Trifle cake recipe

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This trifle cake has all the elements of the classic British pudding but we’ve made it dairy-free

Trifle cake
(Image credit: Future)
Serves10
SkillEasy
Preparation Time15 mins
Cooking Time50 mins
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories400 Kcal20%
Saturated Fat7 g35%
Fat30 g43%
Carbohydrates41 g16%

Our trifle cake is filled with creamy custard and topped with coconut yogurt and raspberries to keep it dairy-free and delicious. 

The sherry can be swapped for a little orange juice if you’re making the recipe for kids to tuck into as well. This is a great recipe to make with little ones as they will enjoy hollowing out the cake and snacking on the offcuts. All of the elements can be made ahead and then assembled and chilled around 30 minutes before you want to serve. 

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 200g (7oz) caster sugar
  • 100g (31⁄2oz) ground almonds
  • 100g (31⁄2oz) plain flour
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 150g (5oz) Stork baking spread
  • 4 eggs, beaten

For the custard:

  • 2tbsp custard powder
  • 1tbsp caster sugar
  • 250ml (8fl oz) oat or soy milk

For the rest:

  • 2tbsp cream sherry
  • 300g (10oz) raspberries
  • 350g pot natural coconut yogurt
  • 25g (3⁄4oz) toasted flaked almonds

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan, Gas 6). Beat the cake ingredients together until smooth, pour into a greased and lined 18cm springform cake tin. Bake for 50 mins. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
  2. Mix the custard powder and sugar in a pan, and whisk in a little milk to make a paste. On a medium heat, whisk in the rest of the milk and bring to a boil, stirring. Pour into a jug, press a sheet of baking paper over the surface and chill.
  3. Once the cake is cool, score a 12cm (5in) circle in the centre and cut to around halfway down, lifting out the cake with a spoon to make the base as flat as possible.
  4. Drizzle over the sherry and cover the base with a layer of raspberries. Pour over the custard, top with more raspberries, saving the rest for the top, and pile on the yogurt. Scatter over the rest of the raspberries and the flaked almonds. Chill for 30 mins before serving.

Top tips for making our trifle cake 

Some people love jelly in trifles. If you want to include it in this cake, we recommend setting it in a small container and then scooping it into the cake before you pour in the custard. 

What is a trifle cake made of?

Our trifle cake is made from a classic sponge cake which is then filled with custard and raspberries and topped with coconut yogurt. 

Is it better to make a trifle the night before?

Yes, we recommend making trifle the night before because it gives your layers time to set and allows the flavours to develop and intensify. Plus, it’s an easy thing to tick off your to-do list and helps you get ahead for your party or celebration.

Can you use tinned custard for trifle?

You can of course use a tin of custard instead of making it with milk and custard powder. If you still want the recipe to be dairy-free, make sure you buy a suitable brand. Jude’s sell a carton of plant-based madagascan vanilla custard which would be perfect.

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Jessica Ransom

“Trifle is the Marmite of desserts. You either love the texture and flavour or hate it. What I love about this recipe is that you can customise it depending on what fruit is in season and if you don’t need it to be dairy-free, top the cake with a generous pillow of fluffy whipped cream.” 

If you like how we’ve presented the cake, consider buying a glass cake stand for your home.

Banquet Plateau with Glass Dome - View at Amazon

Banquet Plateau with Glass Dome - View at Amazon

This is a lovely way to present all your cakes and bakes. The dome is a great way to protect the treats until you are ready to serve. 

Check out these trifle recipes if you fancy some more dessert inspiration. You might also like our strawberry trifle cake or this Eton Mess trifle is a real show stopper. 

Rose Fooks
Deputy Food Editor

Rose Fooks is Deputy Food Editor at Future Publishing, creating recipes, reviewing products and writing food features for a range of lifestyle and home titles including GoodTo and Woman&Home. Before joining the team, Rose obtained a Diplome de Patisserie and Culinary Management at London’s Le Cordon Bleu. Going on to work in professional kitchens at The Delaunay and Zedel.

With contributions from