DH wants a trifle for Christmas dessert. Recommendations please....

[SeedlessEasypeeler]

We have decided on a trifle this year.

Can anyone recommend a gorgeous recipe?

@Herbie0987

My nan’s recipe.

Stale Victoria sandwich cake in bottom of bowl with a good glug of sherry to soak into sponge, any flavour jelly on top, leave to set in fridge. Thick homemade custard, pour over the top, leave to set in fridge. Double cream whipped till thick, spread on top of set custard and sprinkle with hundreds and thousands.

Noooooo! It must be strawberry jelly, maybe with some sliced strawberries in, & lose the sprinkles.

@whatwasIgoingtosay I’m thinking your recipe is like when Rachel got the recipe pages stuck together.
Meringue? in trifle!

My favourite winter trifle is blackberry trifle.

Rule 1 of good trifle - never use tinned fruit or or tinned/powered custard 😝

• Toss fresh blackberries in some blackberry jelly/jam but don’t cook.
• Slosh over this some Creme de mures if you have any (blackberry liqueur), if not Cassis will also do (blackcurrant liqueur).

• Cut up Sainsbury’s or Waitrose Madeira cake into slices.

• If you can make your own fresh custard that’s the best. If not I use Waitrose fresh Madagascar vanilla custard. Can spend time adding some gelatine to make the traditional stiffer custard but I don’t bother.

Layers:

• Bottom: Blackberry, jam and liqueur mixture.
• Next layer: sponge sozzled with lots of port - v important and less sweet than the liqueur.

(You can do two each of these layers.)

• Finally: Deep layer of fresh custard.
• You can bung cream on the top but I don’t bother.

Note: buy 2 pots of fresh custard so you can refill.

Family recipe: trifle sponges, cut in half and spread with raspberry seedless jam. Arrange in fancy bowl in layers. Pour over raspberry puree and sherry, cover with a layer of raspberries. Make a pint of Bird's custard with extra powder so it is a bit thicker than you'd use for a normal pudding, cool until barely warm and pour over the raspberries. Put in fridge overnight. An hour or so before it's needed, whip a pint of double or whipping cream, spread most on top and use some for piping roses and sticking reserved raspberries on.

One year I substituted cherries for raspberries and cherry brandy for sherry, grating chocolate all over the top to tempt DH but he still wouldn't eat it. more for me

Another great one is Tiramisu with Amaretto or Disaronno.

Limoncello and raspberry trifle

If you're going to use jelly (and a trifle with out jelly is a sad thing indeed) use proper jelly and not the sugar free crystals in the packet...... it liquefies when you put other stuff on it!

LTB

@Farcry66

If you're going to use jelly (and a trifle with out jelly is a sad thing indeed) use proper jelly and not the sugar free crystals in the packet...... it liquefies when you put other stuff on it!

Oh goodness no, never put jelly in trifle. Ugh.

Home made far less sponge sandwiched with raspberry jam cut into chunks plenty of fresh raspberries and broken amaretto biscuits good glue of sherry NO Jelly! Topped with best quality fresh custard then topped with double cream toasted flaked almonds and maraschino cherries. 😎😎😎

Truffle sponge
Brandy
Sherry
Frozen berries
Raspberry jelly
Custard (ambrosia)
Thick double cream whipped
Flake crumbled on top

Love this thread and the recipes shared. I am a fan of all trifle, in particular brandy apple trifle-

Stew cooking apples with some sugar and so you have an apple puree, try to have some texture left.

Put boudoir biscuits into dish, pour over some brandy, if you like. I like it without too though. Or any liqueur. Calvadoa is best if you had it.

Put apples on top of biscuits. Put custard (I always like birds, set so thicker than normal) on top of apples. Whipped cream on top of that.

Top with slivered flaked almonds. It is truly delicious but also simple and comforting. Seems to please all ages.

@iklboodolphrednosedpaindear

I did a different type last year.

Jamaican ginger cake
Lemon jelly
Limoncello in the custard
Gingerbread syrup in the cream
Ginger matchmakers on top

It was gone very quickly.

Oh man this sounds incredible!

If you are a traditionalist, you will probably consider my recipe (based on an M&S trifle I had at a party as a child) to be sacrilege but even my purist DGM loved it. TBF, it's about the only recipe I have ever come up with that betters her version, she was an amazing cook.

I take frozen raspberries (the freezing intensifies the flavour) and pour just enough raspberry jelly over them that they fill with jelly and are encased in jelly a few mm apart but not as much jelly as you would use for fruit jelly IYSWIM?

I use trifle sponges (like dry sponge cake) rather than nasty dry sponge fingers that turn to mush. Thinly sliced shop bought swiss roll is an acceptable substitute. I then add far more sherry than is wise.

My DGM's creme anglaise (with lots of vanilla) goes on top of that, followed by whipped cream. I use fresh raspberries and crystallised angelica to decorate. Although good luck tracking crystallised angelica down unless you grow it or have a time machine to the 70s.

It's wrong, it isn't sophisticated or difficult to make, but it is the best

I just make a simple one with sponge, fruit, custard and (huge amounts of) cream. (No jelly ever!).

This year I'm making tiramisu instead. (the Delia recipe is delicious).

I do the Jane’s Patisserie chocolate Orange trifle which is gorgeous.

I make this every year and barely get a look in so it’s definitely popular here www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/desserts/classic-oldfashioned-trifle

@SeedlessEasypeeler

I would totally love the Baileys one, and in fact, have some spare Baileys.

However, I think I need to go traditional to cater to elderly relatives. I am talking sponge fingers (or similar), custard and cream.

Just buy a packet of Birds' then. They'll be happy with it whilst you drink the Baileys in the kitchen

My husband makes the best trifle, proper retro with thick custard, that powdered cream topping and sprinkles.

Yes it's naff but it reminds me of childhood and everyone of us love it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

So what is DH's recipe for Christmas trifle?

I think it's just a dodgy block of jelly, tinned strawberrys, tinned custard and topping..I think you can buy a trifle kit box with it all in

Wow these all sound fab! I'm obviously very basic when it comes to trifle.

Trifle sponges or slices of swiss roll
Mandarin oranges
Orange jelly (made up with the juice)
Blancmange (very controversial!)
Cream
Chocolate shavings

One of my friends converted me to blancmange instead of custard years ago, I dislike a sloppy trifle and this is much more reminiscent of the 1980's Bird's Trifle adverts where the custard never moves and it keeps it's layers.

My version is Mary Berry's it turns out.

And yes, why isn't your DH making his own trifle?

This Delia banana and butterscotch trifle is proper amazing and went down a storm when I made it last Christmas

[quote DartmoorDoughnut]I make this every year and barely get a look in so it’s definitely popular here www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/desserts/classic-oldfashioned-trifle[/quote]
Tinned pears for a trifle? shame on you Mary.

I’d poach fresh pears in red wine and spices to make it feel Christmassy.