Mum's Sherry Trifle
It's not Christmas without my mum's sherry trifle. This is no ordinary trifle: instead of jelly, there's a sherry-infused raspberry layer, the juices of which seep into the sponge below to create a soft, fruity base. On top of this sits a rich homemade vanilla custard (much easier than you might think), followed by a layer of whipped cream. The result is an incredibly soft yet structured dessert, sweet, elegant and deceptively light. Serve it as a very special dessert on Christmas Day.
Serve it in a glass bowl so as to make an eye-catching spectacle of the different layers. Decorate the top with metallic edible decorations, crumbled Cadbury's Flake or, for some festive kitsch, multi-coloured sprinkles.
Ingredients
For the raspberry sponge:
For the custard
For the topping
1. Crumble the cake into the base of a trifle/glass dish.
It's not Christmas without my mum's sherry trifle. This is no ordinary trifle: instead of jelly, there's a sherry-infused raspberry layer, the juices of which seep into the sponge below to create a soft, fruity base. On top of this sits a rich homemade vanilla custard (much easier than you might think), followed by a layer of whipped cream. The result is an incredibly soft yet structured dessert, sweet, elegant and deceptively light. Serve it as a very special dessert on Christmas Day.
Serve it in a glass bowl so as to make an eye-catching spectacle of the different layers. Decorate the top with metallic edible decorations, crumbled Cadbury's Flake or, for some festive kitsch, multi-coloured sprinkles.
Ingredients
For the raspberry sponge:
- 200g cake crumbs
- 250g raspberries
- 1 level dessertspoon caster sugar
- 3 tablespoons sherry
For the custard
- 500ml semi-skimmed or whole milk
- 2 teaspoons cornflour
- 2½ tablespoons caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 3 eggs, beaten
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract/vanilla bean paste
For the topping
- 300ml double cream
- Festive sprinkles/chocolate
- Trifle bowl/glass bowl
1. Crumble the cake into the base of a trifle/glass dish.
2. Cook the raspberries in about two tablespoons of water, over a gentle heat (about 5 minutes). The raspberries should be broken down.
3. Add the sugar and sherry to the raspberries and then spoon the raspberries over the top of the cake crumbs, pouring over all the liquid evenly so the cake crumbs soak it up.
4. To make the custard, mix the cornflour and sugar together. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and then add the eggs gradually to the cornflour mixture.
5. Heat the milk in a saucepan to boiling point. Turn off the heat as soon as it begins boiling. Pour the milk over the egg mixture and mix together. Then, use a metal sieve to sieve the mixture back into the saucepan (to ensure the custard is smooth). Over a gentle heat, cook the custard until it thickens. This may take about 10 minutes. It's ready when it coats the back of a spoon and the spoon leaves a faint trail over the surface of the custard. Stir the vanilla extract/bean paste in. Leave to cool, until luke warm.
6. When the custard is luke warm, pour it gently over the raspberry sponge layer. Then, leave it to set (don't cover it) - a skin should form. At this point, beat the cream to soft peaks and spoon over the top.
7. Decorate with sprinkles/grated chocolate.