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Christmas Trifle

Christmas trifle layered with cake, custard, berry filling, and topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries.
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This Christmas trifle is a festive, showstopping dessert layered with cranberry jelly, soft cake, creamy custard, whipped cream, and fresh berries. Perfect for make-ahead holiday entertaining.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 x 450g / 14 oz Madeira or Pound cake (store-bought or homemade)
  • 1/3 cup orange liquor or fruit juice (Cointreau, brandy, or apple/orange juice)
  • 7 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
  • 6 cups sweetened cranberry juice
  • 500–750g (1–1.5 lb) strawberries, halved
  • 1 punnet blueberries
  • 1 punnet raspberries
  • 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp white sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar (divided)
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup cornflour (cornstarch)

Instructions

  1. Cut cake into 1-inch cubes and place in the bottom of a trifle dish. Drizzle with liquor or juice. Optional: scatter some halved strawberries over the cake.
  2. Heat 3 cups cranberry juice until simmering. In a bowl, whisk remaining juice with gelatin until mostly dissolved. Combine both and whisk until fully dissolved.
  3. Pour half of the jelly over the cake. Refrigerate for 1.5 hours until partly set. Leave remaining jelly at room temperature.
  4. Prepare custard by heating milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and vanilla until simmering. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with remaining sugar and cornflour. Slowly combine both, return to pan, and cook until thickened. Let cool to room temp.
  5. Layer custard over set jelly. Smooth the surface and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  6. Partially set remaining jelly in fridge until spoonable. Gently spoon over custard layer. Top with halved strawberries or mixed berries. Chill for 3+ hours or overnight.
  7. Before serving, whip cream with sugar and vanilla. Spread over trifle and decorate with fresh berries. Serve cold.

Notes

  • Use sweetened cranberry juice for proper jelly sweetness.
  • Homemade custard gives the best flavor, but store-bought works in a pinch.
  • Let each layer cool to room temp to avoid bleeding between layers.
  • Jelly should be partially set before adding as the top layer.
  • Add whipped cream and fresh fruit just before serving for best texture.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://recipeeasily.com/christmas-trifle-dessert-recipe/