It wouldn't be a royal celebration without a new trifle recipe and our Berries and Fizz Trifle is the perfect dessert for the Coronation of King Charles III.
Although it looks complicated to make, with its layers of sponge, custard, cream and berries in jelly, it's actually fairly straight forward. As a shortcut we've used store bought madeira cake but your can of course opt to make your own if you prefer.
The jelly layer is made using Prosecco (it is a celebration after all!). However, if you want a non alcoholic alternative to fizz, we recommend using elderflower cordial (see our tip below).
And if you're looking for a a drink to serve alongside the trifle, it will of course pair perfectly with something sparkling. We've rated the best supermarket Prosecco, so you know which one is the best.
sheets platinum grade leaf gelatine, we used Dr. Oetker
450ml
semi-skimmed milk
200ml
double cream
75g
caster sugar
11/2tsp.
vanilla bean paste
For the jelly layer
5
sheets platinum grade leaf gelatine, we used Dr. Oetker
75g
caster sugar
500ml
sparkling wine, we used Prosecco
250g
mixed raspberries and blueberries, plus extra to garnish
To finish
50g
Birds Custard Power, see GH TIPS
60g
caster sugar
600ml
semi-skimmed milk
600ml
double cream
2Tbsp.
icing sugar, sifted
50g
bought madeira cake, cut into 1cm pieces
Directions
Step 1For the panna cotta, cover the gelatine with cold water and leave to soak for 5min. In a medium pan over low heat, stir the milk, cream and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
Step 2Remove from the heat. Lift out the gelatine (squeeze out excess water) and stir into the hot cream mixture to dissolve. Leave to cool to room temperature, then stir in the vanilla. Pour into a roughly 3 litre trifle (or glass) bowl and chill until set, about 3hr.
Step 3Meanwhile make the jelly layer. Soak the gelatine as before. In a clean medium pan, gently heat the sugar and 100ml sparkling wine, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat. Lift out the gelatine (squeeze out excess water) and stir into the hot sparkling wine mixture to dissolve. Stir in the remaining sparkling wine and leave to cool to room temperature.
Step 4When the panna cotta has set, gently top with the berries. Re-whisk the fizz mixture to redistribute the gelatine and carefully pour over the berries. Chill until set, about 3hr.
Step 5Meanwhile, to finish, in a medium pan whisk the custard powder and caster sugar. Gradually whisk in the milk. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened (the mixture will need to boil). Cover surface with baking parchment to stop a skin forming and set aside to cool completely.
Step 6Whisk the cooled custard until smooth, then spoon on to the set jelly. In a medium bowl, whip the cream and icing sugar until the cream just holds its shape. Gently spoon on to the custard.
Step 7To serve, scatter over the cake and finish with some berries. Serve.
GET AHEAD
Prepare to end of step 4 up to 2 days ahead. Complete to end of step 6 up to a 6hr ahead. Cover and chill. Complete recipe to serve.
GH TIPS
To make this triumphant jelly suitable for children, replace the fizz with elderflower cordial made to your desired strength (decreasing the sugar amount in this layer accordingly).
Instead of making your own custard, you can use bought chilled custard. But hunt out a thicker variety, so that it holds up the cream layer.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).