Trifles

Lemons and their tart, refreshing flavor signal spring to me so we’re welcoming spring with a week’s worth of lemon-y recipes!

Trifles are layered desserts usually made of fruit, sponge or pound cake (cut into squares), custard and whipped cream. Modern trifles feature additional ingredients like crushed cookies, candy and sauces. At a dinner party trifles serve double-duty as both dessert and an eye-catching centerpiece. They’re served in glass bowls or dishes with high, straight sides so you and your guests can see the delicious layers before they’re served for dessert.

Trifles are easy to assemble. Line the bottom of your trifle dish with the cubed cake or crumbled cookies. Follow that with your custard or jam, fresh fruit and whipped cream. Repeat the layering until you reach the top of your dish. Trifles are best made ahead and chilled to allow the flavors to marry. Over time, the cake or cookies will soften as they absorb the flavors of the custard and fruit.

You can make individual trifles in wine glasses, which are perfect for a dinner party, and make serving simple.

What I love most about trifles is their versatility and simplicity. My favorite recipe features lemon curd and fresh strawberries, but you can use your favorite fruits or custard instead. Trifles allow you to be creative in creating your own dish. Substitute crumbled brownies or ladyfingers for the pound cake or use preserves or jams instead of fresh fruit. If you purchase high-quality prepared lemon curd, chocolate or caramel sauce, you can assemble a trifle in minutes without cooking.

Lemon Curd & Strawberry Trifle

You’ll notice there are no ingredient amounts for this trifle. That’s because trifles are more technique than recipe. Use your favorite ingredients to make trifles large or small. The amounts will vary depending on the size of your trifle.

Ingredients

Pound cake, cut into small cubes or ladyfingers, broken into small pieces (not completely crushed)
Lemon Curd (Use your favorite recipe or look for our recipe later this week.)
sliced fresh strawberries
whipped cream

Instructions

  1. Line the bottom of your dish with the cubed cake or crumbled ladyfingers. Top with the lemon curd, sliced strawberries and whipped cream.
  2. Repeat the layers in that order until you reach the top of your dish, ending with whipped cream.
  3. Garnish the trifle with fresh strawberries. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.