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Photograph of Raspberry and Almond Trifle with Amaretto

Raspberry and Almond Trifle with Amaretto

A classic British Christmas and celebration dessert, Trifle is a glorious and sumptuous combination of cake, fruit, alcohol, custard and cream. Serves 8

Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword amaretto, custard, fresh cream, raspberries, sponge cake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

Sponge Layer:

  • 130g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 130g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 65 g plain/all-purpose flour
  • 65g ground almonds
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoons fine salt
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • OR shop-bought large Swiss roll filled with jam

Raspberry Layer:

  • 500g frozen raspberries
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 6 - 8 tablespoons Amaretto

Homemade Custard:

  • 450ml milk - I used semi skimmed
  • 150ml double/heavy cream (See Recipe Notes)
  • 40g caster sugar
  • 18g/2 tablespoons cornflour
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg (See Recipe Notes)
  • 2 yolks from large eggs (See Recipe Notes)
  • pinch of salt
  • OR equivalent quantity of Bird’s or equivalent custard made according to packet instructions

Toppings:

  • 400ml fresh double/heavy/whipping cream
  • chocolate curls

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4

  3. Make the sponge layer: place your mixing bowl on top your scales and weigh everything directly into the bowl.

  4. Use an electric whisk to beat until combined.

  5. Divide between 2 x 18cm/7inch cake tins, greased and lined. (These fit my trifle bowl perfectly. If they are not a good fit, either use different size tins or cook in muffin cases.)

  6. Cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven until cooked. It is cooked when:

    - the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains

    - a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean

    - the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin.

  7. Leave in the tins for 5 minutes and then remove and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

  8. Prepare the raspberries: put the raspberries into a saucepan and add the sugar and water.

  9. Cook over a low heat until the raspberries have de-frosted, the sugar has dissolved and the fruit is soft – around 10 minutes

  10. Set on one side to cool.

  11. Make the custard: put the milk and cream into a saucepan and heat over a moderately hot heat until steaming but not boiling.

  12. Mix the caster sugar, cornflour, vanilla, eggs and salt thoroughly in a large jug.

  13. Pour the hot milk and cream onto the egg mixture and stir well.

  14. It is important to wash the saucepan well before returning the custard to the pan.

  15. Put the pan back onto a low heat and cook, stirring all the time, until it thickens. This could take up to 5 minutes. Take off the heat.

  16. Use your finger to check it is cooked: you should be able to run a clean line through it on the back of a spoon.

  17. Set aside to cool for roughly 10 minutes whilst you assemble the trifle. You may need to leave the custard to cool for longer than 10 minutes if you are using a delicate or antique glass bowl.)

  18. Assemble the Trifle: add a layer of sponge cake to the base of your trifle dish and sprinkle over half the Amaretto.

  19. Top with half of the raspberries and their juices.

  20. Add the second layer of sponge, add the remaining Amaretto and raspberries.

  21. Pour over the custard.

  22. Level the top and leave to cool and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

  23. Top with the cream and decorate: simply put the fresh cream into a bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until it reaches the soft peak stage.

  24. Spoon the cream over the custard and level the surface.

  25. Decorate with your chosen options and put in the fridge until you are ready to serve. We like to decorate with grated chocolate. Simply take a bar of chocolate at room temperature and use a potato peeler to grate over the top of the trifle.

  26. ENJOY!

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • mixing bowl and electric whisk
  • 2 x 18cm/7inch cake tins, greased and lined.
  • saucepan x 2 
  • jug
  • balloon whisk and wooden spoon
  • glass trifle bowl

Milk/Cream

You need a combined total of 600ml. The more cream the richer it will be. You could use all milk - in which case I would use full fat milk. You could also use all cream, in which case I would use single/pouring cream. All cream is too rich for me particularly with all the other rich ingredients in this dish.

Eggs

I use large eggs. You can use any of the following combinations, depending on how rich you want your custard:

  • 1 large egg and 2 yolks, OR
  • 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, OR
  • 4 egg yolks