Fruit Trifle

Last summer my sister Diana made a trifle with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. It was a great summer dessert. I had just gotten a new lens for my camera and took some pictures of the finished product. If you want to make a summer dessert that everyone will enjoy, give this recipe a try!

Fruit Trifle                                                                        

Recipe courtesy “Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Desserts” Cookbook

Trifle:

Pound Cake (recipe follows)
2 cups fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or pitted sour cherries)
5 Tablespoons Kirsch or other flavored distilled liquor
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a bowl, gently stir together the fruit, 4 tablespoons of the kirsch, and the granulated sugar. Let stand for 10-15 minutes. Drain the fruit through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl. Reserve the liquid and fruit separately.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the cream, powdered sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon kirsch, and the vanilla just until firm peaks form.

Trim off the ends of the pound cake and cut the cake into chunks. Line the bottom of a 2½-3-quart clear glass bowl with about 1/3 of the cake. Brush lightly with some of the of the reserved fruit liquid. Spoon 1/3 of the fruit over the cake and spread 1/3 of the whipped cream over the cherries. Repeat the layering two more times, ending with whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight before serving. Serve cold.

Serves 10.

NOTE: A classic trifle often contains pastry cream and whipped cream. You can use good-quality purchased vanilla pudding instead, or make your own pudding from scratch. Add the pudding layer before you add the whipped cream.

Trifle with strawberries, blueberries & raspberries

Fruit, pound cake, vanilla pudding & whipped cream layers

Top layer of whipped cream and a few strawberries slices for garnish

Photos by JoJo

Pound Cake:

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound unsalted butter, at room temperate
3 cups sugar
8 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup heavy cream

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325°. Butter 2 9x5” loaf pans and line with buttered parchment (baking) paper. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Mix in the cream until blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just a smooth batter forms. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake until the top of each cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Briefly cool in the pans on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans to cool completely. Dust the top of one cake with powdered sugar and slice to serve. Reserve the second cake for another dessert.

Makes two 9x5” loaf cakes

NOTE: You may wrap the cake lightly in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw the wrapped cake at room temperature before using.

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