Retro Trifle

A traditional trifle in a glass dish on a white surface.

5 from 1 vote

This homemade Trifle is a British classic dessert that’s perfect for parties, Christmas and feeding a crowd. It’s fruity, creamy and totally divine.

Prep Time1

Plus chilling time3

Total Time4

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Family Food

Servings:

Author: Sarah Rossi

Ingredients

300 g Frozen raspberries
400 g Strawberries Hulled and halved lengthways
1/2 Pack of raspberry-flavour jelly Cubes not powder - about 70g
150 ml Boiling water
15 g Caster sugar

For the custard: (See notes)

4 Egg yolks
55 g Cornflour See notes
75 g Caster sugar
450 ml Whole milk
2 tsp Vanilla extract
150 ml Double cream See notes

To assemble:

450 ml Double cream
50 g Icing sugar
25 g Flaked almonds
175 g Shop-bought Swiss roll Cut into 2cm thick slices | See notes

Metric - Imperial

Instructions

Put 100g of the frozen raspberries in the bottom of the trifle bowl, plus 150g of the halved strawberries, arranging the cut edges of the strawberries against the side of the bowl.
Dissolve the jelly cubes in the boiling water in a heatproof bowl, then add a further 100ml of cold water. Mix until dissolved. Pour the jelly over the fruit and refrigerate for about 3 hours, until completely set.
While the jelly sets, make the custard. Put the egg yolks into a heatproof bowl, add the cornflour and caster sugar, and whisk together, adding a tablespoon or two of the milk to form a smooth paste.
Heat the remaining milk, along with the vanilla extract, in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it is just starting to bubble on the surface. Slowly and carefully, pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously as you add it, until you have a smooth mixture.
Return the mixture to the pan over a low-medium heat, cook for 5-10 minutes, whisking gently, until very thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream.
Cover the surface of the custard with a sheet of cling film (press it against the surface of the custard so it doesn’t form a skin), allow the custard to cool to room temperature, then put it in the fridge.
While the jelly and custard are chilling, put the remaining raspberries in a small bowl, add the caster sugar, mash together and set aside. (If the raspberries are not yet thawed, leave them to melt slightly.)
Whisk the double cream in a bowl with the icing sugar until it forms soft peaks.
Toast the flaked almonds in a small frying pan over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until coloured but not burned (keep an eye on them!) Set aside until cool.
When the jelly is set, remove it from the fridge, sit the slices of Swiss roll on top, flat side down, and spoon over the mashed raspberries. Place the remaining strawberries around the edges of the bowl with the cut sides against the sides of the bowl.
Spoon over the custard and smooth out. Spoon the cream on top and sprinkle over the toasted almonds.
Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

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Notes

Cornflour: PLEASE NOTE: Cornflour in the UK is NOT the same as it in the US! There it’s known as ‘corn starch’. Corn flour in the US is something different (the same as cornmeal in the UK), so please don’t use this.

Swiss roll: Use shop-bought and cut into slices. You could use sponge fingers (also known as lady fingers) instead, or jelly roll or pound cake if you’re in the US.

Custard: You can use a 500g carton of ready-made custard (or vanilla pudding if you’re in the US) instead if you prefer.

If you want to add alcohol: Pour a little sherry (or other fortified wine or spirit) over the sponge cake to soak in before you carry on your layers.

To serve: Make sure you get a nice Trifle dish for showing off this dessert! It is quite majestic and you don’t want to hide your hard work with the layering. You’ll need a tall, glass dish.

To make ahead of time: Finish the Trifle at the custard layer, then cover and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Top it with the cream and nuts up to 2 hours before serving and return it to the fridge until it’s time to dish it up.

Nutrition