TRIFLE. A thread about trifle.

[Nuie]

Last year I went traditional. Year before I did chocolate. This year who knows, I’m open to suggestions.

I can take or leave a jelly layer, not overly evangelical about it either way.

Not fond of a dragee though. Nasty crunchy mouth-feel.

Sadly my in laws aren’t coming for Christmas this year so I am struggling to justify making my feeds 8 trifle. May have to settle for half a trifle.

@TheDogsMother

Sorry but trifle is the work of the devil. Custard is grim and cold custard even more grim. Cold jelly !! Wet bits of sponge. Noooooooo !!

I agree😂 I don’t know why I opened this thread!

Chocolate sponge with orange jelly, (maybe tinned mandarin oranges?), Jamie Oliver's chocolate mousse recipe with orange liqueur, whipped cream on top with grated Lindt choc orange. Lovely!

Or do a similar with cherries, cherry liqueur etc to do a black forest trifle.

But you can't beat a traditional strawberry jelly, rubbery custard, cream and sprinkles.

God, I love trifle. This is my first dairy free Christmas- how will I cope???

@Nuie - oh yes. You MUST test some out. Only doing everyone a service in making sure they're nice

Sherry has to have plenty of sherry inside it. Got a litre bottle last week from the co op planning to make a sherry trifle for Xmas day. There's about a glass and bit left inside it now so I think I'll just finish drinking it instead my Grandma always made a sherry trifle at Christmas. Think hers was trifle sponges, ground almonds and sherry. Then orange jelly, tinned fruit cocktail ( I think) custard and whipped cream then decorated with cherries or grated chocolate. Will miss it this year

I don’t mind the jelly as long as it’s poured over the sponge before it sets. I don’t like it as a layer of its own between the custard and cream. Just wrong.
I’m grimacing a bit at the tinned raspberries and strawberries. Ours always has fruit with a bit more bite

@GameSetMatch I’ve absolutely no idea how to make thick custard. Every year I wing it, and mean to write down what works, but I’m too busy. I think the secret is probably in the frantic mumbling and stirring. I might just hit on the words of some ancient spell every other year.

@AuntieMarys

My mum's 1960s trifle involved: Swiss roll, jelly, tin of strawberries and raspberries. Home made custard. Cream. It was the bollocks. I have her cut glass trifle bowl and have never made it...but I do like a tiramisu trifle ( Good housekeeping recipe)

And sherry ! It takes me right back.........

Oooo.. A trifle thread! I'm the only one in my family who will eat trifle...So I make it in a crystal sugar bowl I found in a charity shop.. Just enough for me.. I used to make one for a friend too but she died 2 years ago.. I will have trifle in her memory from now on...
I sometimes have jelly, sometimes not.. I don't mind.. All trifle is nice.. but can't be ready made custard at that is too runny.

My only rules are no tinned fruit and no lime jelly. Everything else is negotiable.

Leftover trifle is my traditional Boxing Day breakfast!

Made to my mother's 'recipe'. Finger trifle sponges and a tin of fruit cocktail in raspberry jelly. Birds custard made so thick that you could slice it once cold. Whipped double cream (5 spins off turning to butter) and a Cadbury's flake crumbled over the top.

So far it's the only part of Christmas dinner that I have nearly all the ingredients for (obvs not the fresh cream yet).

Delia Smith traditional sherry trifle. Trifle sponges. Sherry (to soak them). Bananas. Raspberries (frozen). Home made custard. Whipped cream. Toasted flaked almonds. Tried many & that one is always the best.

Oooh we have been making trifles recently, ii do cooked fruit compote, posh trifle sponges or leftover cake, custard, cream, grated chocolate. Basic but delicious

@GameSetMatch

For set custard I make Birds Custard from powder, following the recipe but with half a dessert spoon extra custard powder and gently continue to heat it (stirring continuously) until the stirring spoon leaves a wake behind it.

Then take the saucepan to a washing up bowl filled with cold water and continue to stir until the custard cools. It will thicken as it cools. Replace the water at least one and continue to cool it until it wouldn't melt jelly... bung over the set jelly (or what ever heathen non-jelly formulas you've picked and shove in the fridge for a couple of hours until it sets. Then continue with layers.

Yes, yes I know I am pretty amazing aren’t I! Nice to see I have lots of admirers here!

I love a Xmas trifle. But this year we are triamisu-ing, which is sort of a trifle, but also the best pudding in the world. (One of the unexpected benefits of lockdown Xmas with only having to please our immediate family instead of the masses).

My BFF calls my trifle kiddie trifle. Happy to eat sponge fingers but can’t stand them in a trifle, also happy to drink alcohol but again can’t stand in a trifle. Jelly, take or leave fruit in it, layer of banana, layer of custard, I pass on the sautéed mince and onions usually, layer of whipped cream and 100s & 1000s on top. Given my DH hates custard and all my DCs hate custard and jelly, I only make it for myself so make it my way 😋

leftover cake

I often read things on MN that bring me up short, but I just can’t get my head around this one. Alien concept.

My mil puts bananas in her custard. It was very unexpected and I nearly puked at our first Christmas dinner

DS is vegan this year so I'll be making normal trifle for us (jam roll, Sherry, fruit cocktail, custard, whipped cream and a crumbled flake and half cherries to decorate a'la 70s style), and a vegan version for him. So that'll be interesting. Home made sponge with oil instead of butter and bicarbonate instead of eggs, Sherry, fruit cocktail, alpro vegan custard and some vegan squirty cream I found in morrisons. See how that works!

Ginger cake, soak with whisky, maple syrup mousse, cream, chocolate shavings.

I love custard but not cold so my trifle is strawberry jelly poured over sliced jam Swiss roll, strawberry angel delight and then whipped cream with a flake sprinkled over and a few sliced strawberries if I've got. It's lush!

Jaffa cake trifle here. It’s evolved over the years

Orange segments, chopped up brownies and sponge fingers all mixed up in the bottom. Cover in orange jelly ( we have halal eaters now so just douse in orange juice) A thick layer of homemade custard with a whole chocolate orange melted into it and then double cream with orange zest. Topped with grated chocolate orange and popping candy. If we are being posh I do it in individual glasses but I much prefer a big bowl so I can sneak spoonfuls from the fridge.

I love trifle so much.
Sponge cake with tinned mandarins and orange jelly, thick custard, cream, hundreds and thousands and glace cherries.

In our house it's:

I mix together finest sherry, smashed fresh raspberries and raspberry conserve and pour this generously over a layer of Madeira cake

Then the custard layer. Must be full fat milk. Almost double the amount of custard powder per pint but I scrimp a little on the sugar.

Then the cream layer, add a spot of vanilla into the cream and decorate with flaked almonds

Simple but delicious

I hate trifle but my husband bloody loves it.

Our northern traditional trifle is Lady fingers soaked in sherry,, then strawberry jelly, custard, whipped cream and a broken up flake sprinkles on top. Present him one of those and he's as happy as a pig in muck.