Strawberry Trifle
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
- 460g/1lb sponge or madeira cake (I recommend my hot milk sponge cake or use bought)
- 500g/1.1lbs strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
- 250g/8.8ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For Creme Diplomat
- 2 cups/500ml/1pint milk
- 130g/4.6ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 30g/1ozs cornflour/fine cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch salt
- 250ml/8.8ozs pure or thickened cream, very cold
For assembling
- 250ml/8.8ozs pure or thickened cream, very cold
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 250g/8.8ozs fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- 50g/1.7ozs white chocolate for shaving
Step 1 - First make the strawberry sauce and the custard. You can do this up to 3 days ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Place the strawberries up in a medium saucepan with the sugar. Bring to a simmer for 5-8 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the strawberries have softened. Set aside to cool and puree with a stick blender. Store in the fridge once cool.
Step 2 - Heat the milk in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan. In a large jug whisk the egg yolks, egg, sugar, cornflour, vanilla and salt together until pale and fluffy. When the milk is almost bubbling at the edges, take it off the heat. Ladle one scoop of the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk it in to temper the eggs. Then pour this egg mixture into the saucepan into the milk and whisk to combine. Switch to a flat bottomed spatula and place on low heat and allow to thicken gradually stirring occasionally to prevent it from catching on the bottom. Thermomix directions: place all ingredients in a TM bowl and set to 7 mins, 90C/ speed #4. Place in a bowl, cover the actual surface with cling film and allow to cool on the bench to room temperature. Place the creme diplomat in the fridge until needed.
Step 3 - Place the bowl and whisk into the freezer for 5 minutes just to make sure that they are very cold. Whisk the first cup of whipped cream until you get soft peaks and fold it into the chilled custard to create creme diplomat. Thermomix directions: place the TM bowl and butterfly whisk in the freezer for 5 minutes. Place the cream in the bowl and set to speed #4 and remove the MC and watch it until it becomes whipped and thick. Fold this whipped cream into the chilled custard to make creme diplomat. Place in the fridge until needed.
Step 4 - Now comes the fun part-assembling! Cut the sponge cake into 4x7cm/1.6x2.7inch rectangles and place on the base of the trifle bowl leaning against each other on an angle (you will have some cake leftover). Scoop the strawberry sauce on top of the cake, using around half of the sauce. Spread half of the creme diplomat on top of this. Grate some white chocolate on top of the creme.
Step 5 - Then place the halved strawberries around the glass cut side facing outwards. Place the remaining cake in the centre and add a ladleful of the strawberry sauce on top of this and grate some more white chocolate. Add the remaining creme diplomat on top. Then pour over the remaining strawberry sauce. At this point you can hit pause and cover and store this for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Step 6 - On the day of serving, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until you get soft peaks. Thermomix directions: place the TM bowl and butterfly whisk in the freezer for 5 minutes. Place the cream in the bowl and set to speed #4 and remove the MC and watch it until it becomes whipped and thick. Dollop this on top of the trifle and add the remaining strawberries (quartered or halved). Grate some white chocolate on top and serve.