Christmas Trifle

  • 30MINS
  • 10MINS
  • Serves 8
  • 300KCAL

This is our twist on a traditional trifle – full of festive flavours to make a special Christmas dessert.

  • Christmas pinchofnom.com
  • Snacks and Sides pinchofnom.com
  • Sweet Treats pinchofnom.com
Simple Christmas Trifle pinchofnom.com

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories300
  • Carbs51g
  • Protein9.4g
  • Fat12g
  • Saturates6g
  • Sugars28g

Christmas Trifle - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

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.

Festive Fruit Salad - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

Black Forest Desserts - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

Mini Spiced Christmas Apple Pies - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

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.

Hints & Tips

Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.

Dairy Free!
Easy to adapt to dairy free, using ready made dairy free custard, then whipping up plant based cream with icing sugar for the topping!

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‘Perfect Christmas Dessert... It was devoured!’

Sarah Barry

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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 1 pinchofnom.com

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 2 pinchofnom.com Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Place 10 upright sponge fingers at equal intervals around the inside of the serving bowl.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com

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 4 pinchofnom.com

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.

Step 5 pinchofnom.com Step 5 pinchofnom.com

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 1 pinchofnom.com Step 1 pinchofnom.com

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 2 pinchofnom.com

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 3 pinchofnom.com Step 3 pinchofnom.com

Step 4

Stir the custard mixture constantly with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk, for about 5 minutes until gently bubbling and thickened.

Step 4 pinchofnom.com

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 6 pinchofnom.com

Step 7

Once cooled, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for about 40 minutes or until the custard has set.

Step 7 pinchofnom.com

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 1 pinchofnom.com

Step 2

Spread the topping over the top of the trifle, swirling with a small palette knife.

Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Decorate the top of the trifle with fresh raspberries, sprigs of mint and toasted flaked almonds.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com

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.

Christmas Trifle - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

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:

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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

Ingredients

For the fruit and sponge filling

  • 20 sponge fingers
  • 800 g mixed berries such as blackberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, red currants and raspberries, defrosted and their juices kept
  • 2 oranges peeled, all pith removed, cut into round slices and quartered
  • 2 nectarines stoned and cut into segments
  • 70 g white granulated sweetener
  • 2 tsp mixed spice

For the custard

  • 500 ml semi skimmed milk
  • 3 medium egg yolks
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp cornflour
  • 50 g white granulated sweetener

For the mascarpone filling

  • 250 g reduced fat mascarpone
  • 30 g icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp semi skimmed milk

For decoration

  • 8 raspberries
  • 8 small sprigs of mint
  • 10 g flaked almonds toasted

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

Please do not screenshot this. Recipes are updated often

Instructions

For the fruit and sponge filling
  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.
  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).
  3. Place 10 upright sponge fingers at equal intervals around the inside of the serving bowl.
  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.
  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
  1. Place the egg yolks, vanilla, cornflour and sweetener in a heatproof measuring jug and stir to form a smooth mixture.
  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.
  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.
  4. Stir the custard mixture constantly with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk, for about 5 minutes until gently bubbling and thickened.
  5. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Stir occasionally whilst cooling to stop a skin forming on top of the custard.
  6. Pour the warm custard over the fruit and sponge then leave to cool.
  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
  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.
  2. Spread the topping over the top of the trifle, swirling with a small palette knife.
  3. Decorate the top of the trifle with fresh raspberries, sprigs of mint and toasted flaked almonds.
  4. Cover with cling film and chill for 3 - 4 hours, or overnight.
  5. Serve alone or with a squirt of aerosol cream if wished.

Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?

With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.



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Recipe notes

Make sure the custard is warm and not hot when pouring it onto the trifle, otherwise there will be a risk that you may crack your glass serving bowl.

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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?

Reply

    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!

    Reply

CarolMonday 14th December 2020

Is the amounts for gradual sweetener correct? 70g for the fruit is nearly a whole tub of sweetener

Reply

    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.

    Reply

      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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