The Ultimate Summer Trifle
This to me is the perfect summer trifle. My version is made with stone fruit (peaches, nectarines and apricots) but it can easily be made with any berries or stone fruit. There may seem like a lot of components but they can all be made days apart, and the trifle can even be frozen before adding the jelly layer. You can also customise it to suit your taste, want more jelly? just make less compote! More cake? double the cake recipe! Moore boozy? replace some of the peach nectar with alcohol of your choice!
MAKES ONE 2.5L TRIFLE - FEEDS AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE
STONE FRUIT COMPOTE
800G ROUGHLY CHOPPED STONE FRUIT (WEIGHED AFTER CHOPPING. I USED A MIX OF PEACH, NECTARINE AND APRICOTS)
100G SUGAR
1/4 TSP VANILLA BEAN PASTE
50G WATER
25G LEMON JUICE
Place everything in a large pot and mix to combine. Cook over a low heat, stirring ocassionally, until the fruit has broken down (about 20 minutes), you can also use a whisk to help break down the fruit. Taste your compote and adjust the flavour as needed, adding more lemon juice if it is too sweet or more sugar if it is too sour. Once you're happy with the flavour and texture of your compote, pour it into your trifle dish and place the dish in the fridge or the freezer to chill. If stored in the fridge the compote will last one week, or one month in the freezer.
VANILLA CAKE
60G MELTED BUTTER
40G CANOLA OR OTHER FLAVOURLESS OIL
40G MILK
1 TSP WHITE VINEGAR
1/8 TSP VANILLA BEAN PASTE OR 1/2 TSP VANILLA ESSENCE
2 EGGS (I USE SIZE 7 FREE RANGE)
100G SUGAR
100G FLOUR (GLUTEN FREE IF DESIRED)
1 TSP BAKING POWDER
Preheat the oven to 170c and line a baking tray with baking paper, or spray a round cake ring with spray oil. You can really bake the cake in anything you like, and cut or not cut it into pieces for your trifle as desired (I baked mine in a ring that was 2cm smaller than my trifle bowl, so it's hidden by the mousse). If you're baking your cake in something smaller but thicker (eg a loaf tin) the cake will take longer to bake. If you bake it in something bigger and thinner (like spread over a half sheet tray) the cake will bake more quickly.
Whisk the butter, oil, milk, vinegar, vanilla and sugar together until smooth. Add in the eggs and whisk to combine, then whisk in the flour and baking powder to combine. Pour the cake batter into your baking vessel of choice. Bake at 170c until golden brown and just set to the touch - for reference my 18cm round cake baked in 15 minutes. Allow the cake to cool while you make the mousse.
BROWN SUGAR MOUSSE
2 2/3 SHEETS GELATINE (OR 1 1/3 TSP POWDER GELATINE MIXED WITH 2 2/3 TSP COLD WATER)
110G CREME FRAICHE
50G BROWN SUGAR
1/8 TSP VANILLA BEAN PASTE
160G MASCARPONE
320G CREAM
Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water, or mix the powder gelatine with the 2 2/3 tsp cold water (water does not need to be measured for sheet gelatine, but always needs to be measured for powder). Set aside for a few minutes to soften.
Place the creme fraiche, brown sugar and vanilla bean paste in a pot. Drain the gelatine (if using sheets, if using powder there is no need to drain off the water as it will have absorbed it) and place in the pot with the sugar. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatine has completely melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone. Set aside to cool while you whip your cream.
Whip the cream to soft peaks. Once the brown sugar mousse base is about body temperature, fold it into the whipped cream until just combined.
Place you vanilla cake on top of the fruit compote in the trifle dish, then pour your mousse on top of this. Level the mousse out with a palette knife and either chill for at least 4 hours (or up to three days) or freeze for up to two weeks. If freezing allow the trifle to defrost in the fridge overnight AFTER the jelly layer has been added.
PEACH JELLY
5 SHEETS GELATINE (OR 2.5 TSP POWDER GELATINE MIXED WITH 5 TSP COLD WATER)
500G PEACH NECTAR OR PEACH JUICE
1/16 TSP VANILLA BEAN PASTE
Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water, or mix the powder gelatine with the 5 tsp cold water (water does not need to be measured for sheet gelatine, but always needs to be measured for powder). Set aside for a few minutes to soften.
Place the peach nectar and vanilla bean paste in a pot. Drain the gelatine (if using sheets, if using powder there is no need to drain off the water as it will have absorbed it) and add to the peach nectar. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatine has melted into the peach nectar. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Once cool gently spoon the jelly over the set mousse. Return the trifle to the fridge for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. Do not freeze the trifle with the jelly as the texture will go weird.
BROWN SUGAR CRUMBLE
30G MELTED BUTTER
40G BROWN SUGAR
60G FLOUR (GLUTEN FREE IF DESIRED)
Preheat the oven to 170c and line a baking tray of any size with baking paper. Mix all the ingredients together and pour onto your tray. Pinch some of the crumble pieces together to form some larger clumps. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool and store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to one week.
TO FINISH
APPROXIMATELY 600G MIXED STONE FRUIT
1 LIME
15G SUGAR
1/ 16 TSP VANILLA BEAN PASTE
BROWN SUGAR CRUMBLE
ICING SUGAR
Cut the fruit into wedges and place in a bowl with the zest and juice of the lime, sugar and vanilla bean paste. Toss everything together so the fruit is well coated. Scoop the fruit on top of the jelly. Dust your brown sugar crumble with icing sugar, then decorate the fruit with the trifle. Serve as soon as possible after finishing with the fruit, to prevent the fruit from browning. If you need to add the fruit significantly ahead of time then toss it in a little bit of apricot jam, to stop the fruit from browning and drying out.
The finished trifle will last 3 days in the fridge, and will be the star of your holiday desserts!