Classic Trifle Recipes

Steps:

• Spread a little jam on each piece of cake and place in the bottom of a large glass bowl. Sprinkle raspberries over cake.
• Heat 10 fl. oz. cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. While the cream is heating, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and smooth. Strain yolk mixture into a clean bowl. Pour hot cream into egg yolks and stir vigorously. Return mixture to pan over low heat and cook, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• While custard is cooling, whip 10 fl oz. cream until soft peaks form. Place almonds on a baking sheet and toast, in a 300 degree oven or toaster oven, stirring frequently, until golden, 2 to 10 minutes.
• Spread cooled custard over cake in bowl. Top with whipped cream and toasted almonds. Chill 2 hours before serving.

Steps:

• To make the jelly, put the gelatine in a small bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak. Meanwhile, tip the sugar, lemon zest and juice and 400ml water into a pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the raspberries and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 mins, or until the raspberries have broken down. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a jug. Squeeze any excess water out of the gelatine and stir through the raspberry mixture. Pour into the base of a large trifle bowl and chill for at least 5 hrs, or overnight.
• To make the custard, heat the milk in a pan with the vanilla pod until steaming, then remove from the heat and set aside. Whisk the sugar, cornflour and egg yolks together in a bowl. Remove the vanilla and gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly until well combined. Return to the pan and gently stir over a low heat until the custard has thickened. Stir in the clotted cream, pour into a bowl and cover the surface with a piece of baking parchment to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool, then put in the fridge to chill until cold.
• Put the frozen raspberries and jam in a small pan and cook for 5 mins until the raspberries have softened a little but are still holding their shape. Leave to cool. Whisk the cream with the icing sugar in a large bowl until it reaches a soft dropping consistency.
• Arrange the cake pieces over the set jelly. Crush most of the biscuits, reserving some whole, and scatter over the cake layer. Whisk the custard to loosen, then pour over the biscuit layer. Top with the raspberry compote, pushing the whole biscuits into it around the edges of the bowl. Spoon over the whipped cream, then decorate with the sprinkles and cherries, if you like. Will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Steps:

• Make the custard: In a large bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add egg yolks and whisk until smooth.
• In a medium saucepan, heat cream, milk and any of the optional flavorings over medium heat until simmering.
• Slowly whisk 1/2 cup hot cream mixture into yolk mixture until well mixed. Whisking egg mixture constantly, slowly pour in remaining cream. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium-low heat.
• Cook custard, stirring continuously especially around the bottom and edges of the pot, until the custard has thickened enough to mound on the spoon, 5 to 10 minutes. Don't let it come to a boil, but a few simmering bubbles is fine. If it starts to curdle at any point, remove pot from the heat and whisk it intensely. It should smooth out.
• Once the custard is thick, scrape it into bowl, whisk in vanilla, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto its surface. Let the custard cool for at least 30 minutes. At this point, custard can be chilled for up to 3 days, or used to assemble the trifle. Pluck out cinnamon stick or cardamom pods, if using, just before assembling trifle.
• Prepare the fruit: If using berries, put them in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar to taste, and use a fork to mash them. If using oranges, supreme them: Cut the tops and bottoms off each one, squeezing the juice from the severed pieces into a bowl. Using a paring knife, cut the peel and all the white pith off the fruit. Working over the bowl to catch the juices, slice the segments away from the membrane, letting fruit fall into the bowl. It's OK if the segments fall apart; you're going to break them up anyway. When all the segments are cut out of the membranes, squeeze the membranes over the bowl to release as much of the juice as possible. Sprinkle oranges with sugar, to taste, and, using your hands, break the segments up into pieces. You want a pulpy, juicy mix in the bowl. There should be a lot of liquid. Let oranges or the berries macerate for 20 minutes.
• To assemble the trifle, spread the ladyfingers on one side with a thick layer of jam or marmalade. Put the ladyfingers, jam-side down, in the bottom of a medium (6- to 8-cup) trifle dish or any other serving bowl or dish (or use individual dishes, cups or glasses). You want to cover the bottom completely and, if you are using a bowl, go a little bit up the sides; break up the ladyfingers if needed to make them fit.
• Sprinkle sherry (or whatever liquid you are using) over the ladyfingers, making sure they are well moistened. Be generous: You don't want any dry bits.
• Spoon fruit and all their juices over ladyfingers. Top with custard. If you like a higher cake-to-custard ratio, you can break up a few more ladyfingers and scatter them on top of the custard, then drizzle with more sherry. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
• When ready to serve, using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat the cream and confectioners' sugar until fluffy; it should hold a light peak. Spoon whipped cream on top of trifle and garnish as you like. Serve immediately. (Leftovers will keep covered in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days.)