Chocolate Cake Parfaits (All from Scratch, Of Course)

It started with a tragically cracked cake layer. But it's okay. I fixed it by burying it in pieces under homemade chocolate pudding. And homemade pudding elevates the status of anything by 409 percent, make that 1,409 percent when it's also layered with Kahlua whipped cream.

And who needs a three layer cake when you can have a two layer one and then parfaits for your next party that week? Right? Right.

It turned out to be such a pretty little thing in a tea cup, thanks to the genius of my roommate. She not only shares her growing teacup collection but also had the idea for the cracked cake redemption. And she assembled these creamy party pleasers with me late at night, and that's just one part of her dinner party partner skill set.

Oh, and I must give credit to my other roommate for use of her glasses when we ran out of teacups. Yes, they have cats on them. No, I am not a fan of cats. Yes, I did it any way because they were like large Seasons 52 dessert glasses. Finally, my third (yes, third) roommate gets credit for affirming the supremacy of the taste and presentation of both forms of parfait.

Note: Layering creamy things in tall, skinny glasses is more challenging than short, squatty tea cups.



Homemade Chocolate Cake+Homemade Chocolate Pudding+Kahlua Whipped Cream even wowed my favorite sugar cookie-over-chocolate chip cookie-choosing friend (what kind of taste is that?).  She even took a second one home. It also puts to shame all those brownie trifles I made with instant pudding and Cool Whip before I became such a homemade snob.

Oh, and you could sub in brownies or cookie crumbs for the cake on this recipe. I first made them with Chocolate Chip Cookie pieces because that's what I had leftover.

Chocolate Cake Parfaits

2 cups whipping cream
1-3 Tablespoons white sugar
2 Tablespoons Kahlua 1 layer of a three layer chocolate cake (this is my favorite)
1 recipe Chocolate Pudding (I used Hershey's recipe)
Mini chocolate chips, for garnish

Place whipping cream in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until peaks form. Mix in sugar and Kahlua.

Break cake into small pieces. In each parfait dish (or tea cup or glass), layer cake crumbs, then pudding, then whipped cream. Repeat layers (cake-pudding-whipped cream). Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top to make it look prettier.

Refrigerate parfaits until you are ready to serve them. I like to allow several hours for their flavors to meld in the fridge.

Yield: About 12 parfaits