Carrie and I recently had English Trifle for the first time.

English trifle is a quite delicious desert.

I still need to get the exact recipe for the English trifle we had, but since I don’t have that recipe yet, I thought I would post a few other recipes for English Trifle.

The basic idea of English trifle is that it’s a layered desert, using cream, cookies, and spices to create wonderful taste sensations.

To me, it tasted a bit like the time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

English Trifle Recipe #1

Add a little bit of English Trifle to your Christmas dinner. This decadent dessert includes fruit, creamy custard and more, making for a bowl of hidden delights for kids and adults to enjoy.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. Spread jam on one side of the sponge cake and place it at the bottom of a trifle dish – usually a round glass dish about the same size as the cake.
2. Place the half pears on top of the cake (juice is not needed).
3. Prepare a fruit jello and pour it on top, then chill until it is solid.
4. In the meantime make about a liter of custard (in Britain people use custard powder, but you can do it from scratch with eggs also).
5. Pour the warm custard on top of the jello and let it thicken and cool.
6. Then put whipped cream on top – either cover the top or decorate with the whipped cream and the almonds.
7. Chill and serve.

English Trifle Recipe #2: Traditional English trifle

Preparation time: over 2 hours
Cooking time: 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves 8

Ingredients
For the madeira cake

• 85g/3oz butter, at room temperature
• 85g/3oz caster sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 125g/4½ oz self-raising flour
• 3 tbsp full-cream milk
• ½ lemon, finely grated zest only

For the topping

• 330ml/10 fl oz full cream milk
• 750ml/1¼ pints double cream
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 rounded tbsp cornflour
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 tbsp good-quality raspberry jam
• 6 tbsp Oloroso (sweet) sherry

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 450g/1 lb loaf tin, line the base with greaseproof paper and grease the paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture curdling.
3. Sift over the flour and gently fold it in, with enough milk to give a mixture that falls reluctantly from the spoon. Fold in the lemon zest.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top and bake for 30-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
5. Cool in the tin for ten minutes then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. The cake can be made up to four days in advance and kept tightly wrapped in clingfilm.
6. For the custard, bring the milk and 300ml/10fl oz of the cream to the boil in a non-stick pan. Beat the egg yolks, cornflour and sugar together in a bowl, then gradually whisk in the hot milk and cream.
7. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for about ten minutes, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take care not to let it boil as it will curdle.
8. Transfer the custard to a bowl and leave to cool.
9. Cut the madeira cake into slices one centimetre (half an inch) thick and arrange a single layer over the base of the bowl. Spread the layer with two tablespoons of raspberry jam and lay another layer of cake on top (you might not need to use all the cake).
10. Spread the second layer with another two tablespoons of raspberry jam and sprinkle over the sherry.
11. Pour the custard over the cake, cover with clingfilm and chill for at least three hours.
12. Whip the remaining cream into soft peaks. Uncover the trifle, spoon over the cream and return it to the fridge until you are ready to serve.

English Trifle Recipe #3

Ingredients

* 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
* 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
* 1 (9 inch) angel food cake
* 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
* 3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
* 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
* 3 bananas, peeled and sliced
* 1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
* 1 sprig fresh mint

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, fold sour cream and unprepared pudding mix into the whipped topping.
2. Cut the cake into thirds, horizontally.
3. Line a large trifle or other glass serving bowl with kiwi and strawberry slices, reserving two whole strawberries and two kiwi slices. Place one layer of cake in bottom of bowl, top with 1/3 of bananas and pineapple, and 1/3 of whipped topping mixture. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used.
4. Make fan garnishes of whole strawberries by slicing from just below the stem. Garnish assembled trifle with fanned strawberries, reserved kiwi slices, and a sprig of mint. Refrigerate until serving.

English Trifle Recipe #4

English Trifle Recipe #5: Death By Chocolate