Making British trifle from scratch?

Question

I am sick of the trifle you get in the states! It is like a low sugar Twinkie! With that, I want to do it right and from scratch. Any pointers doing it right? Do I need a photo of the Queen in the kitchen to do this right?

Answer 1

In Missouri, here's my Ozark redneck trifle...

Ingredients:

Walmart Poundcake from the markdown day-old rack;

Great Value instant vanilla pudding;

Great Value whipped topping, or strawberry whipped topping;

Fresh blackberries, black and gold raspberries, from the creek or along the road (rinsed).

Distilled moonshine with local honey.

Assemble in large glass dish by cubing pound cake, splashing 'shine, layer of puddin', fruit, , whipped topping,...repeat....Refrigerate to set, serve for dinner

Answer 2

If it's got sherry in it, it is English.

Cake (soaked in sherry)

Jelly with canned mixed fruit poured over, (leave to set)

Blancmange or custard next

Whipped cream on top

100's and 1000's sprinkled.

That's it.

Oh I miss England when I see questions like this.

There are lots of variations of trifle, but that is how we had it.

Just basic really.

Enjoy building.

Kia ora from NZ.

Answer 3

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH BERRY TRIFLE:

Serves 8 - 10

The use of sherry is traditional but Grand Marnier works well with the berries.

For the cake:

½ C. all-purpose flour

1½ C. sugar

½ tsp. salt

8 large egg yolks

3 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10 x 15 x 2-inch Pyrex baking dish. Line bottom with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, 1 cup of the sugar and the salt. Add yolks, milk and extract and whisk again until smooth.  Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Slowly sprinkle in remaining ½ cup sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks - don't over-beat. Stir a third of the whites into the batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites.

Pour batter into pan, place in the oven and bake until cake is golden and springy to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan, invert cake onto a cooling rack, peel away parchment paper and let cake cool completely. Set aside.

Note:

Cake will fall considerably once removed from the oven and will be very moist.  This is okay.

For the custard:

4 yolks

½ C. sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

1¾ C. scalded milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat yolks and sugar on medium high speed for 3 minutes until thick and pale yellow. Reduce heat and add cornstarch. With mixture on low, slowly pour hot milk into eggs. Put back on stove, stir with a wooden spoon until thickened, strain, add vanilla and chill.

To assemble:

1 C. heavy cream

2 T. Grand Marnier plus more for sprinkling* (or good sherry)

¼ C. confectioners' sugar

6 C. mixed berries (straw-berries, stemmed and halved,

blueberries, blackberries or raspberries)



*optional, children might prefer it without alcohol

Cut the cake roughly into 1 x 4-inch slices. Set aside. Whip cream on high speed. Drizzle in the Grand Marnier. When cream begins to thicken, slowly sprinkle in the sugar. Beat until thick. Fold into custard and chill mixture until ready to assemble.

Line the bottom of a bowl (ideally a clear glass bowl with straight sides) with cake. Sprinkle with Grand Marnier. Top with a third of the fruit mixture. Top with half of the custard. Layer more cake on top. Sprinkle with Grand Marnier, top with a third of the berries and the rest of the custard. If more cake remains, layer it on top, sprinkle with Grand Marnier and top with the rest of the berries. Chill for a few hours before serving.

Chef Alex Stafford