Ingredients
| VANILLA CAKE | |
| 100g salted butter, melted | |
| 100g sugar | |
| 50g brown sugar | |
| 2 eggs | |
| 130g cream or yoghurt | |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla essence | |
| ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste | |
| 200g flour | |
| 1½ teaspoons baking powder | |
| STRAWBERRY COMPOTE | |
| 500g strawberries, tops removed | |
| 150g sugar | |
| 1 tablespoon lemon juice | |
| 1 teaspoon cornflour | |
| STRAWBERRY CREAM | |
| 500g strawberries, fresh or frozen and defrosted, tops removed | |
| 50g icing sugar | |
| 250g cream | |
| 250g mascarpone (I use Tatua brand) | |
| ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence | |
| TO SERVE | |
| 500g fresh strawberries, cut into eighths | |
| fresh basil | |
| a few pieces of cinnamon streusel from the Speculoos Bundt Wreath recipe (optional) |
I love the idea of a trifle for Christmas Day – the grandness of it is just so celebratory. This version highlights the best summer strawberries and replaces traditional custard with a light strawberry cream, making this trifle the perfect Christmas dessert.
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Instructions
| 1. | VANILLA CAKE |
| 2. | Heat the oven to 150°C. |
| 3. | Spray a 20cm cake tin with spray oil and line the base with baking paper (or use a tin the same or similar size as your trifle bowl). |
| 4. | Whisk the melted butter and both sugars together until combined. |
| 5. | Whisk in the eggs, followed by the cream or yoghurt and both vanillas. |
| 6. | Whisk in the flour and baking powder until you have a smooth batter, then pour this into the lined tin. |
| 7. | Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. |
| 8. | Allow the cake to cool, then trim off the domed top and put the cake in the base of the trifle bowl. |
| 9. | STRAWBERRY COMPOTE |
| 10. | Put the strawberries and sugar together in a pot. |
| 11. | Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the strawberries have completely broken down, about 5-10 minutes. |
| 12. | Stir the lemon juice and cornflour together to form a slurry then stir this into the strawberry compote. |
| 13. | Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened. |
| 14. | Allow the compote to cool before pouring over the vanilla cake. |
| 15. | STRAWBERRY CREAM |
| 16. | Blend the strawberries and icing sugar together to form a smooth purée. |
| 17. | Add all the remaing ingredients and use an electric whisk or stand mixer to whisk together until you have a stiff peaked cream. |
| 18. | Pour the cream over the compote and level off with a spoon or palette knife. |
| 19. | Chill the trifle, preferably overnight, before finishing. |
| 20. | TO SERVE |
| 21. | The day of serving, spoon the strawberries on top of the strawberry cream. |
| 22. | Decorate with fresh basil leaves and pieces of the cinnamon streusel (if using). |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith
Photography Aaron McLean
Styling Fiona Lascelles