mandarin cheesecake trifle

6 - 284ml cans whole mandarin orange segments, drained
(or you can remove the peels & skins from half a box of fresh fruit!)
2 pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup sugar
¼ cup plus 3 tbs orange juice or orange liqueur
3 cups whipping cream, whipped
1 pound cake, in ¼-inch slices

With an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until very smooth. Add 3 tbs orange juice or orange liqueur. Fold in whipped cream.

In either a single large glass trifle bowl or 10-12 individual dessert dishes, assemble trifle beginning with ½ of the cake slices (adjust slices of cake for individual desserts). Drizzle cake with 2 tbs orange juice or liqueur, then top with 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture and ½ of the mandarin segments; make sure the mandarins are visible against the side of the bowl. Repeat, reserving a few mandarin segments. Top with remaining cream cheese mixture and garnish with reserved mandarin segments. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.