Earlier this month, I served a strawberry trifle at my annual Mother’s Day lunch. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal with strawberries being the focus.
A trifle is dessert from England that is layered and consisting of sponge cake, fruit, custard and whipped cream. The order of layers can vary as can the fruit but it’s always topped with whipped cream and some sort of decorative garnish.
When my mother emigrated to Canada, she (like many women from Europe) would go to work in the factories in the city. Those factories also employed women from the UK and that’s how trifle was introduced into our household.
If I recall, the trifle dessert was given to my mom by Cynthia, a lady I vaguely recall (she had a soft Scottish accent). This version also contains jello (if you look around), apparently contained in many trifle recipes. Another constant is strained fruit cocktail and some fresh fruit. This version uses fresh strawberries but you could switch it up with raspberries (plus other berries) or get creative with the fruit and flavour.
The next layer is custard. You could make your own pastry cream or use an instant pudding mix. When you assemble your trifle and serve it, the flavour becomes one big heavenly mouth of sponge, fruit, custard and whipped cream.
Finally, trifles are easy to make and assemble and if you have a clear salad bowl or bowl for trifles, it also makes for a nice presentation when bringing to the table for serving. I know you’re going to love this trifle!
Strawberry Trifle
12
servings30
minutesIngredients
4-5 slices of pound cake (3/4 inch slices)
some sherry (or other fortified wine)
cherry, raspberry or strawberry flavoured jello (from 1 pkge)
1 can of fruit cocktail, strained (796 ml)
approx. 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (plus extra for garnish)
2 cups of custard, cooled (or 1 pkge of vanilla instant pudding)
2 cups whipped cream
shaved dark chocolate
Directions
- For this recipe you will need a 7 inch (approx) trifle bowl or similar glass salad bowl. Lay the slices of pound cake on the bottom and drizzle with sherry.
- Cut your jello into cubes and spread over the sponge cake. Now top with a layer of fruit cocktail followed by the strawberries.
- Evenly spread your layer of custard and place in the fridge for an hour.
- Take out of the fridge and top with whipped cream and garnish with strawberries and shaved dark chocolate. Place back in the fridge to set overnight (for best results)
- To serve, use a large spoon to portion out.
Notes
- If you don’t have a trifle bowl or clear salad bowl, you can use a 8×11 inch deep pan to assemble in.
