RESPLENDENT IN APPEARANCE
but made up of humble parts, a sweet
fruit trifle is equally comfortable as a
casual weekend dessert or a showstop-
ping holiday centerpiece.
A trifle’s architecture usually goes
like this: A layer of sponge cake or
ladyfingers doused in sweet wine such
as sherry or Marsala forms the base; it’s
followed by a layer of fruit (often jam), a
layer of rich chilled pastry cream, and a
lathering of whipped cream. The layers
repeat one or more times, depending on
the depth of the vessel. Each layer sinks
slightly into the next as the trifle grows
taller, gradually melding the flavors and
textures to form a delightful mess.
With strawberry season in full swing,
I wanted to create a trifle with strawber-
ries as the star. To get the most out of
my berries, I chopped them, tossed them
with a bit of sugar, and let them sit for a
spell; this resting period intensified their
sweetness while leaving behind a slightly
sugared syrup. For the booze element,
I chose orange liqueur; its subtle citrus
flavors lent a festive, grown-up vibe.
My trifle needed a base with enough
structure to stand up to the strawberry
juice and support the layers above, but
the obvious pastry options—angel food
cake, pound cake, or chiffon cake cut
into cubes—missed the mark. Whether
too soft, too dense, or too time-consum-
ing, each cake had its faults.
Inspired by another favorite dessert,
strawberry shortcake, I decided to use
quick-and-easy shortcake biscuits.
Fluffy and tender, they provided just
the right texture (soft but not mushy)
and a pleasant buttery flavor.
Pastry cream, a vanilla-flavored
custard, is an essential component of
a trifle. It isn’t difficult to make but
requires some time and attention. And
it must be made first because it needs
to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours
before you can use it.
Once I’d whipped the cream, I was
ready for construction. First, I lined the
bottom of my trifle dish with chunks of
the biscuits. I then added a bit of that
strawberry juice to soak into the bis-
cuits, followed by some of the berries
themselves. Next came a healthy dollop
of pastry cream and some whipped
cream, and then I started all over again.
Once I’d completed this process three
times, I covered my dish with plastic
wrap and stuck it in the fridge to relax.
An hour or so later, I decorated the
top with a few sliced strawberries and
called my tasters. They were entranced
by the bold look of the trifle and de-
lighted by the range of sweet, nuanced
flavors. “Only one thing is missing,”
said a colleague. “Champagne.”22 COOK’S COUNTRY • APRIL/MAY 2019
Strawberry
Shortcake
Trifle
A showstopper dessert like this
takes work, so every component
needs to be perfect. by Alli Berkey