Mini Red Velvet Trifles
Serves 6 x 2

This dessert will serve two meals. Make 8 mini Trifles. Use the leftover Red Velvet Cake and Cheesecake to make a big one bowl of Trifle. You can even freeze the large trifle for another occasion.

RED VELVET CAKE
2 extra large eggs at room temperature
¾ cup (180ml) canola oil
¼ cup (60g) butter, melted
¾ cup (180ml) full cream milk, warmed
1 x 580g Ina Paarman’s Red Velvet Cake Mix

Adjust oven shelf to middle position.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Butter and line a 36cm x 25cm baking pan with baking paper.

Mix cake according to box instructions and spread out evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 minutes.

Leave to cool in the pan and cut out 8 rounds using a 6cm cookie cutter. Leave on one side.

CHEESECAKE                                                                        
1 cup (250ml) cold water
1 x 250g Ina Paarman’s Lemon Cheesecake Mix
1 cup (250ml) fresh cream

Reserve 2 T (30ml) of the dry mix and keep on one side for later. Mix Cheesecake according to package instructions.

TO ASSEMBLE

1/3 cup (80ml) medium cream sherry or brandy
1 cup (250ml) cream
2 T (30ml) reserved dry Cheesecake Mix
½ cup (125ml) blueberries
½ – ¾ cup (125ml – 180ml) pomegranate pips
8 rings 6cm wide and 4cm high (plastic piping works well)
icing sugar for dusting

Place rings on a small tray that will fit into your fridge. Place one cake cut out into each ring and sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sherry or brandy over. Top with a generous helping of cheesecake mixture. Level it. Add a final layer of cake and sprinkle with sherry. Set in the fridge. Can be done the day before.

TO SERVE

Push the trifles out of the rings and position on the plate. Whip the cream together with the 2 T (30ml) of reserved Cheesecake Mix to stabilise the cream. Top each trifle with a generous dollop of cream. Finish off with whole blueberries and pomegranate pips and dust with icing sugar.
ONE BOWL TRIFLE

Use leftover pieces of Red Velvet Cake cut into smallish blocks. Sprinkle with sherry or brandy and layer with leftover Cheesecake mixture in a glass bowl. Top with leftover cream and fruit. Refrigerate until needed or freeze well covered for 2 weeks. Defrost covered, before serving.

INA PAARMAN – Short CV

Ina Paarman, left her position as Senior Lecturer at the Cape Technicon to start a cookery school. During this time, she was also food editor of Die Burger and Femina, and won both the Mondi and Galliova awards for excellence in journalism. Ina had her own regular TV cookery slot and has to date written 8 cookery books.

She formulated a small range of gourmet dressings, sauces and seasonings on customer demand.

The fortunes of the condiment business took a dramatic turn when the Paarman’s youngest son, Graham, joined the business in 1990. He expanded the product range, manufacturing facility and selling infrastructure. Thanks to these efforts, Ina Paarman has become a household name and one of the few living brand names.

Ina will always be a teacher at heart and she and her team take great pride in the credible culinary information they provide on their website, www.paarman.co.za , featuring teaching videos, menus and thoroughly tested recipes. She keeps in touch with a monthly newsletter. This is her way to make healthy home cooking easy and enjoyable.