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Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle

This glorious Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle is a celebration of all of my favorite things. Bite-size cubes of homemade pecan praline buttermilk pound cake are layered with caramel pudding, whipped cream, warm caramel and toasted pecans. Add a generous sprinkle of toffee bits and it’s a confection that’s sure to please.

Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle


Easy Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle Recipe

I am admittedly a caramel and pecan praline fanatic. Be it caramel candysticky rollslayered lushpie, cookies or homemade dulce de leche, it’s my absolute obsession. I also dearly love trifles and then there’s my life long love of pound cake. I often refer to trifles as edible centerpieces as they have such a beautiful presentation and the sheer height of a trifle served in a pretty bowl turns it into a showpiece on the dessert table. I’ve never served a trifle that people didn’t “ooh” and “aah” when they saw it. They’re an all-occasion dessert and fun to make. How to make Pecan Praline Trifle: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Pecans – Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the chopped pecans in a single layer. Toast for 6-8 minutes then set aside to cool completely.
  • Cake Layer – Bake, cool and cube the Pecan Praline Buttermilk Pound Cake.
  • Pudding Layer – In a large mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer whip together the instant pudding mix and half and half. Beat until thickened but still pourable. Add the cream cheese. Beat until completely incorporated.By hand fold in one 8 ounce whipped topping.
  • Assemble – Start with 1/3 cubed cake, topped with 1/2 caramel pudding. Repeat ending with cubed cake.
  • Caramel – In a microwave safe bowl warm the dulce de leche until pourable. Drizzle 1/2 over the final layer of cubed cake.
  • Topping –  Frost the top with the remaining whipped topping, drizzle with dulce de leche, bits-o-brickle and chopped pecans.
  • Chill for for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the pudding to set.
Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle

How to Make the BEST Pecan Praline Trifle Recipe

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle: One Pecan Praline Buttermilk Pound Cake cubed, two boxes caramel pudding mix (or butterscotch), one block plain cream cheese, half and half, whipped topping, dulce de leche or a quality caramel ice cream topping, toasted chopped pecans and toffee bits.
  • Kitchen gadgets you’ll need: A chopping board and knife to cube the cake, a sheet pan to toast the pecans, a large trifle bowl (4 quarts or larger) a stand mixer or a hand mixer, measuring cups and a rubber spatula.
  • When it comes to choosing a trifle bowl my rule of thumb is to go bigger rather than smaller. If it doesn’t fill all the way to the top it’s still beautiful but if the bowl is too small, it could be a disaster with more ingredients than space.
  • If time is an issue, you can adapt this recipe using a butter pecan cake mix prepared per the package instructions. Use the amount of oil, water and eggs called for and bake it in a 13 x 9 inch pan.
  • Caramel pudding mix is sometimes hard to come by. You can easily adapt this trifle recipe using two boxes of instant butterscotch pudding mix or one butterscotch and one package of vanilla pudding. The amount of half and half called for would be the same.
  • You can use homemade whipped cream for this recipe. You’ll need 2 cups for the filling and 2 cups for the topping. How do you make homemade whipped cream? To make it, use a mixer on medium-high speed to whip one pint of heavy cream with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4-1/3 cup granulated sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form then proceed with the recipe.
  • It’s well worth the small amount of effort it takes to toast the pecans. How do you toast nuts? Spread them in a single layer on a sheet pan then pop them into a preheated 350°F oven for 6-8 minutes, then cool.
  • To expedite the preparation for this Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle, you can make the Pecan Praline Buttermilk Pound Cake well in advance, cool, wrap and freeze. You can then pull it out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and you have the makings of a special dessert. Doing this in advance means, it’s quick to move on to preparing the remaining ingredients and assemble in no-time.
  • Store Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle chilled in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle

More Trifle Recipes to Make

Serve this irresistible dessert and it’ll turn any gathering into something special. Other trifle recipes you may like to try:

best-pecan-praline-trifle

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

Pecan Praline Caramel Trifle

Prep Time25 minutes
Chill Time4 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: pecan-praline-caramel-trifle, southern-trifles
Servings: 20 servings
Calories: 330kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted
  • 1 recipe Pecan Praline Buttermilk Pound Cake cubed
  • 2 3.4 oz boxes caramel instant pudding mix can substitute butterscotch pudding mix
  • 4 cups half and half
  • 1 8 oz block cream cheese softened
  • 2 8 oz whipped topping thawed divided use
  • 1 14 oz can dulce de leche or quality thick caramel ice cream topping
  • 1/4 cup bits-o-brickle toffee bits

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the chopped pecans in a single layer. Toast for 6-8 minutes then set aside to cool completely.
  • Bake, cool and cube the Pecan Praline Buttermilk Pound Cake.
  • In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip together the instant pudding mixes and half and half. Beat until thickened but still pourable.
  • To the bowl add the cream cheese. Beat until completely incorporated about 2-3 minutes. By hand fold in 1 (8-oz) whipped topping.
  • To Assemble: Begin with 1/3 cubed cake, topped with 1/2 caramel pudding. Repeat cake and pudding ending with 3rd layer of cubed cake.
  • Topping: In a microwave safe bowl warm the dulce de leche for 20-30 seconds or just until pourable.
  • Drizzle 1/2 warm dulce de leche over the 3rd layer of cubed cake. Frost with the remaining 8 oz whipped topping.
  • Drizzle the whipped topping with the remaining dulce de leche and sprinkle with bits-o-brickle and chopped pecans. (Make sure the dulce de leche is cooled slightly)
  • Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Store chilled.

Notes

  • If you’re unable to find caramel pudding, you can use butterscotch, instead.
  • Dulce de Leche is readily available in the Hispanics food section of most grocery stores.
  • If time is an issue, you can adapt this recipe using a butter pecan cake mix prepared per the package instructions. Use the amount of oil, water and eggs called for and bake it in a 13 x 9 inch pan.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

 

23 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve tasted every layer and it has got to be the bomb. The pound cake was a definite do over!!
    It’s going to my wife’s office birthday party. It will be a bit.
    Thanks

  2. I cannot find caramel instant pudding mix. Can I substitute Butterscotch pudding mix? We have Pastor Appreciation Day Sunday and I wanted to take this. It sounds yummy!

    1. Hi Diane, ah sorry you can’t find it. I think you could adapt with butterscotch in place of the caramel. A different flavor but, still delicious.

      1. Another question. Do I put the glaze on the pound cake since I am using it in the trifle?

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