My Family's English Trifle Recipe
A full English trifle, at least the way Auntie Ev made it, fills a 9 x 13 Pyrex.There is no rule that says you can't make these in individual glasses. I did this year along with a small-ish 7"x11" Pyrex baking dish. No matter how you serve it--in individual glasses, in a Pyrex, or in a classic trifle bowl, you'll love the classic flavors in this English trifle.
Servings 16
Calories 721kcal
Ingredients
For the Custard
- 4 cups whole milk
- 4 Tablespoons corn starch (or similar)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup of sugar (you may need a little more--I just do it to taste)
- ½ teaspoon salt (again, to taste. You might want a bit more or less, just please don't leave it out)
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Items for Assembly
- 16 slices lemon pound cake about 1/2" thick
- ½ cup cream sherry more or less
- 30 oz raspberry jam
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream whipped with 4 Tablespoons sugar a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Custard
- I would hold off making the custard until you have the rest of the layers constructed.
- Place the vanilla in a large bowl. Set a fine mesh strainer over the top and set aside.
- In a large sauce pan, combine the milk, corn starch, yolks, sugar and salt.
- Over medium to medium-high heat, bring this to a boil, whisking constantly.
- Before it gets too hot, give it a taste and see if you need to add a bit more sugar and/or salt for your taste.
- Once the custard comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook another 30-45 seconds. Continue to whisk madly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and strain the custard into the bowl with the vanilla. You may need to use your spatula to force it all through.
- Stir the custard and vanilla together thoroughly.
To Assemble
- Cut rectangles of pound cake about 1/2" thick and fit them in the bottom of a 9"x13" glass baking dish. It's okay to leave a little space between the slices at the edges of the pan, but the rest of the slices should pretty much be touching.
- Even drizzle as much or as little sherry over the layers as you like. This is entirely dependent on who you're feeding, so use your good judgement. I usually use about 1/4-1/3 cup per layer. I don't measure either. I just stick my thumb over the mouth of the bottle and shake on as much as seems Prudent.
- Evenly spread on a layer of raspberry jam about 1/8"-3/16" thick.
- Add another layer of pound cake.
- Sprinkle with more sherry.
- Spread on another layer of jam.
- Pour the custard evenly over the top of the trifle, making sure that it runs down into any gaps between the cake and the sides of the pan. I usually stick a knife in in a few places to allow the custard to spread. You want about a 1/2" layer of custard, so if you seem to have a bit extra, save it for yourself and don't tell anyone.
- You should still have about 1/2" of space between the top of the custard and the top of the pan. This is where you'll spread your whipped cream.
- Cover the trifle with plastic wrap (don't worry about pressing it to the surface of the custard) and chill thoroughly.
- Once chilled, spread the whipped cream evenly over the top of the trifle.
- Serve in whatever size slices you'd like, and place a completely optional maraschino cherry in the very center of each slice before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 721kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 489mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 66g