Easy trifle advice please

[Trifletrifle]

I’ve decided to make a simple trifle as one of the desserts for Christmas Day. However, I practiced today and it wasn’t good!

I made the lady finger sponges (it needs to be gluten free). I thought this came out ok., then added summer forest fruits (from the freezer), would tinned / fresh fruit be better?

made up some Hartley strawberry jelly added it to my bowl and put in the fridge to set.

I made the custard from birds custard powder - it was very lumpy despite constant stirring and correctly measuring. I sieved it, cooled and added to the bowl after several hours in the fridge.

I then whisked some double cream, but it didn’t thicken so ended up using ‘Birds dream topping’ instead.

kept bowl in the fridge until this evening but it was a watery mess 😳

my lady fingers had completely disintegrated, the jelly didn’t seem set and the custard wasn’t great.

Can you share some tips please? I’d like to keep it as simple as possible as I’m making several other desserts for Christmas Day.

Well you could use ready-made custard from a carton or tub. Not sure about gluten-free though.
Also ready-made lady fingers or sponge cake.
What kind of whisk did you use to whip the cream? I don’t think you could go wrong with an electric whisk although you can over whip cream.

Trifles needs a bit of time to set - DH makes a spectacular one which takes two days.

Fruit can inhibit the jelly setting so make sure you have the ratios correct.

The custard needs to be completely cooked before you put it on the jelly.

I have no idea how the cream didn’t set - that’s odd.

Did you defrost and drain your frozen fruit first?

I make it with readymade ( the chilled fresh custard )
trifle sponge ( I don’t know if there’s a GF version )
tinned raspberries , use some of the syrup to soak the sponge with the Sherry
whipped double cream on top

To get rid of lumps in custard , when it’s cold , put it in a blender or magimix type machine and give it a good old blitz

An easy trifle
Sliced ready made chocolate Swiss roll ( I’ve not looked , but would think GF is available in supermarkets )
tinned mandarins
brandy
cream
Just layer it all up in a nice trifle dish

Fruit in jelly doesn’t always set.

I can’t stand powder custard. Just get a tin.

id just make a GF sponge personally.

no idea what happened to your cream… did you use double cream?

My DGodMs 1970s Sherry trifle:

Jam Swiss roll slices on bottom. Pour on some Sherry and let it soak in.
put tin of fruit cocktail (drained) on top
strawberry jelly made up with 3/4pt water
leave in fridge to properly set.
make birds custard and let it cook a bit (keep stirring so no skin) then pour onto jelly.
when set, whisk whipping cream or double cream and put on top then sprinkle hundreds and thousands or crumble chocolate flake over

Here you go:

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/books/delias-happy-christmas/traditional-english-trifle

Seriously: so what Delia says - never fails

Sorry missed the gf bit, but maybe poss to get gf Swiss roll

I'd do an Eton mess for the GF. For trifle I never put fruit in it, makes it far too soggy. I just use trifle sponges, pour jelly over and leave to set in fridge. Add ready made custard when set. Whip cream with vanilla extract, place on top of the set jelly/custard sponge mix, Grate chocolate on top and decorate with Terry's orange slices around the edges.

Soak the sponge in the jelly, layer fruit, layer ready made custard and layer of cream. Grate chocolate on top.

Marks and Spencer have a cheats trifle - buy the sponge roll (you know the ones in the boxes that come in about 5 different combos) - the strawberry one. - slice and line bowl, cut fresh strawberries and add those on top - then a container of the marks pre made custard (in the fresh dessert aisle) and then whipped double cream - voila. Made it loads of times always gone down a storm

I can’t make a trifle to save my life but I’ve eaten plenty of them and the bit that tends to get fucked up is the custard.

It needs to be runny enough to be identifiably custard, but solid enough to support the cream. The latter sinking into the former needs to be avoided. It’s very easy to overdo the gelatin to achieve this, meaning it has a blamanche-like bouncy middle (rather like myself).

My advice? Marks & Spencer used to do one at Christmas in a glass bowl, that you could easily pass off as your own work. By all means make one, but that a Mark’s one in reserve.

I use cake cut into square slices and sandwiched with jam to line the bottom of the trifle bowl and then a good 2-3 tablespoons of sherry - would work fine with GF cake. Then add jelly made with less water than making instructions to take account of sherry. When jelly us set, add layer of fruit on top - tinned peach slices and raspberries are a favourite but I have used frozen fruit too. Use a carton of custard over the top and chill before adding cream and crumbled Flake. I use whipping cream as it is quicker than double cream.
I also make a couple of individual child versions without the sherry in tumblers.

I miss the jelly layer.

So either swiss roll, or sponge fingers, with some sherry soaked in (or juice from the fruit if you want a teetotal one).
Fruit on to
Ready made custard from a carton or tin - it's just must smoother, and doesn't need to cool
Then whipped cream and chocolate flakes or sprinkles.

If you really want jelly, then make it with less water than it suggests on the packet, but personally I prefer my trifle without it.

I made a Becky Excell sponge and used that last time. Spread with jam and cut into chunks. Frozen raspberries over they then a drizzle of booze, tinned custard mixed with melted white chocolate and double cream whipped with hand mixer
It worked really well.

Some great advice here! Many thanks

Don't forget the layer of beef sautéed with peas and onions 🤣

Agree that jelly has no place in a trifle

Just sponge on the bottom topped with fruit and moistened with the fruit's own juice (plus booze if liked), custard next and thickly whipped douuble cream on top

I'd also avoid tinned fruit and various mixes; frozen strawberries or raspberries are fine, and give you plenty of juice when defrosted - if not enough, squash a few of the berries up to release it

I don’t like the texture of the sponges or ladyfingers in the jelly so I never put them in. Jelly is usually fine, frozen fruit will produce water/juice as it defrosts so defrost and drain or use fresh. There are some fruits that stop jelly setting- can’t recall which but you can Google. Then I usually make the custard a little thicker by adding more custard powder than required or occasionally make it from scratch. Not sure about the cream, was it double cream?

Don’t put fruit in the trifle and never use packet custard, always from a tin or carton. Good luck for your next go 🤞🏼

You beat me to it!

When you're making jelly for trifle, you need to use less water to compensate for thre fruit which will act like juice.water. And maybe still a bit less. Put the bowl in the fridge till the jelly sets.

Mae sure you have mixed the custard powder with just a bit of milk to make a paste. If you use too much milk at this stage it's hard to mix it into a smooth paste. Start by using too little, then if you still have dry powder you can add a tiny bit more. You know you've got the right amount if you get "potty putty" effects - you can gently move a spoon through it, but if you go to fast, it goes solid and hard.

Make sure the custard is cool before you put it on the jelly, else you'll turn the jelly back to liquid and it will mix into the custard.

Cream needs to be double cream or whipping cream. Double cream takes 1-2min with a handheld electric beater. For ages nothing happens, then it thickens quite quickly.

It's easier not to use jelly. Instead of sponge fingers, put a think later of sponge cake in the base, then soak if with a strongly flavoured fruit juice, and if you like it, something alcoholic. Then it doesn't matter as much about letting the custard cool before you put it on top. But you should let the custard cool before you put the cream on.

Use less water in the jelly

Use less milk in the custard

When the custard is ready cover the actual top with cling film - blow on it - so there’s no thick layer on top -
dont add it unless it’s cold.

Use birds dream topping it’s nicer than cream - this can be too sickly.

I think jelly gives an overall more refreshing pudding and is a counterbalance to the heavier Christmas Pudding etc.

I use a carton or 2 of thick ready made custard, often from M&S. Noticed last week that it is freezable so have already bought it. Saves time.

I used to use a mix of fresh strawberries and raspberries but at this time of year the strawberries have no flavour so I just use raspberries. No prep either.

Putting whipped cream on top of custard is slightly tricky. Easiest to don it on in smaller spoonfuls as evenly as possible then smooth the top.

I usually do up to the jelly on Christmas Eve then tip on ready made custard and whip and add cream on Christmas morning.

I only discovered a couple of years ago that you can add cocoa powder to birds custard powder, to make chocolate custard! An easy chocolate trifle is to use choc muffins or loaf cake, cut up to line the bottom of the bowl. Top with some fruit (berries work well, or tinned pears) and a little juice with some booze. Top with choc custard and then whipped cream, once the custard is cold. Chocolate sprinkles and flaked almonds on the top. Winner!