The ultimate makeover: Blueberry trifle

Angela Nilsen discovers a lighter way to serve this ever-popular dessert

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Angela Nilsen

6 ratings 4

Recipe by Angela Nilsen

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Difficulty and servings

Serves 8

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 30 mins

Cook 30 mins

plus chilling

Make the custard: blend the sugar, custard powder and cornflour with 1 tbsp milk to make a runny paste. Beat in the egg yolk. Pour the remaining milk into a pan, scrape in the vanilla seeds, add the pod, then allow to come just to the boil. Stir this into the cornflour paste, then pour into a clean pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until thickened. Remove from the heat, then stir in the crème fraîche until smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover the surface with cling film to stop a skin forming, allow to cool, then chill until completely cold.
Make the cake: heat oven to 180C/ fan 160C/gas 4. Lightly oil and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin. Put the sugar and eggs into a bowl. Whisk with electric beaters for 5 mins until very thick, paler in colour and the consistency of whipped cream. Sift over the flour and quickly, but lightly, fold it in. Spoon the mixture into the tin and carefully level it, being careful not to squash it. Bake for 25 mins until risen, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Peel off lining paper. Halve the cake so you have a semi-circle. (The other half can be frozen for another time.) Split the semi-circle in half with a knife, then sandwich back together with fruit spread.
Put the sugar and lime zest for the fruit into a pan with 2 tbsp water. Bring slowly to the boil until the sugar has dissolved, then bubble for 1½-2 mins until syrupy. Tip in the blueberries, then cook very briefly, stirring once or twice only, just until they start to burst and release their juices (but still stay whole) and you get a purple syrup. Set aside to cool.
The sponge and custard layers can be built up to 2-3 hrs ahead of when you want to serve. Cut the jammy sponge into cubes, then place in the base of a glass dish. Drizzle over the Marsala. Keep about ¼ of the berries back for the top, then spoon the rest over the sponge with a little syrup. Discard the pod from the custard, then pour it over the fruit.
Just before serving, beat the yogurt, mascarpone and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Pile onto the custard, then drizzle over the reserved fruit and syrup. Use a skewer to swirl some of the juices through the creamy topping. Serve straight away or the syrup discolours the topping. This is best eaten the same day.

GET AHEAD

The custard, cake and fruit layers can be made a day ahead ready for assembling.

MAKING IT HEALTHIER

A serving of classic trifle contains 713 calories, 53g fat (28g saturated) and 34g sugar. Angela made a fat-free sponge for the base, reduced the egg yolks in the custard and replaced cream with half-fat crème fraîche. Used light mascarpone and Greek yogurt for the topping instead of cream. Used less sugar in the overall recipe, and replace sweetened jam with pure jam with no added sugar.

PER SERVING

292 kcalories, protein 8g, carbohydrate 26g, fat 18 g, saturated fat 10g, fibre 1g, sugar 20g, salt 0.28 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, June 2009.

Latest comments and suggestions

Rachel

15 June 2009

Rachel commented on this recipe

This is excellent. I made this for a weekend meal and I plan to make it again for father's day. You wouldn't think this was a 'lower' fat recipe.

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Rainbow

19 June 2009

Rainbow rated and commented on this recipe

Made this for a weekend meal and guests agreed it tasted good. However, I did mention that it was a 'healthy' trifle before we ate as the topping does look very much like cream, yet doesn't taste like it. The same for the 'custard'. However, the cake base and fruit tasted good and the end result tasted nice together.

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littlechef

22 July 2009

littlechef commented on this recipe

really yummy and light! I made it for father's day, and it went down a treat! I didn't make the custard though, I used ready-made low fat fresh custard from Asda, it was still great though. The sponge is absolutely gorgeous! Really soft and light!!! We ended up eating the other half of the cake instead of saving it!

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fig

20 August 2009

fig commented on this recipe

Delicious - so much freshier & lighter than normal trifle. Made for a family party & all agreed best trifle they ever had:)

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KB

30 August 2009

KB rated and commented on this recipe

This was absolutely beautiful. The custard was really tasty and the sponge was really light. The blueberries went really well with it and it went down a treat! Will definitely make this again and again!

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phantomfairy

07 October 2009

phantomfairy rated and commented on this recipe

This was very refreshing and light for summer, everyone enjoyed it, definatly make it again.

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hello food!!!

06 January 2010

hello food!!! rated this recipe

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Cazza

10 August 2010

Cazza rated and commented on this recipe

I made this for a dinner party. I used blue berry jam to line the cake and also sprinkled port over the trifle as i had no Marsala. However, it was LUSH

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Julie Bahrain

14 May 2011

Julie Bahrain rated and commented on this recipe

This was absolutely wonderful! Couldn't get everything low fat here so mine was more calorific. I used vanilla essence instead of a vanilla pod and sweet sherry instead of marsala. Typical, no blueberries in supermarket so used frozen forest fruits instead and they worked fine :-) The lime syrup was gorgeous and added that extra something to the dish.

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