Mary Berry’s Christmas Trifle is made with dried apricots, cranberries, dried pineapple, trifle sponges, apricot jam, ratafia biscuits, and medium-dry sherry. This delicious Christmas Trifle recipe creates a festive dessert that takes about 5 hours to prepare and can serve up to 10 people.
Mary Berry Christmas Trifle Ingredients
For the Fruit Compôte:
- 1 lemon, finely grated zest only
- 250g/9oz ready-to-eat dried apricots
- 150g/5½oz dried, sweet cranberries
- 150g/5½oz dried pineapple
For the Custard:
- 3 large free-range egg yolks
- 35g/1¼oz cornflour
- 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
- 600ml/20fl oz milk
- 300ml/10fl oz single cream
For the Filling:
- 16 trifle sponges
- ½ jar apricot jam
- 20 ratafia biscuits (or amaretti biscuits)
- 250ml/9fl oz medium-dry sherry
To Decorate:
- 600ml/20fl oz double cream
- 50g/1¾oz flaked almonds, toasted
- Reserved apricots and cranberries from the fruit compôte
How To Make Mary Berry Christmas Trifle
- Fruit Compôte: Pour 600ml/20fl oz water into a large pan, add lemon zest, and bring to a boil. Add apricots, cranberries, and pineapple (reserve 2 apricots and 5 cranberries for decoration). Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for at least 4 hours or overnight. Strain fruit, reserving syrup.
- Custard: Whisk egg yolks, cornflour, and sugar together in a large bowl. Heat milk and cream in a pan until hot but not boiling. Gradually whisk into yolks, then return to the pan. Stir over high heat until the mixture thickens and just comes to a boil. Cool.
- Filling: Split trifle sponges and spread with apricot jam. Sandwich and arrange in the base of a 3-litre/5¾ pint trifle dish. Crumble ratafia biscuits over the sponge. Mix 250ml/9fl oz reserved fruit syrup with sherry and sprinkle over the sponge and biscuits. Press down with a spoon. Scatter fruit over the sponge and spread with cooled custard. Chill until set.
- Decoration: Beat double cream until just stiff. Spoon half into a piping bag with a plain nozzle. Spread the remaining cream over the custard and scatter with toasted almonds. Pipe blobs of cream around the edge. Decorate with thinly sliced reserved apricots and cranberries. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Cool the fruit compôte thoroughly: Let the fruit compôte cool completely before straining and assembling the trifle. This ensures the flavors meld together and prevents the custard from curdling.
- Use fresh double cream: For the best texture and flavor, beat fresh double cream until just stiff. Avoid overbeating to prevent it from becoming too thick.
- Press down the sponge layers: After adding the soaked sponge and biscuit layers, press down gently with a spoon to ensure they absorb the syrup evenly and don’t float.
- Allow time for chilling: Make sure to chill the trifle for several hours or overnight. This helps the layers set properly and improves the overall flavor and texture.
- Decorate before serving: Add the cream and almond decorations just before serving to keep them fresh and visually appealing. This prevents the cream from separating or the almonds from becoming soggy.
What To Serve With Christmas Trifle?
This creamy Christmas Trifle pairs well with mince pies, gingerbread cookies, or fruitcake. It also can be served alongside shortbread, roasted nuts, or chocolate truffles for a delicious festive dessert.
How To Store Leftovers Christmas Trifle?
- Refrigerate: Let the leftover Christmas Trifle cool to room temperature before covering it with plastic wrap or a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Freezing is not recommended for Christmas Trifle as the custard and cream can separate and become watery upon thawing.
Mary Berry Christmas Trifle Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 serving (assuming the recipe serves 10)
- Calories: 460
- Total Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Cholesterol: 165mg
- Sodium: 130mg
- Potassium: 270mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 58g
- Dietary Fiber: 3g
- Sugars: 40g
- Protein: 6g
Try More Mary Berry Recipes:
- Mary Berry Salmon En Croute
- Mary Berry Lamb Casserole
- Mary Berry Plum Tarte Tatin
- Mary Berry Beef Casserole
Mary Berry Christmas Trifle
Description
Mary Berry’s Christmas Trifle is made with dried apricots, cranberries, dried pineapple, trifle sponges, apricot jam, ratafia biscuits, and medium-dry sherry. This delicious Christmas Trifle recipe creates a festive dessert that takes about 5 hours to prepare and can serve up to 10 people.
Ingredients
For the Fruit Compôte:
For the Custard:
For the Filling:
To Decorate:
Instructions
- Fruit Compôte: Pour 600ml/20fl oz water into a large pan, add lemon zest, and bring to a boil. Add apricots, cranberries, and pineapple (reserve 2 apricots and 5 cranberries for decoration). Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for at least 4 hours or overnight. Strain fruit, reserving syrup.
- Custard: Whisk egg yolks, cornflour, and sugar together in a large bowl. Heat milk and cream in a pan until hot but not boiling. Gradually whisk into yolks, then return to the pan. Stir over high heat until the mixture thickens and just comes to a boil. Cool.
- Filling: Split trifle sponges and spread with apricot jam. Sandwich and arrange in the base of a 3-litre/5¾ pint trifle dish. Crumble ratafia biscuits over the sponge. Mix 250ml/9fl oz reserved fruit syrup with sherry and sprinkle over the sponge and biscuits. Press down with a spoon. Scatter fruit over the sponge and spread with cooled custard. Chill until set.
- Decoration: Beat double cream until just stiff. Spoon half into a piping bag with a plain nozzle. Spread the remaining cream over the custard and scatter with toasted almonds. Pipe blobs of cream around the edge. Decorate with thinly sliced reserved apricots and cranberries. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Notes
- Cool the fruit compôte thoroughly: Let the fruit compôte cool completely before straining and assembling the trifle. This ensures the flavors meld together and prevents the custard from curdling.
- Use fresh double cream: For the best texture and flavor, beat fresh double cream until just stiff. Avoid overbeating to prevent it from becoming too thick.
- Press down the sponge layers: After adding the soaked sponge and biscuit layers, press down gently with a spoon to ensure they absorb the syrup evenly and don’t float.
- Allow time for chilling: Make sure to chill the trifle for several hours or overnight. This helps the layers set properly and improves the overall flavor and texture.
- Decorate before serving: Add the cream and almond decorations just before serving to keep them fresh and visually appealing. This prevents the cream from separating or the almonds from becoming soggy.
Mary Berry Christmas Trifle