You’ve learned how to make a Mary Berry trifle, you may even have had a go at a Jamie Oliver trifle. Now try Craft Gin Club’s fabulous Sloe Gin & Strawberry Trifle!
Creamy, custardy and berry-licious in all of the right places, and so easy to make at home, it’s the perfect trifle dessert recipe for the coronation and beyond. Give it a go!
Yes…strawberries and sloe gin! Those two unique yet delicious berry flavour profiles give this trifle a fabulous range of fresh and rich fruity tones that work so well with the traditional trifle elements of cake, custard and cream.
What is a traditional English trifle recipe?
The traditional English trifle is a cold dessert that layers fresh fruit with whipped cream, custard and pieces of cake that have been soaked in alcohol, most commonly sherry. It is traditionally served in a clear glass trifle bowl so that you can see the layering of the ingredients beneath the cream on top.
Should trifle have jelly in it?
You should expect to find jelly in a traditional trifle recipe, however, trifle recipes are incredibly versatile, with many diverging from that traditional trifle definition. This includes chocolate trifles and others like Craft Gin Club’s Pink Gin & Summer Berry Trifle, which is made without jelly and is still very delicious indeed. You can find the full recipe here!
What is the best way to layer a trifle?
The best way to layer a trifle is with patience, giving each layer the chance to set before adding the next. We also recommend making sure that your custard is fully cooled before adding it on top of your jelly and cake layers.
The most common and traditional way to order trifle layers is to start with the booze-soaked cake at the bottom, then add your fresh fruit and jelly, and then add the custard. The whipped cream then forms the top layer, normally garnished with sliced almonds and/or grated chocolate, or fresh fruit.
How to make the best coronation trifle 2023:
Makes one large trifle or six to eight smaller trifles
For the cake and jelly layer:
250g of day-old Madeira cake, sponge cake or pound cake (find a great pound cake recipe here!)
300ml sloe gin
400g fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
Juice of one orange
180g sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vanilla paste
2 leaves of gelatin soaked in cold water
For the custard layer:
250ml full-fat milk
250ml cream
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp caster sugar
For the whipped cream layer:
300ml double cream
Fresh summer berries and mint, to garnish
Roasted flaked almonds, to garnish (optional)
Grated dark chocolate, to garnish (optional)
Preheat your oven to 180c. Start by cutting the cake into large chunks and placing them in a layer at the bottom of your trifle bowl. Drizzle 150ml of the sloe gin onto the cake and leave to soak. Add 200g of fresh strawberries on top of the cake.
Add the remaining 200g of the fresh strawberries to a baking tray with the remaining sloe gin. Add the sugar, orange juice, balsamic vinegar and vanilla paste. Stir everything evenly through the strawberries in the tray.
Bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and strain into a jug - do not press down on the baked strawberries, just let the liquid run off them.
Once strained, keep the baked strawberries to one side for later. You should be left with around 200ml liquid. If not, top up with gin or the juice of fresh oranges.Place the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes or until softened. Remove the leaves and squeeze out any excess water. Stir the leaves into the warm baked strawberry juice and pour over the cake at the bottom of the trifle bowl. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Make the custard by adding the cream, milk and vanilla to a pan on medium heat and bring them to just below a boil. Remove from the heat.
In a bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until lighter in colour. Mix in the cornflour until fully incorporated. Slowly pour in the hot milk and cream, whisking continually until fully incorporated. Add the custard mixture back to the pan on low heat and cook until thickened while stirring continually. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Place clingfilm directly against the surface of the custard to stop skin from forming.
Place the cold custard in a layer over the set jelly. Place the baked strawberries in a layer over the custard.
Top the trifle recipe off by whipping the double cream and pouring it over the roast strawberry layer. Garnish with fresh strawberries, raspberries and mint. Enjoy!
“If the custard overheats it will “scramble”. This can be saved by blending the mixture with a little extra cream to help return it to a luscious, velvety texture. ”
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