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Trifle

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Trifle

Cuisine:British

Course:Dessert

30m prep 0s cook 3h ready

A classic British trifle with layers of sponge cake, fruit preserves, berries, crème anglaise, and whipped cream, topped with toasted almonds.

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Ingredients

Servings:
½× 1× 1½× 2× 3×
Units:
As Written US Metric
  • 1
    • 5 large egg yolks
    • ⅓ to ½ cup sugar
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup whole milk plus 1 cup heavy cream, or 2 cups half-and-half
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla, rum, or dry sherry, or a little grated lemon zest
    Sub-recipe steps
    1. Lightly beat in a medium bowl: 5 large egg yolks; ⅓ to ½ cup sugar; ⅛ teaspoon salt
    2. Heat in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges: 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup whole milk plus 1 cup heavy cream, or 2 cups half-and-half
    3. Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture to warm it. Return this mixture to the saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Stir the sauce gently but constantly with a silicone spatula, sweeping the entire pan bottom and reaching into the corners. As soon as the custard is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 170° to 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, pour it through a sieve into a bowl and stir in: 1 teaspoon vanilla, rum, or dry sherry, or a little grated lemon zest
    4. Serve warm or cold. If serving cold, let the sauce cool thoroughly before covering and refrigerating. Condensation will cause it to thin. The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, scrape the sauce into a double boiler over warm (165°F) water and stir occasionally until warmed through.
  • 1
    • Powdered sugar
    Sub-recipe steps
    1. Prepare the batter for: French Sponge Cake (Biscuit)
    2. Scrape the batter into a large pastry bag fitted with a ⅝-inch plain tip. Pipe 4-inch-long fingers at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Sift lightly over the ladyfingers: Powdered sugar
    3. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
    4. Transfer the ladyfingers to a rack, or slide the parchment paper onto the rack, and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • ¾ cup fruit preserves
  • 2 cups berries or sliced fruit
  • ¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
  • (3 tablespoons sweet wine [such as port, cream sherry, or Marsala], brandy, whiskey, or rum)
  • ¾ cup cold heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla

Let's Prepare

Collect

Gather these ingredients - no prep needed yet.

  • 1 Double recipe Crème Anglaise
  • 1 24 to 30 ladyfingers, store-bought or homemade, Génoise, or any sponge cake, cut into pieces of any size
  • ¾ cup fruit preserves
  • 2 cups berries or sliced fruit
  • ¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
  • (3 tablespoons sweet wine [such as port, cream sherry, or Marsala], brandy, whiskey, or rum)
  • ¾ cup cold heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla

Let's Cook

  1. Step 1.

    Prepare: Double recipe Crème Anglaise

  2. Step 2.

    Refrigerate until cold. Have ready: 24 to 30 ladyfingers, store-bought or homemade, Génoise, or any sponge cake, cut into pieces of any size; ¾ cup fruit preserves; 2 cups berries or sliced fruit; ¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted

  3. Step 3.

    Arrange half of the ladyfingers or cake pieces in the bottom of a 2- to 3-quart serving bowl. If the bowl is glass, make sure that each layer of ingredients touches the sides of the bowl so that the contrasting layers can be seen. Sprinkle with, if desired: (3 tablespoons sweet wine [such as port, cream sherry, or Marsala], brandy, whiskey, or rum)

  4. Step 4.

    Spread with half the preserves. Sprinkle with half the berries or fruit slices. Top with half the crème anglaise and sprinkle with half the nuts. Top with the remaining ladyfingers, more liquor, if using, and the remaining preserves, fruit, and crème anglaise. Whip until the mixture holds soft peaks: ¾ cup cold heavy cream; 1 tablespoon sugar; ½ teaspoon vanilla

  5. Step 5.

    Spread the whipped cream or pipe it decoratively on top of the trifle. Sprinkle with the remaining nuts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or, preferably, for up to 24 hours before serving.

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