British Trifle
Bailey Curtin

The wave of nostalgia washes over you, through your fingertips, down to your heart, and shivers traveling up your spine, because it’s such a special treat and you know you won’t get it again for a while. But you enjoy the moments leading up to it- it’s your fifteenth birthday, and it’s family tradition. 

The salt air of the Maritimes is blowing your hair into your face and your brother is making fun of you for it, and you can hear the screen door creaking open and closed as your grandfather brings in the crystal bowl covered with Saran wrap from his car- “I hope the whipped cream didn’t melt.” You smile and the faint scent of raspberries and custard wafts up your nose, mixed with the familiar beach fragrance. Everything is right in this instant, and the world is your oyster- you’re practically almost an adult. What better way to celebrate than trifle?

When my grandmother Audrey was six years old, the second world war had just begun. In her little house in Enfield, England, she recounts sitting under the staircase with her big sister waiting for all the noise to go away, and later, hungrily delving into the rations during a raid sitting in the bomb shelter. Birds Custard is a typical English dessert, and her mother Alice would save little packets of the powder for Christmastime. During the war, there were very few delicacies, so when the trifle was made during the holidays, it was something to look forward to. Even though the pound cake would be stale and dense because of the butter rationing, and the compote a mix of whatever was available, if you were having trifle for dessert, it was a good day. Her father, my great-grandfather, would sit her on his knee and tell stories about how the soldiers in the previous war were actually provided with Birds Custard as meals in the trenches. It’s a multi-day process but it’s filled with little surprises, secret ingredients, and even maybe some hidden treasures by the end. To me, this dessert represents making the best of a situation- and finding little pockets of light in an otherwise dark space.

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​Custard recipe 
The custard recipe on the container is for “pouring” custard, for example, over apple pie instead of ice cream. Read carefully to see how this recipe differs from what you'll find on the container.
Trifle needs a custard that is thicker and will set solidly on the trifle.
The recipe on the container also calls for too much sugar for trifle as the cake on the first layer provides the sweetness.
The recipe on the container says, “Stove Top:  Mix one quarter cup custard powder with three tablespoons sugar in a large saucepan.  Gradually add two and one half cups of whole milk, stirring constantly with a WHISK until blended.” and "Bring to a boil on medium heat.”
This is changed to:
  • One half cup custard powder and four tablespoons sugar …. in a large saucepan…. Mix with a whisk until blended.
  • Change the milk amount to four cups of whole milk.  Start by covering the custard powder and sugar in the saucepan with about half cup milk and mix that first. Then gradually whisk in the remaining milk. Then put this on a low heat to start, whisking all the time. 
  • Gradually increase the heat to medium and bring the custard to a boil, whisking all the time, until you feel it thickening. Remove from the heat and let it stand to cool. ***Carefully remove the skin which will probably form over the custard as it cools.
  • As stated earlier in the trifle recipe, spoon over raspberries and put in the fridge, then cover with whipped cream and decorate the top.​
TRIFLE RECIPE

You will need:
  • Pound cake (or similar sponge cake) for the base. (You can either make it yourself or buy it from the store.)
  • Large bag frozen raspberries.
  • Birds custard powder
  • 3.25 milk (whole or homogenized milk)
  • Whipping cream
  • Bowl with as flat a bottom as possible - it’s better when it’s clear glass because then you can see the different layers from the outside and it looks really pretty :)
 
 
Instructions (according to my grandmother)
  •  Thaw the raspberries overnight in a separate bowl and leave them in the juice until needed.
  • Slice the pound cake in one inch slices, and cover the bottom of the bowl with the slices of cake. (I put one whole slice in the middle and cut other slices into pieces to surround it, to cover the bottom of the bowl)
  • Drain the juice from the raspberries into a separate bowl and set aside.
  • Cover the cake in the bowl with the raspberries. Pour in just enough of the juice to drain into the cake. (Do this gradually as the raspberries will also drain juice into the cake)
  • Let this settle for about 2 hours.
  • Make custard according to the instructions. I use less sugar and more custard powder for  trifles, because to set properly it needs to be thicker than regular custard.
  • Let cool. Remove any skin which may form on the top of the custard.
  • Spoon it over the raspberries and put in fridge.
  • Cover with whipped cream (it works best to cover with whipped cream close to the time of serving).
  • Decorate top with sliced almonds or other treasures if you wish.​

For pound cake:
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp baking powder
Instructions for pound cake (if desired)
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9x5 inch baking tin.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder then set aside.
  3. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment cream the butter. Add sugar in and mix until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down and beat a few more seconds.
  4. Add the eggs in one at a time while mixing at medium speed. Scrape the bowl down and beat until fully incorporated.
  5. Add the sour cream, and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. Scrape the bowl down.
  6. Add the flour mixture in and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl down and use your spatula to mix in any pockets of flour or butter that remain.
  7. Transfer batter into tin then give a quick smooth to even the batter out a bit. Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until the center is set and a skewer comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.