Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 13 hours ago
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A trifle is, generally speaking, a layered dessert made of layers of cake or cake-y cookies and fruit stuck together with a creamy filling such a whipped cream enriched with pastry cream or some other tasty adjunct. In order to show off the layers, the trifle is typically made in a glass dish, often a cylindrical one. When the fruit’s cross-section is attractive, lining up slices against the glass is a nice way to improve the appearance of the trifle.
If you’re making your own sponge or lady-fingers for this recipe, do it early so it can cool before use. Some things like strawberries might benefit from pre-slicing and maceration with sugar – but be wary of using too much sugar, because the tartness of the fruit is an important part of the overall flavor impression of the trifle. Similarly, if you want to use pastry cream, perhaps make it the day before. If using cream cheese or mascarpone make sure to get it out of the fridge early so it can warm up before you need to use it.
Once the fruit, cream, and cake (or lady-fingers) are ready, the trifle may be assembled. In some recipes, the cake is brushed or drizzled with liquor, or a flavored syrup with liquor added to it. This is optional, but depending on your ingredients and taste it may be an excellent idea.
Makes enough for 4-6 people, about 1 L.
Equipment:
• trifle dish or similar
• large mixing bowl(s)
Ingredients:
1 batch lady-fingers or a package from the store; or a sheet of sponge cake (roulade)
1 batch pastry cream or a cup of mascarpone or cream cheese, softened
1 cup strawberries sliced, optionally macerated
1 cup blueberries fresh or individually quick frozen; optionally other berries
1/4 cup lemon syrup or other fruit syrup; optional; perhaps with liquor included
1 sprig mint for garnish
odd number berries for garnish
Procedure:
1. Place a layer of lady-fingers into the bottom of the dish. Anytime lady-fingers are added they may optionally be brushed with the syrup.
2. Top the lady fingers with a thin layer of the cream, just to help keep them from becoming soaked, so that they will serve as a good bottom crust.
3. If there is more cake than fruit, another thin layer of cake may go atop this first layer of cream.
4. Add a layer of berries, ideally strawberry or some other macerated berry, to the dish, so that its juices will soak into the cake.
5. Add a layer of cream, followed by a layer of cake, followed by more berries. Berries (or other fruit) may be combined, or may be kept to their own layers.
6. Continue to add layers in that order, cream-cake-fruit, until the dish is mostly full.
7. Atop the last full layer of berries, add a partial layer of cream, topped with fruit for garnish. If you’re using actual cake, a small circle of cake might be used under the partial layer of cream.
8. Let the trifle sit in the fridge for a couple of hours at least after making, before serving it.
9. Serving of the trifle may be quite messy, but it tastes so good that no one will care. Slices might be garnished with additional whole or fan-sliced berries and/or mint tips.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
Check our our Patreon! patreon.com/loveyourfood
Need a kitchen thermometer? Check out ChefsTemp! Use code LoveYourFood for 15% off a meat thermometer! shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=1003201&m=111859&u=3322095&afftrack=
A trifle is, generally speaking, a layered dessert made of layers of cake or cake-y cookies and fruit stuck together with a creamy filling such a whipped cream enriched with pastry cream or some other tasty adjunct. In order to show off the layers, the trifle is typically made in a glass dish, often a cylindrical one. When the fruit’s cross-section is attractive, lining up slices against the glass is a nice way to improve the appearance of the trifle.
If you’re making your own sponge or lady-fingers for this recipe, do it early so it can cool before use. Some things like strawberries might benefit from pre-slicing and maceration with sugar – but be wary of using too much sugar, because the tartness of the fruit is an important part of the overall flavor impression of the trifle. Similarly, if you want to use pastry cream, perhaps make it the day before. If using cream cheese or mascarpone make sure to get it out of the fridge early so it can warm up before you need to use it.
Once the fruit, cream, and cake (or lady-fingers) are ready, the trifle may be assembled. In some recipes, the cake is brushed or drizzled with liquor, or a flavored syrup with liquor added to it. This is optional, but depending on your ingredients and taste it may be an excellent idea.
Makes enough for 4-6 people, about 1 L.
Equipment:
• trifle dish or similar
• large mixing bowl(s)
Ingredients:
1 batch lady-fingers or a package from the store; or a sheet of sponge cake (roulade)
1 batch pastry cream or a cup of mascarpone or cream cheese, softened
1 cup strawberries sliced, optionally macerated
1 cup blueberries fresh or individually quick frozen; optionally other berries
1/4 cup lemon syrup or other fruit syrup; optional; perhaps with liquor included
1 sprig mint for garnish
odd number berries for garnish
Procedure:
1. Place a layer of lady-fingers into the bottom of the dish. Anytime lady-fingers are added they may optionally be brushed with the syrup.
2. Top the lady fingers with a thin layer of the cream, just to help keep them from becoming soaked, so that they will serve as a good bottom crust.
3. If there is more cake than fruit, another thin layer of cake may go atop this first layer of cream.
4. Add a layer of berries, ideally strawberry or some other macerated berry, to the dish, so that its juices will soak into the cake.
5. Add a layer of cream, followed by a layer of cake, followed by more berries. Berries (or other fruit) may be combined, or may be kept to their own layers.
6. Continue to add layers in that order, cream-cake-fruit, until the dish is mostly full.
7. Atop the last full layer of berries, add a partial layer of cream, topped with fruit for garnish. If you’re using actual cake, a small circle of cake might be used under the partial layer of cream.
8. Let the trifle sit in the fridge for a couple of hours at least after making, before serving it.
9. Serving of the trifle may be quite messy, but it tastes so good that no one will care. Slices might be garnished with additional whole or fan-sliced berries and/or mint tips.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
