Baked Apple and Spice Cake Trifle

What You'll Need:

1 box spice cake mix

1 1/4 cups cinnamon apple sauce (I like Musselman's)

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 can apple pie filling

1 tbsp butter

7 tsp cinnamon, divided

3 cups cold milk

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix

1 envelope whipped topping mix

1 carton Cool Whip, thawed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/ cup toffee bits, optional

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry cake mix, applesauce, eggs, and oil; beat everything on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into a greased 13x9 baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until done. Cool the cake on a wire rack. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook the pie filling, butter, and 1 tsp cinnamon on medium-low heat until the butter is melted; stir well to combine. Let the apples cool. In a mixing bowl, combine the milk, pudding mix, topping mix, and the remaining cinnamon. Beat on high speed until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let the pudding stand for 5 minutes after that. Spread a third of the Cool Whip in the bottom of a trifle bowl. Cut the cake into cubes, and place half the cake cubes on top of the Cool Whip. Top that with half the apples, half the walnuts, and half the pudding. Repeat the layers, ending with the last third of the Cool Whip. Sprinkle the toffee bits on top. Cover the trifle and let it chill at least 2 hours before serving.