Trifle recipe

I put up this cover photograph on Facebook the other day and many people immediately commented on the bowl of trifle. It brought back memories of aunts and mothers making trifle in glass bowls just like this one.

For me, one of my fondest memories of my father is that he loved my aunt’s Christmas trifle. He would talk about it all year. And after he died and I went to live with the same aunt, she would often mention him and his love of her trifle at Christmas time. Christmas Day trifle is even better than the Christmas Day meal (which is rather underwhelming cold meats and salad because Christmas falls in mid-summer in South Africa). On Boxing Day, what is left of the trifle is covered in whipped cream and brought out again. But the booze has really sunk into the cake by then so certain members of the family thinks it is even better on Day Two!

So, here is the recipe:

Aunty Molly’s Trifle

• 1 Swiss Roll (apricot jam filling)
• green jelly powder (1 box) although the jelly in the pic above is red
• custard powder (2 tablespoons)
• 1 tin sliced peaches or 1 tin mixed fruit salad
• cream (1 carton)
• cherries
• ½ bottle Old Brown Sherry
• milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Slice Swiss roll and put Old Brown sherry in dish with a little bit of milk until the liquid is absorbed into Swiss roll. Line dish with Swiss roll. Make jelly and allow to set in separate dishes. Spoon into trifle dish with drained peaches or fruit salad. Make custard (2 cups milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons custard powder). When cool but not set (slightly warm lets it mix better) pour over trifle contents in bowl. Allow to set in fridge. When set, whip cream and decorate top of trifle with cherries.