Just a few sleeps left till Christmas! It’s quite challenging to entertain family and friends at home, if they expect turkey with all the trimmings, including dessert. If you’re looking for an easily prepared dessert, I might have something for you: trifle,
Trifle is an English Christmas dessert dish usually made from sponge cake, custard, sliced fruit and berries, alcohol or fruit juice, and whipped cream. These ingredients are arranged in layers. A classic trifle contains jelly, and sometimes the sponge cake is even soaked in jelly mix, which sets when refrigerated. The cake and jelly bind together and produce a pleasant texture. This version takes longer to make, however.
Some trifle recipes call for a splash of alcohol such as sherry or port. To prepare a trifle for non-drinkers or a family with little children, simply use fresh orange juice instead of alcohol to moisten the cake.
For this week’s recipe I present a very simple trifle, served in individual glasses. It is easy to make and tastes delicious with the addition of sliced mango. I also add mascarpone cheese to give the cream more texture. I can guarantee that you will impress your guests! Merry Christmas.
Mango Trifle
Mascarpone cheese and mango give a tropical twist to this trifle. Serves 10.
Ingredients
For Victorian sponge cake: 225 gr unsalted butter, very soft; 175 gr castor sugar; 4 eggs; 225 gr flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 vanilla pod, halved and scraped; 26 cm cake tin, floured and buttered.
For vanilla custard: 750 ml full cream milk; 4 egg yolks; 2 vanilla pods, halved and scraped; 2 tablespoons of corn flour.
For trifle: Victorian sponge cake, sliced; 1 pack strawberries, sliced; 2 mangos cut into squares; 3 kiwifruit, diced; 1 small glass Cointreau or orange juice; 2 packs of raspberries; 1 pack of red currants; 2 oranges, zest and squeeze to get the juice.
For the cream: 750 ml whipping cream; 250gr mascarpone cheese; 4 tablespoons caster sugar.
Directions:
1. 
To make the Victorian sponge cake, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Cream the butter and sugar for around 8-9 minutes with electric hand mixture or kitchen aid, until the mixture is soft. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and add one spoonful at a time until finished.
3. Add two tablespoons of milk.
4. Pour batter into tin and bake for about 35 minutes or until a thin knife or bamboo skewer comes out clean.
5. Leave the cake in the tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes before turning out and leaving to cool completely.
6. To make the vanilla custard, put the milk, vanilla beans and sugar into a medium pan. Bring the milk to a simmer and stir occasionally.
7. Put the egg yolk in a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons milk, whisk gently with a fork and strain into the milk mixture, stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture thickens slightly.
8. Add 2-3 tablespoons milk into the flour and mix well. Strain the mixture into the hot milk and egg mixture. Cook for another 5 minutes on gentle heat. Set aside to cool. Ready to use.
9. Whip the cream, mascarpone cheese and castor sugar for around 5 minutes until you have light, fluffy cream capable of forming peaks. Set aside in the refrigerator.
10. Lay out the sponge on the bottom of each martini glass. Scatter over the sliced strawberries and drizzle with Cointreau or orange juice. Add some custard.
11. Add chopped kiwi and mango and a layer of custard and cream. Finally, add more mixed berries, the final cream and more fruit on top.
12. Put in the fridge to chill before serving.
The post Food for Thought: A Trifle With a Tropical Twist to Round Out Your Christmas Dinner appeared first on The Jakarta Globe.