Chocolate & Raspberry “Trifles”

12 Days of Christmas with LG,BE

Day 11:

When I think of trifles, I think of the food queen herself — Nigella Lawson — explaining the components of an authentic English trifle and how she made it seem like the most perfected masterpiece of all the British desserts that exist.

But trifle takes time.. and around Christmas and the holidays, it seems like time disappears pretty fast. So I’m going to provide a cheater version of a trifle. These flavours remind me of all the birthday cakes my mom made me as a kid — a tart raspberry sauce, fluffy whipped cream, and moist chocolate cake that just melts in your mouth. YUMM-O.

INGREDIENTS
Dessert elements:

• 1 pack of devil’s food cake mix, cooked, cooled + cut into squares
• 1 box of instant chocolate pudding pre-made chilled in the fridge
• whipped cream (see below)
• homemade raspberry sauce (see below)
• fresh raspberries + strawberries
  + about 1/4 cup of instant coffee, brewed
  + tsp of cocoa powder on top for garnish.
  —
  Raspberry Sauce
• 2 cups of frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp of grand marnier liquor
• 2 tsp of cornstarch + 2 tbsp of water
  —
  Whipped Cream
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream (35%)
• 1 tbsp of confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

This dessert comes together relatively fast, especially if most of the layered components are already pre-made the day before. I suggest baking your cake early to allow it to cool completely, as well as prepping the instant chocolate pudding in advance and keep chilled in the fridge.

For the raspberry sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the frozen raspberries, white sugar, water, vanilla, + grand marnier together and bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring often. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer the mixture for up to 5 minutes until the berries cook down completely.

Next, combine the cornstarch and water until one consistent mixture and pour into the pot, being sure to stir while doing so. This will help turn the sauce into a syrup consistency rather than super liquified. Next, allow the mixture to cool before straining it to remove the raspberry seeds for a smooth sauce. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.

For the whipped cream: Place the cream in a large bowl and beat until fluffy and twice in size. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract and beat in. Store in the fridge until use.

For assembly: Place a layer of cake cubes in the bottom of a see-through bowl or traditional trifle serving dish. Taking a tablespoon, pour the brewed coffee over the pieces of cake, allowing it to soak in some extra added flavour. This will also help the overall dessert stay moist while in the fridge!

Next, add a layer of chocolate pudding on top of the cake and spread to the sides of the bowl so the layers show on the outside. Next, add a layer of raspberry sauce, followed by sliced strawberries or fresh raspberries along the outside of the dish. Continue these layers once more (depending on how high your serving dish is) and finish with a layer of whipped ream on top, a few more fresh raspberries and a light dusting of cocoa powder. Voila, easy trifle within minutes.

Chill until ready to serve!
Enjoy guys, -A❁