Easy individual sherry trifle recipe made with crumbled Madeira cake, ready-made custard, a cheat's raspberry jelly, and topped with lightly whipped cream.
Served in individual dessert glasses, these easy mini trifles are the perfect make-ahead dessert option!
Using ready-made custard (I usually use Ambrosia or Bird's custard powder) means this classic English dessert is super quick and easy to assemble!
Decorate the tops of the trifles with fresh raspberries, fresh mint, and chopped pistachios, but any fresh fruit (use fruit that is in season), nuts, or even chocolate curls would work well.
These mini trifles are the perfect dessert for dinner parties, summer BBQs, or even Christmas!
👩🍳 Love make-ahead desserts? Try my apple and blueberry crumble next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
Here's why this is the best English trifle recipe!
- Classic layered English dessert.
- Make-ahead.
- Uses ready-made custard to save time.
- Easily doubled to feed a crowd.
- Serve in individual dessert glasses or one big trifle bowl.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Madeira Cake - use homemade or shop-bought Maderia cake. You can substitute with plain pound cake or trifle sponges.
- Sherry - a sweet sherry is best for soaking the sponges. If you want to keep it alcohol-free, use orange juice instead.
- Raspberry Jelly - make a quick cheat's jelly with raspberry jam and fresh raspberries.
- Custard - I use ready-made custard from a carton or tin, but you could also make custard using custard powder, or from scratch with egg yolks, milk, and cream. I add a little vanilla extract to give the ready-made custard more flavour.
- Double Cream - lightly whip the cream to soft peaks and sweeten with a tablespoon of icing sugar.
- Decoration - I like to decorate the sherry trifles with fresh raspberries, mint, and chopped pistachios.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Crumble the Madeira cake into 8 large glasses and drizzle ½ teaspoon of sherry into each glass so it soaks into the cake.
Two: Put the raspberry jam into a saucepan and heat it until it becomes thinner. Don't let it boil. Take off the heat and stir in the fresh raspberries. Allow to cool slightly then spoon equally over the sherry-soaked cake pieces.
Three: Mix the ready-made custard with the vanilla extract and spoon over the raspberry jelly.
Four: Finally, whip the double cream and icing sugar together until you get soft peaks, and top each trifle with cream. Decorate with fresh raspberries and chopped pistachios. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
💭 Expert tips
- If you don't have dessert glasses, use large wine glasses instead.
- Allow the trifle to chill and set for at least a few hours ahead of serving.
📖 Variations
- Use orange juice instead of sherry to keep it alcohol-free.
- Make a strawberry trifle using fresh strawberries and strawberry jam. You could use cherries too.
- Make chocolate trifles by using chocolate Madeira cake, chocolate custard, and decorating with chocolate curls.
- Use sponge fingers instead of Madeira cake.
- Dust with icing sugar for a pretty finish.
- Make one big trifle in a trifle bowl, rather than individual ones.
🥡 Storage
Make-Ahead: Assemble the trifles up to 24 hours before serving but hold off adding the whipped cream until just before serving. Wrap in cling-film (plastic wrap) and refrigerate until needed.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Freeze: Unfortunately trifles are not freezer friendly.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Traditionally, the layers of a trifle include cake pieces, custard, fruit pieces, jelly, and cream.
For a traditional English trifle, a sweet or cream sherry is most often used. You could also use brandy, rum, or port.
My easy individual sherry trifles are made using ready-made custard from a carton or tin, or custard made with Bird's custard powder. You can, of course, make your own custard, but then it wouldn't be very quick.
Dig in with a big spoon!
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Recipe
Easy Sherry Trifles
Equipment
- 8 Dessert Glasses or 1 trifle bowl
Ingredients
- 200 g Madeira Cake
- 4 teaspoon Sherry
- 5 tablespoon Raspberry Jam
- 250 g Raspberries reserve 8 for the tops of the trifles.
- 250 ml Ready Made Custard
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 300 ml Double Cream
- 2 tablespoon Icing Sugar
- Fresh Raspberries and chopped Pistachios to decorate
Instructions
- Crumble or cut the Madeira cake and equally distribute it into 8 large dessert glasses. Drizzle ½ teaspoon of sherry into each glass so it soaks into the cake.200 g Madeira Cake, 4 teaspoon Sherry
- Put the raspberry jam into a saucepan and heat it until it becomes thinner. Don't let it boil. Take off the heat and stir in the fresh raspberries. Allow to cool slightly then spoon equally over the sherry-soaked cake pieces.5 tablespoon Raspberry Jam, 250 g Raspberries
- Mix the ready-made custard with the vanilla extract and spoon over the raspberry jelly.250 ml Ready Made Custard, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Whip the double cream and icing sugar together until you get soft peaks, and top each trifle with cream. Decorate with fresh raspberries and chopped pistachios. Chill for at least 3 hours.300 ml Double Cream, 2 tablespoon Icing Sugar, Fresh Raspberries and chopped Pistachios to decorate
Notes
- If you don't have dessert glasses, use large wine glasses instead.
- Allow the trifle to chill and set for at least a few hours ahead of serving.
- Use orange juice instead of sherry to keep it alcohol-free.
- Make a strawberry trifle using fresh strawberries and strawberry jam. You could use cherries too.
- Make chocolate trifles by using chocolate Madeira cake, chocolate custard, and decorating with chocolate curls.
- Use sponge fingers instead of Madeira cake.
- Dust with icing sugar for a pretty finish.
- make one big trifle in a trifle bowl, rather than individual ones.
Tavo
The trifles were indeed very easy to make and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Gloria
This is the perfect party dessert. Cute little glasses of sweet goodness. I know my guests will be thrilled.
Kali Alexandria
The perfect dessert to impress those dinner guests! Thank you, it was delicious.
Caroline
Such a classic dessert! Like the idea of individual versions, much easier to serve (and portion control!)
Sue
My grandmother used to have a little glass of sherry every night, and I've been fascinated with it ever since I was a kid ~ this recipe sounds delish!