Mini Christmas Trifles made with cranberry jelly, vanilla custard, madeira cake, cream and pomegranate seeds, a delicious no-bake Christmas dessert that is incredibly light and refreshing, but also wonderfully indulgent and full of festive flavours. It's really easy to whip up, and it's a guaranteed no-fuss crowd-pleaser for your Christmas party.
Christmas is indeed a time of joy and celebration, but it's also one of the busiest time of the year when it comes to cooking and baking and preparing for never-ending partying.
And after all those heavy and rich dishes, a refreshing dessert works a treat, especially when there is no oven involved whatsoever and very little effort put in. But what an impressive dessert this is, a real showstopper for your Christmas dinner menu.
And when you are so busy, shortcuts are not only allowed, but also welcome. Sure, you can make your own custard and cake for this recipe, but if you are short of time, ready-made ones aren't too bad an option.
However, if you would rather make your own, I have these delicious recipes for homemade vanilla custard and madeira cake. Just make sure that the custard is chilled and ideally the cake is at least one day old, so it can be cubed nicely.
I appreciate that it's not the quickest dessert to make, it takes hours for the jelly to set and the whole dessert to be assembled, but the prep is minimum. You can make the jelly, let it set, then get on with other things, there is no need to wait around for it.
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Ingredients used
- cranberry juice - I used shop-bought cranberry juice with no sugar added, it's a great one for making jelly, its slight bitterness balances out the sweetness of the custard
- vanilla custard - store-bought custard can come in a tin, ready to be used or as powder, which can be quickly made by adding hot water to it. If you go for the powdered one, make sure the custard is well chilled before using it
- madeira cake - it's a subtly flavoured cake which I think works the best here, as it doesn't overpower the other ingredients, leftover madeira cake or a day's old is even better, as we need it to keep its shape when added to the jelly
- gelatine - I used gelatine granules, but always check the packet instructions on how to use it to set liquid, as different brands woks in different ways
- warm water - for dissolving the gelatine - but do check if that's what you need for the gelatine you have
- cream - whipped cream or double cream/heavy cream are great options here - do not use squirty cream as it doesn't hold it shape for long
- pomegranate seeds - for garnishing the trifle, also add a festive touch
- mint leaves - for garnishing, add a nice colour and more festive touch
Easy swaps
Trifles are one of the most versatile desserts you can come up with. There is literally no right or wrong when it comes to ingredients used or ways of making it. Anything goes, as long as the flavours compliment each other.
The cranberry juice can be swapped for pomegranate, raspberry or strawberry juice, if you want to keep the festive red colour, otherwise any juice of your choice.
Madeira cake is one of the most popular sponges, and my first choice here as it has a nicely subtle flavour, but other sponge you have around would work: lemon drizzle cake, victoria sponge (minus the jam and cream) or almond cake.
The pomegranate seeds and mint leaves are optional, but they make the dessert even more spectacular, so I highly recommend them.
I used tall wine glasses for my mini trifles, but you can use any other glasses you have around, and depending on their sizes, you will end up with more or less portions.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- add the gelatine to a cup of warm water, and use a teaspoon to mix it very well to dissolve completely
- pour the gelatine water over the cranberry juice and mix it well
- divide the juice between 6 tall wine glasses
- allow the jelly to chill for one hour, it will start setting now
- add the cubed cake to the cups, then allow the jelly to set completely
- top the jelly with custard, then add more jelly on top - let it set again
- top with cream, pomegranate seeds and mint leaves
- refrigerate until ready to use
Expert tips
Getting the jelly right is a crucial step in making these Christmas trifles. If the jelly is not set, you will end up with a bit of a mess, and not nice layers of deliciousness.
Jelly isn't one to be rushed, I am afraid you do have to let it set - it can take 2-3 hours for it to be the right consistency. If you add the custard to it too early, it will just sink at the bottom of the cup.
You also need to make sure you dissolve the jelly very well in the warm water, or you'll end up with lumpy jelly. Do not add more gelatine than the packet states, or it will turn very rubbery.
It is also important not to add the cubed cake right from the beginning, as it will crumble away in the juice. But also, adding it too late will mean that it won't be set inside the jelly - I find that one hour into the setting stage is the best time for it to go in.
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Mini Christmas trifles
Ingredients
- 1 cup madeira cake, cubed
- 570 ml cranberry juice
- 1 sachet gelatine (12 g)
- 500 g vanilla custard
- 500 ml cream
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- 5 mint leaves
- 8 tablespoon warm water
Instructions
- Pour the water into a ramekin or small bowl, sprinkle the gelatine over, and use a teaspoon to mix it very well until the gelatine dissolves completely.
- Mix the gelatine water with the cranberry juice.
- Use half of the juice to create the base of the trifles - divide the juice between each glass so that the glass is quarter full.
- Set it aside for one hour.
- Divide the cubed madeira cake between each glass, then set it aside so that the jelly can set completely, it can take another hour or 2 in the fridge.
- Once the jelly is set, divide the custard between each glass, then top with the remaining jelly - if the jelly is not set completely, set the glasses aside again until the jelly is the right consistency.
- Top each glass with the beaten cream, then garnish with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves.
Video
Notes
- Jelly isn't one to be rushed, I am afraid you do have to let it set - it can take 2-3 hours for it to be the right consistency. If you add the custard to it too early, it will just sink at the bottom of the cup.
- You also need to make sure you dissolve the jelly very well in the warm water, or you'll end up with lumpy jelly. Do not add more gelatine than the packet states, or it will turn very rubbery.
- It is also important not to add the cubed cake right from the beginning, as it will crumble away in the juice. But also, adding it too late will mean that it won't be set inside the jelly - I find that one hour into the setting stage is the best time for it to go in.
Nutrition
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