TOWERING CHERRY TRIFLE

Towering Cherry Trifle image

Trifle is very traditional British dessert, all about generosity and layers. It's the perfect chilled make-ahead dessert of fruit jelly, sponge cake covered with layers of custard and jelly, and topped with whipped cream.

Provided by Food Network

Categories dessert

Time 9h10m

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

One 10-ounce bag frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed, not drained
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon orange zest (save the rest of the orange for assembling the trifle)
One 3-ounce (85-gram) packet vegan raspberry jelly granules
2 to 2 1/2 cups boiling water
One 10-ounce bag frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed and drained
2 cups vegan heavy cream
1 pound vanilla pound cake (I use a vegan cake mix)
Zest of the remaining orange
3 ounces (90 grams) dark chocolate, thinly sliced
32 ounces store-bought or homemade Vanilla Custard, recipe follows
2 tablespoons store-bought toasted flaked almonds
4 cups cashew milk
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 cup cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cashew milk

Steps:

For the cherry compote: Tip the cherries into a medium saucepan along with any juices, and bring to a gentle bubbling simmer over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Press down using a masher or fork. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and the orange zest. Simmer for about 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to cool, about 10 minutes.
For the jelly: Put the jelly granules into a liquid measuring cup and top up with boiling water according to the packet's instructions. Stir until the granules dissolve.
Assembling the trifle: Pour half of the jelly into the bottom of a 2-quart (2-liter) trifle bowl. Scatter in half of the drained and thawed cherries. Leave to one side to set according to the directions of the packet of jelly granules. Set aside the remaining jelly.
Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form, and set to one side.
Once the jelly has firmed up, break the pound cake up into rough pieces and scatter half on top of the jelly. Grate over some orange zest and scatter over half of the chocolate pieces.
Spoon over half of the custard, starting at the edges and working your way into the center to ensure defined layers around the edge of the bowl.
Next pour over the cherry compote, again starting at the edges.
Stir the reserved jelly to break it up and spoon it on top of the compote layer.
Now add the rest of the cake and another grating of orange zest. Scatter over the remaining drained and thawed cherries, sprinkle over some of the remaining chocolate and then pour on the rest of the custard again, starting at the edges. Pile the whipped cream on top. Zest over the remaining orange, scatter the remaining chocolate and finish with the toasted almonds.
Add the cashew milk, sugar, vanilla extract and turmeric to a large saucepan and slowly heat over medium-low heat. Once hot, pour in the cornstarch slurry and stir continuously until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Chill in the fridge overnight.