and to make! Luckily we have moved on and I don’t have to make custard and sponge cake from scratch anymore. I can buy custard in a box and for that matter cake too. This trifle does not have any custard which makes it even easier and although I certainly did not invent red velvet cake nor red velvet trifle, this is my easy version!

Red Velvet Trifles

makes 6

Ingredients

1 packet Woolworths Red Velvet Mini Swiss Rolls

250 g creamed cottage cheese

100 ml condensed milk

1 drop red food coloring

250 ml cream

a squeeze of lemon juice

100 g white chocolate

1 punnet ( 250 g)fresh raspberries

Method

Mix the cream cheese, food coloring and condensed milk very lightly.  Add the squeeze of lemon juice and mix. In another bowl, whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. ( you can sweeten the cream, but I find it too sweet then ) Cut the swiss rolls in thin rings and start layering your trifle. Take 6 small glasses, about 200 ml each and put a layer of cake at the bottom, then a spoon full of the cream cheese and then a little cream. Top with raspberries and repeat the layers one more time. Use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler and make chocolate shavings  for decoration. Finish off  your trifles with raspberries and white chocolate shavings.