How do you get the custard to set firm in a trifle?

[AuntDotsie]

Mine always seems to stay all liquidy! Do you make your own custard or use Birds or ready-made? Freeze it, chill it for a week, add gelatine, what's the secret?

I'm doing one for Xmas day as nobody likes Xmas cake here. Also alcohol-free and jelly-based, as my gran used to do, I've never understood the wet cake thing

I use birds. Make it quite thick and put clingfilm directly on top to stop a skin forming. Wait till it's cold then put it on your trifle.

I use Birds but make it really thick.Love homemade trifle

Just don't put as much liquid into it as you're supposed to. I generally reduce it by a third.

i do exactly the same as blue

I make my own. From what I recall, you just add the egg veeeery slowly (over a double boiler) & as it gently cooks the custard sets. There's a very slight risk of it curdling, which is why people use powder.

Make my own with eggs, sugar and double cream, tiny bit of cornflour, usually sets in 2/3 hours in the fridge.

I use tinned ambrosia / straight from the tin into the trifle, cream straight on top of that - no messing.

Does adding a bit of custard powder to a tin have the same thickening effect?

Or will it just make a horrible mess?

Thank you wise MNetters! I have both Birds and a ready-made Sainsbo's pot. I'm thinking this means making two trifles, for experimental science reasons, right?

Use Birds but slightly reduce the milk content to it sets firmer and refridgerate the hell out of it before adding the cream / dream topping layer. Do it the day before if you can to give extra setting time.

OMG, dream topping?! How have I never thought of this before? DH loves that stuff too...definitely two trifles now!

Dream topping is a trifle essential.

I make a large sherry trifle every Christmas. I put Madeira sponge as the base, soak it in sherry then add strawberries and make a pint of strawberry jelly using some strawberry juice to replace the pint of liquid. Pour jelly liquid over carefully and put straight into fridge.
Next day I make the custard using birds custard powder. I follow instructions on the tub. Put 2 heaped tablespoons of custard powder with 2 level tablespoons of sugar into a large glass bowl and the add a little milk (take from 1pint of semi that you will use for custard) to the powder and sugar and mix to a paste. Gradually add in the rest of the pint and stir well. Pop into microwave cook on full for 3 mins remove and stir, then put back in for a further 3 mins. The custard will then have thickened.
Then put the bowl into sink with cold water in it, careful not to let water to get into the bowl and stir custard for several minutes to get custard to cool down. Keep stirring until custard has cooled to blood temp, keep stirring so it doesn't form a skin.
Take trifle base from fridge and carefully pour cooled custard on and cover bowl with cling film and return to fridge as soon as possible. Leave for several hours before whipping up a pint of double cream (not too firm) and then add the cream and decorate. Return to fridge until needed.

Am putting my cream on later and we'll be eating it at our party tomorrow night.

Phwoar, salsa, she's a beauty! I shall begin my trifleations tomorrow

I swear by Delia Smith's recipe- works every time.

I always use blancmange in mine - we like strawberry trifle, so a layer of strawberry blancmange is perfect

use strawberry angel delight instead - tis lovely!!

I use birds custard powder. I e found the best way to make a homemade trifle is over 3 days. Say you wanted to eat the trifle on a Sunday, I make the jelly on the Friday and allow to set in the fridge overnight. Make the custard on the Saturday and allow it to set in the fridge overnight, then make the dream topping on the Sunday morning and allow it to set from fairly early until just before eating. Then I decorate just before serving.
Also once it's in the fridge, try to avoid opening the fridge as much as possible.

Mary Berry's custard recipe is a doddle, and I added in a sheet of gelatine to stop it getting runny. It wasn't 'set' but it was thick enough not to slide out when a portion was taken out of the bowl.

I also use mascarpone & cream in the topping.

I really like salsamad's idea about cooling, in the fridge always leaves a skin. After the base I add a row of sliced bananas, then put the cooled custard on top. I let that set in the fridge then I add another layer of gelatin which I let cool a little then add mixed fresh fruit then let that set again, at least 4 hours then put the fresh whipped cream on top let cool about an hour and serve

Fridge

I use Birds powder. An eggyolk custard should set firm. You can finish it in the oven.

Sprinkle Birds thinly with caster sugar to prevent it skinning.