English Trifle

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How to Make English Trifle

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1. Make the custard first. Heat the milk, cream and vanilla until steaming. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour until pale.

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2. Temper the hot milk into the yolks, return to the pan, and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it thickens and holds the line of a finger drawn across the spoon.

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3. Strain into a bowl, press cling film onto the surface and chill at least 3 hours until cold and thick.

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4. Spread the sponge slices with jam, sandwich them in pairs and cut into cubes. Pack them into the base of a 3 litre glass bowl.

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5. Spoon the sherry evenly over the sponge and leave 20 minutes to soak in.

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6. Scatter the raspberries and strawberries over, pressing a few against the glass so they show.

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7. Spoon the cold custard over the fruit and smooth it flat. Chill 1 hour so it firms up.

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8. Whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks — stop while it still slumps, because it will firm in the fridge.

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9. Spoon the cream over the custard in swoops, chill 2 hours, and finish with almonds and a few raspberries just before serving.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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A Few Pointers

• Cold custard on cold fruit. Warm custard slides through the sponge and you lose the layers.
• Soft peaks on the cream. Over-whipped cream looks grainy on top.
• Make it the day before — the sponge and sherry need the time.

Serve It With

A glass of the same sherry · Strong coffee · Shortbread

Keeping and Reheating

Refrigerate up to 3 days, though the sponge softens further each day. Do not freeze.

English Trifle Nutrition

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: where a line offers a choice of foods, only one of them is counted; part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. The calories include 2 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.