Irish Creme Chocolate Trifle -- Layers of Sweet, the Way Mama Taught

Daylight saving ended. The dark at six. Worked at the construction company in Lexington this week. The body holds. Most days.

Connie at the vet clinic, four shifts this week. Her back is tired. She does not say so. I see it. Mama is 86. She is the toughest person I have ever known. She still cooks every day in the company house in Evarts.

Stack cake Saturday. Mama's recipe. Apple butter between layers. The Appalachian wedding cake of generations.

Travis called Tuesday. The landscaping company is busy. He sounds tired in a good way. Amber called Sunday. Things are good. James sends his regards.

The creek was running clear. The turkeys were back. The week was the week.

Connie cut my hair on the porch Tuesday afternoon. She has been cutting my hair for forty years. The barber in Pineville cannot do what Connie does, which is also love.

The neighbor up the road — Old Roy, eighty-seven, lives alone — had a small heart scare. We took him soup beans Tuesday. Cornbread too. He cried a little when he ate. We all cry over soup beans eventually.

Drove to Pineville for parts Wednesday. The hardware store man knew me. We talked about the weather and the price of feed. Forty minutes for a five-minute errand. That is rural Kentucky.

I split a half-cord of wood Saturday. Slowly. The back does not let me work fast anymore. It got done. The wood was for the smokehouse.

I went up to Earl's grave at the Evarts cemetery Saturday. Brought a beer. Drank half. Poured the rest on the dirt. Some traditions are mine alone.

The creek was running clear Sunday afternoon. I watched a kingfisher work the riffle. Did not move for an hour. Some Sundays the watching is the worship.

Connie made jam Saturday afternoon. Wild blackberries from the patch up the hollow. Twelve jars. The pantry is filling for winter.

Drove the truck to the dump Saturday afternoon. Saw three deer crossing the road on the way back. The mountains have been giving back this year.

Sunday service at Harlan First Baptist when we go. Pastor preached about Ruth and Boaz. The choir sang. Connie wore her gray dress.

Amber sent the kids' school photos this week. Nadia is taller every year. Marcus has Amber's serious face. Little Betty has Mama's eyes.

Travis sent a photo of Earl Thomas riding on the mower with him at a job site. The boy is wearing a Hensley Landscaping T-shirt that's too big. Three generations on a mower. I saved the photo.

My back was tight after the wood-splitting Saturday. Took an Aleve. Slept eight hours. Got up.

I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night working on the recipe project. Mama's soup beans. I cannot get the words right yet.

Connie read aloud from a novel Tuesday evening while I worked on the bench. Some Appalachian writer she had picked up at the library in Whitesburg. The voice was the voice of where we live. We listened together.

I sat on the porch with bourbon at sundown Friday. The fog rolled into the hollow the way it has every fog of every year. The porch was the porch. The bourbon was the bourbon.

The dog — old Beau, fifteen years old — slept by the wood stove all afternoon Tuesday. He used to be a hunting dog. Now he is a heating pad with opinions.

Read the paper at breakfast Tuesday. The county news is not great. The mines have not come back and they will not come back. The young people leave. The hollows empty. We stay.

Mama’s stack cake was on the table Saturday, and it got me thinking about layers — what we put between them, what holds them together, who taught us to build things that way. I don’t have her recipe right yet, still working on the words the way I’m working on the soup beans, but this Irish Creme Chocolate Trifle carries something of that same spirit: patience stacked on patience, sweet on sweet, the kind of thing you make slow on a quiet afternoon when the jam jars are cooling and the dog is by the stove. It’s not apple butter and sorghum, but it’s got layers, and sometimes that’s the whole point.

Irish Creme Chocolate Trifle

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 3 hrs (includes chilling) | Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate fudge cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
• 2 packages (3.9 oz each) instant chocolate pudding mix
• 3 cups cold whole milk
• 1/2 cup Irish cream liqueur (such as Baileys), divided
• 16 oz frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed, divided
• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate shavings, divided
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
• Maraschino cherries, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Bake the cake. Prepare the chocolate cake mix according to package directions in a 9x13-inch pan. Allow to cool completely, about 1 hour. Once cooled, cut or crumble into roughly 1-inch chunks.
2. Make the pudding layer. In a large bowl, whisk together the instant chocolate pudding mixes and cold milk for 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Irish cream liqueur. Fold in half of the whipped topping until just combined. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
3. Soak the cake. Combine the cooled coffee and remaining 1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur in a small bowl. Drizzle evenly over the cake chunks and toss gently to coat.
4. Build the first layer. Spread half of the soaked cake chunks in an even layer across the bottom of a large trifle bowl or deep glass serving dish (about 3-quart capacity).
5. Add pudding and chocolate. Spoon half of the pudding mixture over the cake layer, spreading gently to the edges. Sprinkle with half of the chocolate chips or shavings.
6. Repeat the layers. Add the remaining cake chunks, then the remaining pudding mixture, smoothing the top as evenly as you can.
7. Finish with topping. Spread the remaining whipped topping over the final pudding layer, covering edge to edge. Scatter the remaining chocolate chips or shavings across the top. Add maraschino cherries if using.
8. Chill before serving. Cover the trifle loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, to allow the layers to set and the flavors to come together. Serve cold, scooping down through all layers for each portion.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 485 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Carbs: 65g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 430mg