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Yummy Easter Sherry Trifle

By Yvonne Martin of The White Oak Inn

Being of Scots heritage, our family serves Sherry Trifle for dessert at all family celebrations and for holidays, particularly Easter, Christmas and New Year’s – known as Hogmanay in Scotland. There are as many ways to make trifle as there are Scots, but this is the way my grandmother made it.

You need a pretty glass bowl so you can see the layers. The ingredient quantities are approximate – you may need more or less depending on the size of your bowl.

The base is cake. In Scotland we generally used Jelly Rolls or small Swiss Rolls, but these are hard to find in the U.S., so you can substitute pound cake, angel food cake, or even a plain yellow cake.

Trifle is made in layers, with time needed for each layer to set up before the next is added. We often make the first two layers a day ahead, then the custard layer the next morning, with the whipped cream added just before serving.

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

  • 1-6 oz. package of fruit-flavored gelatin. Raspberry is preferred, but you can substitute a flavor that complements your fruit
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1 cup cold water or fruit juice
  • Cake – 1 small pound cake, angel food cake
  • ½ cup raspberry preserves
  • ½ cup or more cream sherry
  • 2 to 3 cups of berries or diced fruit of choice – strawberries, peaches, bananas, raspberries, blueberries or grapes. NO fresh pineapple or kiwi
  • 1 recipe home-made custard (see recipe below)
  • 1 pint heavy or whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
  • Berries and fresh mint to garnish
  • 2 ¼ cups milk - divided
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. The Trifle
    Pour the gelatin powder into a medium size bowl and add 2 cups of boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Add 1 cup cold water or fruit juice (sometimes I use ice cubes instead of water to speed up the cooling process). Refrigerate while you prepare the cake and fruit layer.

  2. Cut your cake into ½- inch thick slices. If using plain cake, make “sandwiches” with the raspberry preserves as the filling. Cover the bottom of your trifle bowl one layer deep, making sure the stripes in the cake show through the side.

  3. Pour the sherry evenly over the cake, using more than ½ cup if needed to be sure all the cake gets a generous splash of sherry.

  4. Add the layer of fruit, and carefully spoon the gelatin over the fruit layer. Allow to set until firm (at least 2 hours).

  5. Make the custard layer (see below) and allow it to cool before spooning over the gelatin. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

  6. Immediately before serving, whip the heavy cream with the confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream and sugar over the custard layer

  7. Garnish with fresh berries or sprinkles.

  8. The Homemade Custard
    Pour 2 cups of the milk into a 6-cup microwaveable bowl. Heat on high for 2 minutes.

  9. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together and add the remaining ¼ cup of milk. Stir well.

  10. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, and whisk the cornstarch mixture into eggs.

  11. Remove the milk from the microwave and slowly whisk about 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the eggs. Then whisk the egg mixture back into the remaining milk.

  12. Return the bowl to microwave and cook on high, stopping every 15 seconds to whisk the mixture. Continue to cook in 15 second increments until the custard thickens. Remove from microwave and whisk in the vanilla extract. Allow to cool before using.

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