Ingredients:
- 1 x 350g Madeira or pound cake, cut into 3cm cubes
- ¼ cup Cointreau (or orange juice)
- Thick custard
- 125g caster sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup cornflour
- 3 cups full-fat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- 30g unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
Cranberry jelly
- 1.5 litres cranberry juice, sugar added (see note)
- 7 tsp gelatine powder
Fruit
- 4 large mangoes, flesh removed, cut into 0.5cm slices
- 2 punnets raspberries
- 1 punnet strawberries
- 12 cherries
- 10 small mint leaves silver balls and gold dust, for sparkle
Cream
- 2½ cups thickened cream
- 3 tbsp soft icing sugar, sifted
- 1½ tsp vanilla
24-48 hours ahead
- For the custard, whisk half the sugar with the egg yolks in a large bowl.
- Add cornflour and whisk until smooth.
- Bring milk, vanilla and the other half of the sugar to a near boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Slowly pour it into the egg mixture in a very thin stream while whisking constantly (this stops the egg from scrambling). Once all the milk is added, whisk well to combine then pour it back into the saucepan. Set over low heat and whisk constantly so the base doesn’t catch. Within a minute or two, it will start to thicken. When you see big lazy bubbles appear (pause whisking to check), whisk for another 30 seconds then remove from the stove.
- Whisk in butter and strain into a bowl.
- Cover with cling film pressed against the surface, cool to room temperature for 1 hour and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Cranberry jelly
- Heat half the cranberry juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Pour remaining cranberry juice into a large bowl and sprinkle gelatin across the surface (don’t dump in one place then whisk to dissolve. Pour in hot cranberry juice and whisk. Tip into a pouring jug.
Stage-one layering
- Place cake cubes across base of a 3.5 litre trifle dish. Sprinkle with Cointreau. Pour half the warm jelly mixture down the side of the trifle dish (to avoid escaped cake crumbs).
- Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 hours until set. Leave remaining cranberry jelly mixture on the bench, do not refrigerate. Place a 2cm-thick mango layer on top of the set jelly.
- For the custard layer, remove custard bowl from fridge. It will be firm so mix vigorously to loosen, then whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Spread on jelly/mango layer, smooth surface and refrigerate 1 hour to firm up. This will create neat layers.
Stage-two layering
- At this point, put the remaining jelly in the fridge and refrigerate for 1 hour. This will slightly thicken the liquid.
- To make the jelly layer, slowly pour the jelly down the wall of the trifle dish so it gently spreads across the set custard surface without breaking it.
- Gently place hulled and quartered strawberries into the jelly.
- Refrigerate 2 hours or until jelly is set, or you are ready to serve.
Christmas Day
- Place cream ingredients in a large bowl and whip to soft peaks. Top trifle with a 2cm-thick layer of mango Pile on cream. Top with raspberries, cherries, more mango slices, and mint leaves. Sprinkle with silver balls and dust with gold powder.
- Make a dramatic entrance with your creation.
- Enjoy how beautiful it looks before everyone digs in and destroys it.
- Loosen belt buckle and reflect on your life choices.