Mocha Cake layers with Fluffy Cream and Macadamia nuts make a decadent and beautiful, yet easy, dessert.

Holey socks, isn’t that a mouthful of a name?

Here is what I love about trifles:

They are super-simple, yet look so fancy.
They are a life-saver if your cake sticks in the pan and falls apart!

You don’t have to waste that cake – just throw one of these together.

Traditionally, a trifle is layers of cake, pudding, and fruit. But you can get very creative and make them just about any way you can imagine.

This particular trifle is a combination of parts that you can use to make any number of dessert variations.

How to Make a Mocha Macadamia Trifle with Mascarpone Cream

To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) a 9×13 inch cake pan. Set it aside.

In a cup or bowl, combine 1/4 cup instant coffee and a cup of hot water. Give it a stir and set it aside for the coffee to dissolve.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of sugar, 3 tablespoons of baking cocoa, a teaspoon of baking soda, and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Stir it all together and set it aside for now.

Measure out a half cup of buttermilk and set it next to your stove top.

In a saucepan, melt a cup (2 sticks) of butter over medium low heat.

As soon as it is melted turn off the heat. Whisk in the coffee mixture and the buttermilk.

In a small bowl, whisk together 2 eggs.

Now ladle a little of the buttery coffee mixture into the eggs while whisking them. This will temper your eggs so you don’t get scrambled eggs in your cake!

Pour the warmed eggs into the saucepan with the rest of the liquid and then stir in 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

Pour liquid mixture into the large mixing bowl with your dry ingredients and stir it together until just combined.

Pour it into your cake pan and bake for 35 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick.

Cool completely.

When the cake is totally cooled, you’ll make the cream.

This wonderful creamy mixture can be used for more that just the trifle. You will only make a smooth creamy mixture today – but with just a couple more minutes of whipping – you will have created a luxurious and flavorful

Mocha Frosting!!

In a chilled mixing bowl, combine a pint (2 cups) of heavy whipping cream and 1/3 cup of powdered sugar.

Add in 8 ounces of Tiramisu flavored Mascarpone Cheese. (If you can only find plain, that is okay – I have an option for that)

Add in two tablespoons of Kahlua or other coffee liqueur. (If using plain mascarpone, increase this to 1/4 cup)

And finally add in 2 teaspoons baking cocoa.

Beat these all together until smooth. Don’t forget to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Do not beat the cream to death – you aren’t looking for soft or stiff peaks, just a smooth consistency.

(If you do whip this to stiff peaks – you will have created that luxurious and flavorful mocha frosting!)

Now to put it all together!

If you have a trifle bowl (kind of like a square-ish clear punch bowl) use that, or any good-size clear bowl if you have it.

Take that lovely cake and cut the whole thing into a bunch of pieces, all about 1 1/2 inch or so.

Layer 1/3 of the cake in the bottom.

Next layer 1/3 of the cream over that.

And then sprinkle it with 1/3 cup of roasted, chopped Macadamia nuts (you’ll need 1 cup total). Continue repeating the layers until you have three layers of each, ending with the last of the nuts.