Fruitcake Trifle
Fruitcake cubes soaked in sherry, layered with custard and cream and left overnight to do its thing. The easiest festive dessert you will make this Christmas, and one of the most satisfying.
Trifle is a South African Christmas non-negotiable. No matter what else was on the table, the trifle bowl showed up. Every family had their version, sponge or fruitcake, sherry or brandy, jelly or no jelly, but the bones were always the same: cake, custard, cream and something sweet on top. This version uses fruitcake, which soaks up the sherry and custard in a way that plain sponge simply cannot match. It is the kind of dessert that tastes better the next day, which also means you can make it the night before and have one less thing to worry about on Christmas Day. In the UAE, fruitcake is available at Spinneys around the festive season, and the non-alcoholic version is just as good.
Ingredients
- 6 slices fruitcake, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 125 ml sherry, Van der Hum liqueur or brandy
- 250 ml ready-made custard
- 250 ml fresh cream, divided
- glacé cherries, fresh berries or mixed crystallised fruit
Method
- Place the fruitcake cubes in a large glass serving bowl. Pour the sherry (or non-alcoholic substitute) over the cake and leave for 5 minutes to absorb.
- Mix the custard with half the cream (125 ml) and pour over the soaked cake.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the custard to soak through.
- When ready to serve, lightly whip the remaining 125 ml of cream and spread over the top of the trifle.
- Decorate with glacé cherries, berries or crystallised fruit and serve cold.
Notes
Method
- Place fruitcake cubes in a glass bowl. Pour sherry or substitute over the cake. Leave for 5 minutes.
- Mix custard with half the cream. Pour over the cake.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Before serving, lightly whip the remaining cream and spread over the top.
- Decorate with glacé cherries, berries or crystallised fruit.
Make this the night before. It only gets better as it sits. For a non-alcoholic version, use strong rooibos tea sweetened with honey, or orange juice with a splash of vanilla.