Trifle Pudding

Trifle pudding is a dish with layers of sponge cake, fruit, custard, and whipped cream in that order..however, you can customize it to an extent as per your requirement.

This dish is time consuming (specially if you're baking the cake!) but well worth it in the end. You can reduce effort by preparing the cake and custard in advance and just assembling it a few hours before it needs to be ready.

I omit whipped cream entirely and replace it with jelly (instant jelly packs available in the market).

This was what my trifle pudding looked like..I'd made a HUGE quantity for an office party but the recipe below makes enough for 4 greedy people :)

Ingredients:

Sponge cake - 250 grams (See recipe below to bake a sponge cake)
Assorted chopped fruit - 2-3 cups (apples, bananas, tinned pineapple, tinned peach, cherries, strawberries etc)
5-6 tablespoons of light sugar syrup (if using tinned fruit, use the syrup from it. Alternatively, use rum for an alcoholic version)
3 cups thick custard (recipe below)
1/2 pack jelly, made as per intructions on the pack (I used Weikfield raspberry flavour)

Method:

Cut the cake into thick slices and arrange in a deep dish. Ensure that the slices of cake are tightly packed together. If required, break the slices inbto huge chunks and fill in the gaps.
Pour the sugar syrup evenly over the cake layer, ensuring the layer is soaked.
Now arrange the layer of chopped fruit, evenly over the cake.
Top with custard and refrigerate till custard is set (at least a half hour).
Pour prepared jelly (just off the heat) over the set custard layer and refrigerate again till the jelly is completely set.

You can decorate it as per your imagination..serve with vanilla ice cream for a yummy ending to a hectic day or as a dessert after a particularly heavy meal.


Sponge cake:

1 cup (traditional Indian katori) maida
3/4 cup powdered sugar (alternately use castor sugar in the same quantity)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil like sunflower oil (you can use butter but i find using oil easier)
1 tea spoon baking powder
2 pinches baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a teeny pinch of salt
1 drop of vinegar (this reacts with the baking soda/powder and makes the cake light n spongy)

Method:

Mix all the wet ingredients together and beat with a fork for 3-4 minutes. Sift all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Now add the dry to wet (yep, always dry to wet although i don't really know why!) and mix thoroughly taking care that no lumps are formed.
Bake in a microwave at 650-700 deg C for 2-3 minutes. Then turn down the temperature to 400 and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean, you're good to go. Else, bake in bacthes of 30 seconds till the toothpick comes out clean.

Custard:

500 ml milk + 3 spoons
3-4 tablespoons custard powder
2-3 tablespoons sugar (adjust to your liking)

Method:
Heat milk, dissolve sugar in it. Lower the flame and let it sim. In the meantime, mix the custard powder and remaining milk into a paste (ensure this is w/o lumps).
Pour this mixture into the milk in a thin, stead stream..all the while stirring so that no lumps are formed (if there are small lumps, turn off heat, strain the mixture and put on the heat again).
The mixture starts thickening immediately. Cook on a low flame for 4-5 minutes, stirrring continously, till custard is done.