Death by Chocolate 

I made this for a camping birthday dessert. I subbed blondies in for half the brownies. All in all - so delicious and fun! We made hand shaken whipped cream in a jar around the campfire. So wholesome.

Made the cake (easy, moistly dense) but it fell in the center. Not a problem, as the cake is cubed. Made 3/4 of the pudding recipe as I didn't have enough milk. Improperly added not enough cornstarch, so it was too thin. Just the same, it was tasty and light, not too rich

I think the name needs changing. Jacque Torres wrote the classic book by that name and all the different folks who wanted to use it have done so ad infinitum and ad nauseum. Your recipe is certainly masterful and as you are definitely creative, I’m sure you can choose your own name. It would actually be advantageous for your dessert.

Fabulous and decadent! A few tweaks . . . used my stand mixer to finish the pudding -- found it heavy to fold by hand. Added some espresso powder to pudding and whipped cream. Found it was much prettier in thinner layers, so split the cake into two layers, then cut in half for four cake segments. One cake layer, 1 cup pudding, 1 cup whipped cream, then 1/4 cup topping (I used mini dark chips). I still managed only 3 layers in a standard trifle bowl, but it looked glorious! Then made a mini!

Gonna buy a trifle bowl to try this out, but they seem to come in various sizes. How big a bowl do I need to hold this in terms of ounces? Might be good for recipe to specify this.

I used half WW, half refined, subbed 1/2 oil with 2 mashed banana, and cut sugar for the cake in half. The cake turned out so soft and airy! Banana flavor came out too strongly for me, so next time I might try a mix of apple sauce and mashed sweet potato. The pudding didn't set for me on the first try, so I had to add corn starch again (this time in as a slurry) to the hot liquid in the pot. This made a lot of cake - or you need a giant trifle container.

I had leftover cake. I couldn't fit everything in my 4 qt trifle dish.

Oh, there is no such thing as homemade Cool Whip my friend. That's like homemade McDonald's french fries. I've sent mixers to the grave making real whipped cream. But Cool Whip is its own thing. It's a unique food product. There is no substitute. To be clear, I am encouraging no one to actually eat Cool Whip...

Made this for a summer potluck and it was a clear winner, even on a dessert table laden with contenders. Used gluten free brownies in place of the cake but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. Totally delish.

I would be tempted to add some fruit as in a classic trifle, either fresh or frozen, unsweetened raspberries or cherries (bing or sour) to add a tart component to the overall flavor range. Perhaps this identifies me as someone not quite as devoted to chocolate as Monsieur Desaulniers but I can't help it! To quote Popeye "I yam what I yam."

If you want powered sugar without cornstarch, just whirl regular sugar in a food processor or high speed blender until it reaches a powdered texture. This recently saved me when I ran out but needed some for icing!

Made this for a bbq party for husband’s birthday yesterday. Since he is lactose intolerant, made the pudding (2 days in advance) with lactose free milk, the cake (the night before) with kefir instead of buttermilk, and whipped coconut cream. Had crushed toffee bars, Butterfingers, and luxardo cherries as optional toppings. It was delicious, not too sweet and great for a crowd. It was also delicious for breakfast this morning!