Shamrock Parfaits…the unplanned dessert.

These lovely layered St. Patty’s Day treats were supposed to be a cake…but ended up even better!

I am in the middle of the Navajo Nation without a Bundt cake pan.  That is how this tale begins.  I am almost 3 hours from a store that sells Bundt pans.  In my mind, I wanted to make a lovely bundt cake full of swirls of various shades of green, topped with melted Key Lime frosting.  SO- I did what any enterprising blogging girl would do- I ordered a pan on ebay, with free shipping.  It took a week, but once I got it I was ready to go!  I divided my cake mix into 4 parts and colored each part an increasingly darker shade of green and swirled the colors together in the pan.  After it baked, I tipped it out on a cake rack and…..

Sadness.

I let the disaster cool and re-thought my recipe.  I brought my favorite little Weck jars with me, and I had some heavy cream to whip… how about parfaits!!

Here’s the recipe: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 10-12 small parfaits)

• One boxed white cake mix (Plus water, oil and eggs to make according to box)
• Green food coloring gel
• One tub of Pillsbury Key Lime Frosting
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tablespoons of powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

• Make cake according to boxed mix, adding green food color to make batter green (you can make several shades of green if you want, but you don’t have to).
• Bake as directed in any cake pan you want (lol!)
• Allow cake to cool completely.
• Put heavy cream and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until cream is whipped and light, holding stiff peaks.
• Take the lid and foil wrap off the tub of frosting, and heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.  Stir until it is a nice smooth liquid.
• Assemble your parfaits by spooning a bit of frosting into each glass, followed by a bit of crumbled cake, followed by a dollop of whipped cream.  Repeat these layers until you are at the top.
• End with a swirl of whipped cream and some sprinkles.
• Enjoy!

My thoughts:  These ended up being the yummiest dessert!  I had a family over to visit that night and they gobbled up every last bit of it and loved it.  That key lime frosting is the BOMB!  Yum!  Anyway, thanks for joining me on my latest Navajo kitchen adventure!  Happy St. Patricks Day!!  ~rUsually I give you another four recipes related to this one.  But today I leave you with one. These are seriously some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made, and they are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day….just click on the photo and you’ll be magically transported to the yummy recipe.  I present:  Bailey’s Irish Cream Cupcakes….Enjoy!!!! ~r