Cranberry Strawberry Christmas Trifle
If you are look for a make ahead showstopper for your Christmas table then this is it. Cake, fruit, cream and custard.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 madeira loaf cake I made mine but a shop bought cake will be fine. You will need around 380g of cake
- 1.5 litres sweetened cranberry juice
- 2 punnets of strawberries
- 21 gr gelatine powder
- 70 ml liquor of choice if you want a little alcohol in it
Custard:
- 4 eggs yolks
- 80 g cornflour
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp Nielsen Massey Pure Vanilla Extract
- 700 ml whole milk
Cream:
- 600 ml whipping cream or double cream
- 50 g sugar
- 1 tsp Nielsen Massey Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Cut the cake into cubes and line the base of the trifle dish. Pour over the liquor if using.
- Heat 750ml of the cranberry juice in a pan until simmering then remove from the heat.
- Place the remaining cranberry juice in a large bowl and sprinkle over the gelatine. Whisk – it will apear lumpy at this stage. Pour in the hot cranberry juice and whisk until all the gelatine has dissolved.
- Pour half of the cranberry juice mixture over the cake in the trifle dish then place in the fridge to set. I left mine for around 2.5 hours to reach the correct level of set to enable me to continue.
- Leave the remaining cranberry mixture on one side – not in the fridge.Whilst the trifle is setting, make the custard.
- Place the milk, 50g sugar and the vanilla extract in a pan and heat until bubbles are just starting to fom but do not allow it to boil.
- In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 50g sugar and the egg yolks before adding in the cornflour.
- Whilst whisking the egg mixture, add just one ladel of the hot milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Continuing to whisk, slowly add the remaining milk until fully incorporated.
- Pour back into the pan and heat whilst whisking continually until it thickens.
- Remove from the heat ad pour into a bowl. Press cling film onto the surface to prevent a skin forming and set aside to cool.
- Once the trifle is set and the custard cooled, pour the custard onto the cake and jelly layer then place back in the fridge for another hour or so to set up a little before adding the fruit. Place the remaining jellyin the fridge to start to set up at this point also.
- Slice some of the strawberries in half and place cut side facing towards the glass around the edge of the dish. Then place whole strawberries following the circumference of the dish until you have filled it all.
- Pour over the remaining jelly and place in the fridge again to set completely.
- Whisk the cream, sugar and vanilla extract until you have soft peaks. You can simply spoon over the top of the jelly but i put mine into a piping bag with a star nozzle and piped it on top.You can add chocolate shavings or more fruit to serve.
