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Creamy Christmas Trifle Delight

Creamy Christmas Trifle Delight - featured image
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A festive layered dessert combining spiced cake, creamy vanilla custard, and mixed berries, perfect for holiday gatherings and potlucks.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 box spiced cake mix (about 15 oz / 425 g) or homemade spice cake
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (240 ml) water
  • 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
  • 2 cups (300 g) mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) berry jam or preserves (optional)
  • Toasted sliced almonds or crushed festive cookies (for garnish)
  • Fresh mint leaves or powdered sugar (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix spiced cake mix, eggs, oil, and water until smooth. Pour into greased 9×13 inch pan and bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.
  2. In a medium saucepan, warm milk over medium heat until steaming but not boiling (about 5 minutes). In a bowl, whisk sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch until smooth. Temper egg mixture by slowly adding 1/2 cup warm milk while whisking. Pour mixture back into saucepan with remaining milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly (5-7 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract. Cover custard with plastic wrap pressed on surface and chill for 1 hour.
  3. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks using electric mixer or hand whisk. Gently fold whipped cream into chilled custard without overmixing.
  4. If using frozen berries, thaw and drain excess liquid. Toss berries with berry jam or preserves if desired.
  5. Cut cooled cake into 1-inch cubes. In trifle bowl or glasses, layer cake cubes, custard, and berries. Repeat layers, finishing with custard on top.
  6. Garnish with toasted almonds or crushed cookies, fresh mint leaves, or powdered sugar. Chill trifle at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes

Temper egg yolks slowly with warm milk to avoid lumps. Whip cream to soft peaks to keep custard airy. Layer loosely to maintain light texture. Chill at least 2 hours for best flavor melding. Cake can be baked a day ahead and custard made hours ahead for easy assembly.

Nutrition

Keywords: Christmas dessert, trifle, layered dessert, holiday recipe, spiced cake, custard, berries, festive dessert

Find it online: https://juliamadeit.com/creamy-christmas-trifle-delight-recipe-easy-festive-layered-dessert/