🍪 Easy Christmas trifle you can make the day before
Prep: 40 min · Cook: 10 min · Makes: 8-10
Trifle is the dessert that quietly wins Christmas. It looks spectacular in a glass bowl, everyone from Grandad to the toddler loves at least one of the layers, and best of all you make it the day before, leaving the oven free for everything else.
This version keeps to the classic layers: jammy sponge soaked in sherry, a tangle of red berries, a thick vanilla custard, and a cloud of softly whipped cream on top.
Tips for a good trifle
- Cool the custard completely before it goes on the fruit, or the layers blur together.
- Don't overwhip the cream. Soft peaks look generous and spoon beautifully. Stiff cream looks lumpy.
- Use a glass bowl so everyone can admire the layers.
Variations
- Black Forest: chocolate sponge, cherries in their juice and a little grated dark chocolate on top.
- Clementine: orange juice on the sponge, segments of clementine in place of the berries, and orange zest in the cream.
- Mini trifles: build the layers in small glasses or jars. Easy to serve and perfect for a buffet.
Let the children help
Children can spread the jam, arrange the sponge, tip in the fruit and, of course, scatter the pomegranate seeds on top at the very end.
Ingredients
- 250 g Madeira cake or trifle sponges
- 4 tbsp raspberry jam
- 4 tbsp sweet sherry or orange juice
- 400 g frozen mixed berries, defrosted
- 500 ml whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 60 g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 300 ml double cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 25 g toasted flaked almonds
- seeds of half a pomegranate, to decorate
Method
- Make the custard first. Heat the milk in a pan until steaming. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour until smooth.
- Pour the hot milk onto the yolks, whisking all the time, then pour everything back into the pan.
- Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the custard into a bowl, press a piece of baking paper on the surface to stop a skin forming, and leave to cool completely.
- Slice the cake, spread the slices with jam and arrange them in the bottom of a large glass bowl (about 2.5 litres).
- Drizzle the sherry or orange juice over the sponge so it soaks in.
- Spoon the berries and their juice over the sponge.
- Pour over the cold custard and smooth the top. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Shortly before serving, whip the cream with the icing sugar until it just holds soft peaks. Spoon it over the custard and finish with almonds and pomegranate seeds.
Questions
How far ahead can I make trifle?
Make the sponge, fruit and custard layers up to 24 hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Add the cream and toppings on the day so they stay fresh.
Can I use ready-made custard?
Yes. Use 500 g of thick, chilled custard from a carton or tin instead of making your own.
How do I make it child-friendly?
Use orange juice instead of sherry. You can also make small trifles in glasses, so there is a sherry-free batch for the children.