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.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

A yummy yummy cake with wonderful flavor, color and texture is also very healthy due to nutrients and fibers added by carrots. For me it is a must make in winters when the carrots are red, juicy and sweet. Though in the recipe I have used refined flour (All-purpose flour), this cake can be made using whole wheat flour/ 1:1 ratio of whole wheat flour and refined flour. The time taken for baking depends upon amount of egg white in eggs; juiciness of carrots and type of oven so after 15-20 minutes of baking the cake rises and top layer becomes light brown. Keep checking for baking state by poking the center of the cake with a long clean dry needle. Clean needle indicates the cake is baked.

Preparation Time: 20-30 minutes

Baking Time: 40-50 minutes

Servings:

Ingredients For Making Carrot Cake:

• 200 gm. Carrots

• 200 gm. Refined Flour (Maida)

• 150 gm. Sugar for cake

• 200 gm White butter/Nutrelite Butter (Chilled)

• 4 Medium size Eggs

• 100 ml. Golden syrup.

• 1/4Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder

• 1/2Teaspoon Eating Soda

• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Directions For Making Carrot Cake:

• Prepare baking dish by coating it with oil then dusting with maida or lining it with butter paper.

• Make golden syrup and keep aside.

  http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2014/02/how-to-make-golden-syrup.html

Golden Syrup

Making Batter of Cake:

• Mix

• Maida
• Baking powder
• Eating Soda
• Cinnamon powder

• Sieve through a fine sieve three /four times to make sure even distribution of ingredients.

• Grind sugar to fine powder.

• Wash, pat dry and grate carrots.

Grated Carrot

• Separate egg yolk from egg white.

• Beat egg yolk to smoothness.

•  Beat egg white till foamy with stiff peaks.

Egg white Beaten To stiff peaky Foam

• Cut the butter to small pieces and beat till smooth.

• Add sugar and beat till smooth and creamy mass is formed.

Sugar and Nutrelite Butter beaten to creamy smoothness

• Add egg yolk one tea spoon at a time and beat.

• When all egg yolk is added the mixture should be beaten till smooth creamy light mass is formed.

After adding Egg yolks

• Mix grated carrots and prepared refined flour mixture. The carrots should get coated with flour else they will settle at the bottom.

Grated Carrots mixed with flour

• Add golden syrup and mix nicely.

• Add carrot and flour mixture to egg yolk butter and sugar mixture. Mix with light hand. Do not beat just swirl while mixing.

• Add foamy beaten egg white all at one go and mix with light hand by swirling action. This will give smooth frothy uniform batter.

Batter of Carrot Cake

Baking The Cake:

• Pour the batter in baking dish and pat it from sides of dish to level the batter.

• Bake in preheated oven at 160 ^o C for 10 minutes.

Cake rising after 10 minutes of baking

• Increase the temperature to 180^o C and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

• Keep checking for the baking state pf the cake by poking a clean dry wooden/metallic object at the center of cake right up to the bottom.

After 25  minutes of Baking

• Clean needle indicates that the cake is baked. Switch off the oven and remove the cake in baking dish from oven and cover lightly (Not air tight) with a thin cotton cloth or butter paper. The above given timings may vary depending upon the juiciness of the carrots, Size of eggs and type of oven. So keep checking every 5 minutes after first 15 minutes of baking. 

Carrot Cake baked after 35 min. of Baking

• Remove the butter paper with which the cake was covered.Put a plate on the baking dish with cake and invert the dish on the plate. Pat lightly on the base of baking dish with cake. Cake will come out cleanly on the plate.

  

  Cake Inverted on plate and removed from baking dish

•  Cut to pieces when at room temperature. Serve Carrot cake with caramel/vanilla ice cream. I love it plain and simple with a cup of hot tea.

Carrot Cake

Tips:

• Add egg yolk slowly with continuous beating to avoid curdling of creamy mixture.

• Prepare baking dish, caramel/golden syrup before starting the batter.

• The quantity of eggs can be increased / decreased depending on the size.

• Mix carrots and refined flour mix just before adding because the moisture in carrots starts reacting with baking soda and eating soda.

• After adding golden syrup add egg white immediately but do not beat the mixture for mixing just swirl the egg white in it for mixing.

• Preferably do not bake the cake from the top. Use only bottom heating and side heating. Keep a small bowl with 150 ml of water at the bottom shelf of oven to make the top layer moist.

• The time taken for baking depends upon amount of egg white in eggs; juiciness of carrots and type of oven so after 15-20 minutes of baking the cake rises and top layer becomes light brown. Keep checking for baking state by poking the center of the cake with a long clean dry needle. Clean needle indicates the cake is baked.

Suggested Variations:

• Whole wheat flour/1:1 ratio of maida and whole wheat flour can be taken instead of refined flour.

• Chopped and flour coated walnuts/Almonds can be added to the batter before pouring it to baking dish. Cashew do not taste too great in this cake.

How to make Golden syrup

Golden syrup

Golden syrup is used in making cakes and many other deserts. It is also called liquid caramel. Freshly made golden syrup add wonderful flavor and color to the desserts. I prefer making the golden syrup just before I make the batter of the cake. But this golden syrup can be stored in bottle in fridge and use as and when required.

Preparation Time: none

Making Time: 10 Minutes

Servings: 100 ml. Thick Golden Syrup

Ingredients Required For making Golden Syrup:

• 100 gm. Sugar

• 200 ml. Water

Directions For Making Golden Syrup:

• Heat water till it boils cover and switch off the gas. Use this hot water later on.

• Take sugar in a thick bottom container and heat on low flame. The sugar will start melting.

Sugar starts melting

• Keep heating with regular stirring.

• After 3-4 min the molten sugar will start becoming brown. Heat till all molten sugar becomes of dark brown color. Stirring is very important otherwise the liquid sugar at the bottom will become black and will give charred taste to caramel/golden syrup.

After Three minutes

• When all sugar becomes of dark brown color liquified sugar will become thick also. Stop heating immediately.

After 5 minutes Ready to be added to water

• Add the caramelized sugar to boiling water and switch off the heat. Dissolve the solid formed.Some solid will stick to the spoon and the bottom of the container do not worry.
  Heat the mixture on low heat and keep stirring till all brown solid dissolves. Boil for 2-3 minutes or till the liquid is reduced to half (10 ml). Golden syrup is ready.

Golden syrup/Caramelized Sugar

• Cover and allow it to cool and use in desserts and cakes.

• Store this golden syrup in bottle in fridge. It can be stored for months together.

• If thicker golden syrup/Caramel is required boil till required thickness is achieved.

Tips:

• Never heat sugar on high heat this will cause charring of sugar.

• For easier making of golden syrup sugar can be powdered then heated. If Powdered sugar is used then the container for heating should be big otherwise it will spill while stirring.

• Always use thick bottom container.

• Do not put caramelized sugar in cold water. Preheat water.

Suggested variations:

• Powdered jaggery/1:1ratio of jaggery and sugar can be used for making caramel.

• Cinnamon/Green cardamom powder/Nut meg/Vanilla essence can be added to golden syrup before cooling. This will give flavored caramel/Golden syrup.