Trifle A Yummy Dessert

Trifle Served with Pomegranate

Trifle

Trifle is basically a dessert with three layers made from custard, cake, and jelly. But many other variations are made using biscuits/cake, whipped sweetened cream, chocolate, fruits etc. The recipe I am going to explain today is the one which my children love from their childhood and I get excellent reviews from my customers who come with more take away orders. They even want me to do minimal decoration on the top for birthdays. 

Make the cake from whole wheat flour or multigrain flour and fill the jelly with fruits and you have a healthy nutritious and yummy dessert. Without much ado I write the steps to make it. Do not get riled up by the details written in the recipe because it may look tedious but is very easy to make and assemble. Your efforts will be appreciated by friends and family and you will also give yourself a pat in the back.:)

Preparation Time: 15-20 min (for cake)

Cooking Time: 30 min for baking cake, 10 min. for custard, 10 min for jelly

Assembling Time: 10 min

Setting Time: 1 hr

Servings: 8 large Servings

Ingredients Required For Making Trifle:

For Cake:

• 2 eggs
• 100 gm. All purpose flour (Maida) /whole wheat flour /Multigrain flour
• 50 gm, Sugar
• 50 gm, Butter
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla essence
• For Custard:
• 50 gm. Custard powder ( vanilla flavoror anyother flavor of your choice)
• 500 ml. Full Cream Milk
• 50 ml. Cream (optional)
• 100 gm. Sugar/to taste

For Jelly:

• 100 gm, Jelly packet of the flavor of your choice (Blue bird/Rex). I prefer raspberry / Strawberry flavor for the rich color and flavor it gives
• Water 350 ml

Directions for Making the Cake:

• Grind the sugar to powder.
• Mix maida. Salt and baking powder and sieve three to four times to make sure all ingredients have mixed properly. Cover and keep aside,
• Separate egg white and egg yolk. Beat egg white to stiff peaks.
• In a large bowl take butter and sugar and beat them to creamy consistency.
• Add egg yolk spoonful at a time and beat to creamy consistency till all egg yolk is incorporated.
• Into this creamy beaten mixture add stiffly beaten egg white and maida baking soda mixture alternately, Mixing should be done in folding motion and with light hand.
• When all flour and egg whites are added then add vanilla essence and mix.
• Pour the batter in the baking pan lined with butter paper.
• Bake in a pre- heated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 30-35 min. or till the cake is baked.
• Check by poking a dry smooth thin knitting needle or wooden stick, if the stick comes out clean then the cake is baked.

Direction for Making Custard:

• Dissolve custard powder in 100 ml. of milk at room temperature.
• Boil 500 ml of milk. Add sugar and stir to dissolve it in the milk. Sugar is completely dissolved reduce the heat and add custard dissolved in milk along with constant stirring to avoid formation of lumps.
• Cook on low flame till thick consistency is obtained.

Consistency of Custard

• Switch off the heat, add cream and mix (optional) cover with lid and allow to cool.
• Second component of Trifle is ready.

Direction to make jelly:

• Though the directions are given on the packs of jelly, the proportions given result is jelly good to be eaten as dessert but not to make trifle.
• Instead of 500 ml. water as given in the pack take only 350 ml. water. This will result in thick setting jelly required for trifle.
• Also add 50-60 gm. of sugar to the water while boiling otherwise the jelly tastes too sour. Adding sugar gives jelly slightly sweeter taste with subtle sour taste which is desirable.
• When the sugar is dissolved add jelly mixture as instructed in the pack.
• Stir continuously to ensure solid does not settle at the bottom. When all solid is dissolved boil the solution for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally. Switch off the heat and allow it to cool to room temperatue.

Directions For Assembling Trifle:

• Assemble the first two layers while the jelly is getting cooled to room temperature.
• Take a 4-5 inches deep glass 10x10 inches square dish and place cake at the bottom nicely packing all the corners and edges.
• The cake layer should be minimum 1 inch.

Apple cake pieces being layered 

Cake baked in The Serving dish

• Pour thick custard on the top of cake and pat the dish from all sides to remove any air bubbles. 

Custard being poured over cake

• Smoothen the top layer with a spatula. Cover with a cling film and keep in fridge to set till the jelly comes to room temperature.
• Custard layer should be almost same thickness as that of cake.

Cake and custard Layred

First Two Layers Done

• When the jelly comes to room temperature it will start to become thick and the setting process will have started.
• Pour the jelly over the layer of custard with the help of ladle without damaging the custard layer.
• Jelly layer also should be almost of the same thickness as that of cake and custard.

Jelly Poured Over Custard Layer

• This is to make sure that each spoonful gives the taste of all components of trifle in a balanced way.
• Cover again with a foil or cling film and allow it to set in the fridge for 2-3 hrs.
• Trifle with a distinct three layers having three textures and taste is ready.

Jelly sey and Trifle Ready to be served

• Cut to rectangular pieces and serve.

Trifle

Tips:

• Cake can be baked in the same dish in which trifle is to be assembled.
• Cake can be prepared beforehand. For vegetarians eggless vanilla cake can be made.
• Spoonful of custard and jelly can be kept in fridge to see if it is setting to form a good layer, if not then it can be cooked for 3-4 min with continuous stirring.
• The cooking pan for custard should be thick bottom to avoid custard from getting burnt.
• If the jelly is not setting then one teaspoon of gelatin / 2x2 inches of jelly sheet/2 inches of agar-agar dissolved in lukewarm water can be added to the jelly followed by a nice boil to the mixture.

Suggested Variations:

• To give the trifle a fruity taste apple/banana/orange cake can be made instead of vanilla cake.
• Finely cut Apple/ banana/ strawberry/pieces of raspberry or the fruit similar to the jelly flavor can be added to jelly.
• Finely chopped roasted nuts can be added to the custard to give crunchy texture. Do not add fruits to custard as they will cause custard to become thin and it will not set to the thick layer.