The Perfect Individual Trifle

The Perfect Individual Trifle is one of my favorite desserts. I grew up with trifle and it was one of my favorites. I used to make it all the time when I was a teenager. And even made it a lot when my husband and I got together. For some reason, I stopped making it. Then one day my husband said, I really feel like having some trifle, so I rediscovered it and now I am in love again.

The Ingredients for The Perfect Individual Trifle

All that’s needed to make the perfect individual trifle is good custard and a good sponge cake. And of course some sherry. What’s trifle without some sherry?

Ingredients List for Custard Trifle:

• 2 cups thick custard
• 1 cup fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam (optional)
• 8 individual sponge cakes
• 8 tablespoons sherry (optional)
• 1/4 cup shelled toasted pistachios
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

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The Custard:

I love making this English style trifle because it is made with thick custard. Let’s get started:

• Make two cups of custard any way you like. Make sure it’s not too runny. It has to be a little thick so that when you assemble the trifle, it doesn’t run through the layers.
• Set it aside and let it cool down completely. I place mine in the fridge so it sets a little before I assemble the trifle.

The Strawberries:

I love to use fresh berries in my trifle. I use whatever berries are in season. For this particular recipe, I am using both strawberries AND raspberries:

• Wash and slice one cup of fresh strawberries and place them in a bowl.
• Add to them two tablespoons of strawberry or raspberry jam and mix well. Let them sit aside for a few mins.
• Wash and set aside one cup of fresh raspberries. You can use any kind of berries you like.

• Once the custard has cooled down enough, remove it from the fridge. I use jars that have lids to make my individual trifle, but you can use anything. Mason jars work, wine glasses are great when serving this to guests, and of course, parfait glasses are great for this dessert.
• Slice the sponge cake into eight individual circular shapes that will fit into the vessel of your choice. Set them aside.
• Pour about eight tablespoons of sherry into a glass. No, this is not for you to drink while you assemble. It’s for use in the recipe. Of course, you can pour another glass for your own consumption while you do this.

Assembling the Perfect Individual Trifle

Now that we have all our ingredients in place, we can start the assembling process:

• First, let’s place about two tablespoons of the fresh raspberries in the bottom of whatever vessel you are using to assemble the individual trifle (jar in my case).
• Next, let’s place one of the circles of sponge cake on top of the raspberries.
• Then, pour about one tablespoon of sherry on top of the sponge and give it a few seconds to get absorbed into the sponge. The sherry is optional. If making it for kids, you can always skip this step.

• Next, let’s pour about a quarter cup of the thick custard on top of the sherry-soaked sponge cake.
• Add about one tablespoon of shelled pistachios on top of the custard. This is an optional step. I love having the crunch of the pistachios as a surprise in the center of the trifle.
• Now add about two tablespoons of jam-soaked strawberries on top of the custard. This is the reason you need your custard to be thick. Because if your custard was not thick enough, it would just run through and the fruit would just get mixed right through. You want to be able to see the layers.
• Add a second sponge cake on top of the strawberries and pour another tablespoon of sherry on top of the sponge. Allow it another little bit to soak into the sponge.
• Finally, add another quarter cup of custard on top of the second sponge. Now you are almost ready to enjoy your individual trifle.

Adding the Fresh Cream

No trifle is complete without fresh whipped cream.

• Whip about a half cup of fresh cream.
• Add about a quarter of the whipped cream to each jar.
• Finally, chop some of the pistachios using a sharp knife or mortar and pestle and sprinkle them on top of the whipped cream. Enjoy cold.

Variations for the Perfect Individual Trifle:

I love varying this trifle recipe from time to time to keep it interesting.

• I love replacing the berries with Bananas. Bananas taste delicious with custard and this individual trifle will taste amazing with the addition of some bananas in place of the berries too.
• Don’t like sherry, try to replace it with some brandy. Brandy gives trifle a great flavour.
• Want to keep it nut free? you can sprinkle some shaved chocolate on the top in place of the pistachios.

Tried and Liked the Recipe?

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