Christmas Trifle
This is our twist on a traditional trifle – full of festive flavours to make a special Christmas dessert.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories300
- Carbs51g
- Protein9.4g
- Fat12g
- Saturates6g
- Sugars28g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
Our Christmas Trifle is so full of flavour that no one would ever guess it was slimming friendly, so you can tuck in without worrying about any additional calories – and it makes a really impressive addition to any festive table.
To give a traditional trifle a Christmas twist, we’ve used lightly spiced fruit and their juices instead of jelly. We’ve also replaced the usual high calorie custard and cream, with a low calorie custard and a creamy mascarpone topping instead to help keep the calories lower.
When building your trifle, it’s really important that you make sure that the custard is warm and not hot when you add it to your fruit and sponge filling, as otherwise you’ll run the risk of cracking your glass serving bowl.
You might also find that using a non-stick pan to cook your custard in is a little bit easier, but this is entirely optional and not essential!
You can serve this trifle on the same day that you make it, or chill overnight in the fridge before serving the next day. Either way will produce a super tasty dessert, but we think that it’s even better when eaten the following day as this gives those festive flavours more time to mingle together!
Looking for more festive, fruity treats? You can find lots of recipes like our Festive Fruit Salad, Black Forest Desserts and our Mini Spiced Christmas Apple Pies in our Christmas recipes collection here.
What diets is this Christmas Trifle suitable for?
This Christmas Trifle recipe is suitable for vegetarian diets.
It can be suitable for gluten free diets as long as you use gluten free versions of the following:
- Sponge fingers
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make this Christmas Trifle?
You should be able to find everything that you need for this recipe in your local supermarket.
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You’ll need a 2.5 litre glass serving bowl to build your Christmas Trifle in.
A heatproof measuring jug is essential to getting the perfect custard.
How many calories are in this Christmas Trifle?
There are 300 calories per portion in this Christmas Trifle which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence category.
This Christmas Trifle is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
For the fruit and sponge filling
Step 1
Place the defrosted mixed berries and their juices in a medium mixing bowl. Add the orange pieces, the nectarine segments, the sweetener and the mixed spice and gently stir.
Step 2
Place 3 sponge fingers in the bottom of the serving bowl. Place a large serving spoonful of the fruit mixture on top of the sponge fingers (this will provide support for the sponge fingers that will stand on their ends around the inside of the bowl).
Step 3
Place 10 upright sponge fingers at equal intervals around the inside of the serving bowl.
Step 4
Place half of the fruit into the serving bowl, gently pushing it into the spaces between the sponge fingers and levelling the fruit mixture.
Step 5
Place the remaining 7 sponge fingers on top of the fruit. Spread the remaining fruit over the sponge fingers and level the top.
For the custard
Step 1
Place the egg yolks, vanilla, cornflour and sweetener in a heatproof measuring jug and stir to form a smooth mixture.
Step 2
Place the milk in a medium saucepan and place over a medium heat, until just steaming hot, taking care not to let it burn or boil over.
Step 3
Pour the hot milk into the mixture in the jug, stir, then immediately pour back into the saucepan and place over a medium heat.
Step 4
Stir the custard mixture constantly with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk, for about 5 minutes until gently bubbling and thickened.
Step 5
Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Stir occasionally whilst cooling to stop a skin forming on top of the custard.
Step 6
Pour the warm custard over the fruit and sponge then leave to cool.
Step 7
Once cooled, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for about 40 minutes or until the custard has set.
For the topping
Step 1
Place the mascarpone, icing sugar and milk in a small bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and the consistency of lightly whipped cream.
Step 2
Spread the topping over the top of the trifle, swirling with a small palette knife.
Step 3
Decorate the top of the trifle with fresh raspberries, sprigs of mint and toasted flaked almonds.
Step 4
Cover with cling film and chill for 3 – 4 hours, or overnight.
Step 5
Serve alone or with a squirt of aerosol cream if wished.
What could I serve with this Christmas Trifle?
This Christmas Trifle would be delicious when served for dessert alongside some aerosol cream.
It would also be a great addition to any festive party table alongside any of the following dishes:
How do you know when this Christmas Trifle is ready?
Your custard should be cooked until it’s gently bubbling and has thickened.
Once added to your trifle and cooled, you should then refrigerate for around 40 minutes or until set.
Your finished Christmas Trifle will need to be chilled in the fridge for a minimum of 3 – 4 hours, but can also be left overnight if you prefer – this will give the flavours chance to mingle and may improve the taste even more.
How long can I keep this Christmas Trifle in the fridge?
You can keep your Christmas Trifle in the fridge, covered, for around 1 – 2 days.
In fact, you may find that it’s even better when prepared in advance and eaten the next day as this will give the flavours chance to mingle a bit more.
Can I freeze this Christmas Trifle?
No, this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
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Christmas Trifle
This is our twist on a traditional trifle - full of festive flavours to make a special Christmas dessert.
-
Prep Time
30 MINS
-
Cook Time
10 MINS
- KCals 300
- Carbs 51G
Instructions
For the fruit and sponge filling
- Place the defrosted mixed berries and their juices in a medium mixing bowl. Add the orange pieces, the nectarine segments, the sweetener and the mixed spice and gently stir.
- Place 3 sponge fingers in the bottom of the serving bowl. Place a large serving spoonful of the fruit mixture on top of the sponge fingers (this will provide support for the sponge fingers that will stand on their ends around the inside of the bowl).
- Place 10 upright sponge fingers at equal intervals around the inside of the serving bowl.
- Place half of the fruit into the serving bowl, gently pushing it into the spaces between the sponge fingers and levelling the fruit mixture.
- Place the remaining 7 sponge fingers on top of the fruit. Spread the remaining fruit over the sponge fingers and level the top.
For the custard
- Place the egg yolks, vanilla, cornflour and sweetener in a heatproof measuring jug and stir to form a smooth mixture.
- Place the milk in a medium saucepan and place over a medium heat, until just steaming hot, taking care not to let it burn or boil over.
- Pour the hot milk into the mixture in the jug, stir, then immediately pour back into the saucepan and place over a medium heat.
- Stir the custard mixture constantly with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk, for about 5 minutes until gently bubbling and thickened.
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Stir occasionally whilst cooling to stop a skin forming on top of the custard.
- Pour the warm custard over the fruit and sponge then leave to cool.
- Once cooled, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for about 40 minutes or until the custard has set.
For the topping
- Place the mascarpone, icing sugar and milk in a small bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and the consistency of lightly whipped cream.
- Spread the topping over the top of the trifle, swirling with a small palette knife.
- Decorate the top of the trifle with fresh raspberries, sprigs of mint and toasted flaked almonds.
- Cover with cling film and chill for 3 - 4 hours, or overnight.
- Serve alone or with a squirt of aerosol cream if wished.
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Recipe notes
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6 comments
See what others have to say
Isabel DavidsonSunday 20th December 2020
I can’t see how many servings are in this trifle?
HollyMonday 21st December 2020
Hi Isobel, this Christmas Trifle serves 8 but if you scroll down the the recipe card at the bottom of the page to where it says serving you can click the arrows up or down the alter the serving size to suit what you need. Hope that helps!
CarolMonday 14th December 2020
Is the amounts for gradual sweetener correct? 70g for the fruit is nearly a whole tub of sweetener
SharonMonday 14th December 2020
Hi Carol, yes, 70g of white granulated sweetener is the correct amount to sweeten the fruit. Make sure to use granulated sweetener as stated in the recipe as that weighs the same as ordinary sugar and has the same sweetness. Powdered sweetener it weighs differently. You can adjust the amount of course, to suit your own taste, depending on how sweet your fruit is. Thanks for your question and hope this helps.
Niamh QuigleySaturday 19th December 2020
Can you substitute the sweetener for castor sugar?
HollyMonday 21st December 2020
Hi Niamh, yes you can substitute the sweetener for caster sugar but remember to alter the calories accordingly we have a handy guideHERE to help.
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