English Sherry Trifle With Almonds
Classic sherry trifle with silky custard, seed-free berry jelly, and whipped-cream rosettes. Build a day ahead, pipe and serve. Clean layers, zero stress.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds mixed red fruit frozen: strawberries, blackberries, red and black currants
- 4 cups water
- 1 ½ cup sugar divided
- 9 leaves leaf gelatin or 6 teaspoons gelatin powder
- ½ cup custard powder
- 5 cups milk
- 1 Cake sponge/pound-style, cut in cubes
- 4 tablespoons sweet sherry
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- Almond slivers to finish
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Fruit layer
- Add the frozen fruit, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 liter of water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.2 pounds mixed red fruit, 4 cups water, 1 ½ cup sugar
- Scoop out 6 tablespoons of fruit and ⅔ cup of juice; set aside for soaking the cake. Simmer the rest for 5 minutes more.
- Place the gelatin leaves in cold water until soft.9 leaves leaf gelatin
- Take the pan off the heat. Blend the hot fruit, then strain through a sieve into a clean bowl (discard seeds/skins).
- Squeeze the gelatin and stir it into the hot berry syrup until fully dissolved. Cool until soft wobble.
Make Custard
- In a small bowl, whisk custard powder with ½ cup of milk until smooth.½ cup custard powder, 5 cups milk
- Heat the remaining milk with the rest of the sugar until dissolved.
- Whisk in the custard slurry and cook, whisking, until thick and smooth. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
Prepare the trifle
- Put cake cubes in a 12 cup (3 liter) trifle bowl. Spoon over the reserved berries and juice. Drizzle sweet sherry evenly across the top.1 Cake, 4 tablespoons sweet sherry
- Pour a thick layer of warm custard over the cake. Use a spatula to press custard up the sides of the bowl to seal. Chill until the custard is set.
- When the custard is firm and the berry mixture is at a soft wobble, pour the jelly on top. Chill until fully set.
- Beat heavy cream, vanilla, and confectioners sugar to stiff peaks.2 cups heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- Finish: Pipe large rosettes over the jelly. Scatter almond slivers just before serving.Almond slivers
NOTES
1. Which sherry should I use? A sweet sherry pairs best with berries and custard.
2. Can I make it alcohol-free? Yes, use extra berry juice instead of sherry. Same steps.
3. Troubleshooting
- Why did my jelly sink into the custard? It was too runny. Pour at a soft wobble onto a fully set custard.
- My custard was too thin—help? Cook it a bit longer next time; it thickens further as it cools in the bowl.
- Fruit layer sunk: Jelly is too warm; let it reach a soft wobble stage.
- Custard too thin: Cook until it's thicker than pourable.
- Berry mix: Use raspberries and blackberries only for extra tang.
- Nut-free: Skip almonds; finish with fresh berries or white-chocolate curls.
- Fridge: Cover and chill 2 to 3 days (add nuts last minute).
- Freezer: Not recommended; jelly and custard will change texture.
- Make-ahead: Build (cake → custard → jelly) the day before; finish with cream on the day.
Nutrition
Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 257mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 959IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Iron: 1mg
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