35 Min

Summer Trifle

It’s been a rough few days for us Houstonians and despite the ominous possibilities of the current hurricane season, we need to find small ways to celebrate life. Summer trifle, which is more of a celebration of fruit, may be the epitome of that. Trifle also has endless possibilities, and it was one of my mother’s favorite go to desserts. Sometimes, there would be delicate blobs of flavored jelly, sometimes just custard and fruit but there were always chunks of cake pieces that floated about with the fruit.

Here, I bring you a trifle with saffron custard, an old cake soaked in cinnamon milk and copious amounts of fruit. Use any cake, a pound cake, sponge cake, or one made from a cake mix. Saffron, a delicious spice that is cooling to our bodies however is not essential to the recipe so switch it for plain old vanilla, cardamom or another flavor. Build a trifle with any and all summer fruit you can get your hands on from peaches to cherries to mangoes, invite your neighbors over, sit on the porch and dig in!

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Cook Time

35 minutes + cooling time

Serves

8

Directions

To make the cinnamon milk

Step 1

Combine the whole milk with cinnamon and sugar and bring to a boil in a small stockpot over high heat. As soon as it boils, turn the heat off and let it cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the custard

Step 1

Combine the whole milk, cream, saffron and salt in a large stockpot over high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and whole eggs until smooth.

Step 3

Pour about a cup of the hot saffron cream mixture into the bowl with the sugar-egg mixture and whisk together. Then pour the entire mixture back into the stockpot.

Step 4

Place the mixture on the stove over medium heat, continuously whisking until the comes to a gentle rolling boil. Take it off the heat, stir the butter in and place the custard over ice, whisking frequently until it cools down. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the trifle

Step 1

First place a layer of cake pieces on the bottom of the serving dish. Pour half of the cinnamon milk over it.

Step 2

Spread half the blackberries over it, a thin layer of the toasted almonds then spread half the saffron custard on top. Top the custard off with a generous layer of fruits.

Step 3

Repeat the layers and end with more fruit and almonds on top.

Notes & Variations

The custard and cinnamon milk can be made the day before and the trifle should be assembled the day you are serving it. It can also be assembled in individual glasses or dessert cups.
Don’t use fruits with a high-water content like melons or oranges in a trifle – it will make the trifle too soggy.
Instead of cake, use crumbed shortbread cookies.

Ingredients

6 to 8 cups of cut up fruit (mango, pitted cherries, peaches, strawberries, etc)

3 cups of blackberries, mashed or muddled

4 cups of cake pieces, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds

Cinnamon milk:

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Saffron Custard:

2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

Generous pinch of saffron

Small pinch salt

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 whole eggs

1/4 cup (4 oz) butter

To make the cinnamon milk

Step 1

Combine the whole milk with cinnamon and sugar and bring to a boil in a small stockpot over high heat. As soon as it boils, turn the heat off and let it cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the custard

Step 1

Combine the whole milk, cream, saffron and salt in a large stockpot over high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and whole eggs until smooth.

Step 3

Pour about a cup of the hot saffron cream mixture into the bowl with the sugar-egg mixture and whisk together. Then pour the entire mixture back into the stockpot.

Step 4

To make the trifle

Step 1

First place a layer of cake pieces on the bottom of the serving dish. Pour half of the cinnamon milk over it.

Step 2

Spread half the blackberries over it, a thin layer of the toasted almonds then spread half the saffron custard on top. Top the custard off with a generous layer of fruits.

Step 3

Repeat the layers and end with more fruit and almonds on top.

6 to 8 cups of cut up fruit (mango, pitted cherries, peaches, strawberries, etc)

3 cups of blackberries, mashed or muddled

4 cups of cake pieces, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds

Cinnamon milk:

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Saffron Custard:

2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

Generous pinch of saffron

Small pinch salt

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 whole eggs

1/4 cup (4 oz) butter

Notes & Variations

The custard and cinnamon milk can be made the day before and the trifle should be assembled the day you are serving it. It can also be assembled in individual glasses or dessert cups.
Don’t use fruits with a high-water content like melons or oranges in a trifle – it will make the trifle too soggy.
Instead of cake, use crumbed shortbread cookies.

Tags:

35 Min

Tags:

35 Min

DESSERTS THAT SCREAM SUMMERTIME.

It's gonna be a sweet, sweet summer.

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