Better Than Whatever Trifles to Go

 I was introduced to Better Than Whatever (BTW) trifle years ago by dear Mrs. Bell when she made it for our homecoming dinner my sophomore year in high school.  When we got home from the dance, my sister, our friend Kiersten, and I all snuck to the fridge to pull out what was left over, and what was left, was devoured in seconds.  Of course, back then we called this cake a little something different (BTS cake, anyone?) but knowing that the name doesn't really fit (well, it's not very true now is it?) we now affectionately have dubbed it BTW.  So fill in the "whatever" with whatever suits you.

While you think about that, I'll get back to the trifle making.  Our good, great, excellent friend (hello Michelle!) invited us to dinner this weekend and I practically had to beg to be allowed to bring something, and thankfully permission was granted me and so began the making of BTW trifles to go.  The "to go" part makes them perfect for taking along to someone else because the cups are easier to transport, easier to wash, easier to tell when to stop eating, and pretty easy on the eyes as well.

As for the actual trifle part, I have two rules for making the best BTW Trifle:
1).  A long soak- give the whole trifle time to mull up some more flavor.  A night in the fridge (or at least 6 hours) should do the trick.
2). Good caramel- seriously, get the good stuff or else

So without further ado, I give you

BTW Trifles To Go
Ingredients:

1 package super moist chocolate cake mix, plus the ingredients listed on back
1/2 C sour cream

1 jar good caramel topping
1 bag heath bits
1 tub frozen whipped topping

Individual trifle dishes or cups

Method:

Following the package directions, mix up the chocolate cake, adding 1/2 cup sour cream before beating all the ingredients together (I add sour cream to all my packaged cake mixes to make them extra moist and give them better texture-thanks Mrs. Gershon for the tip!). Pour into 9x13 baking pan and bake according to package directions.

When cake is done and still warm, cut it into 1 inch cubes, then loosen cubes from the pan, stir around, and smooth them into an even layer. Some will crumble, and that's okay, it all comes out good in the end.  Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of warm caramel over the cake. Now you can allow the cake to cool completely, assemble the trifles and soak overnight, or you can cool it  for 5 minutes, then cover pan with plastic wrap and let the cake and caramel it soak overnight.

Assemble the trifles. Layer cake first, then drizzle caramel, cover with heath bits, and top with whipped topping.  Repeat until dishes are full, leaving off the last dollop of whipped topping until serving time.  Cover with plastic wrap,and let the whole trifle soak for at least 6 hours.  Transport, finish topping, and enjoy BTW with friends.

{assembly}

{first layer}

{trifles to go!}