The English Trifle Cake is an alternative to the traditional English trifle, perfect for many occasions such as birthdays. The English trifle is a dessert from our tradition that guarantees success. To make this cake, I used the classic base for grandma’s English trifle ( here’s the recipe). For the chocolate custard, I chose a firmer cream that is also suitable for decoration, compared to grandma’s English trifle.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 6 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 lemon (grated zest)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 oz egg yolks
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp rice starch
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 7 oz egg yolks
- 8 1/2 oz 70% dark chocolate
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 3/4 cups alchermes
- 3/4 cup water
Tools
- 3 Bowls
- 2 Pots
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Baking pan
- 1 Knife
Steps
Beat the eggs with the sugar and lemon zest using an electric mixer or stand mixer.
Meanwhile, sift the flour with the baking powder in a bowl.
When the mixture is light and frothy, fold in the sifted flour gently with a spatula, from bottom to top without deflating the mixture.
Pour into a greased and lightly floured 10×8 inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly, then remove from the pan and let it cool completely.
Open the vanilla and extract the seeds. Heat the milk with the vanilla bean. Mix the vanilla seeds with the eggs and sugar and beat.
Add the starches and mix well. Pour the hot milk into the cream, mix with a whisk, and cook, stirring constantly.
Place the cream in a low, wide container. Cover with cling film in contact. Cool quickly and transfer to the fridge for a few hours.
Heat the milk. Chop the chocolate and set aside. Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla seeds. Add the cornstarch and mix well.
Pour the egg mixture into the hot milk and mix. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and mix with a spatula. Cover with cling film and cool immediately.
Mix the alchermes with the water.
Cut the base into three parts. Place the bottom layer on a rectangular plate.
Lightly soak, without saturating too much, using a spoon or the proper spray bottle.
Spread half of the chocolate custard on the bottom. Place the second layer of base on top. Soak again with the syrup.
Spread the custard and close with the last layer of base. Soak again with the syrup but this time soak well.
Decorate with the other half of the chocolate custard. Let it rest for at least 6 hours in the fridge, if overnight it’s even better.
