Whether or not we'd been together at Christmas, Nan Findlay invited the extended family back for New Years' Day. She said those you held dear would stay near in the New Year if you dined together January 1st. If the children had missed her trifle at Christmas, she would make it for them at New Year's.
We made Nan's trifle this New Year's Eve. Makes 8 servings.
- 2 packages cherry-flavored jelly dessert powder
- 1 package lime-flavored jelly dessert powder
- 1 large 28-ounce can fruit cocktail
- 500 mL whipping cream
- 1-2 tbs. icing sugar
- 1 layer white cake, broken in pieces or cut in cubes*
- Make 1 package lime jelly powder according to package directions.
- Pour into a cake pan or shallow bowl.
- Chill in the fridge until completely jelled.
- Repeat with 1 package cherry jelly powder.
- Drain the fruit cocktail, straining the juice into a bowl or 2-cup measuring cup.
- Measure 1-1/2 cups fruit cocktail juice into a saucepan OR 1 cup fruit cocktail juice and 1/2 cup sherry (the adult version). Heat to boiling.
- Add 1 package cherry jelly dessert powder, stirring the powder into the juice until completely dissolved. Reserve the fruit.
- Cut or break cooled white cake or store-bought sponge cake into pieces.
- In a cold bowl with cold beaters, whip half the whipping cream with 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. icing sugar (according to taste) until stiff.
- Refrigerate the rest of the whipping cream to whip later to use as a topping.
- In a large glass bowl, place layers of cake, drained fruit cocktail, whipped cream. Repeat.
- Drizzle the juice/jelly mixture over the assembled layers in the bowl.
- Refrigerate till set (up to a day before serving).
- When ready to serve, whip the remaining whipped cream and icing sugar and spoon on top of the trifle.
*The One Layer White Cake recipe is good in this trifle. Make it well ahead of trifle assembly so cake has time to cool. To save time, Nan used store-bought, frozen pound cake or sponge cake and took it out to defrost before making the trifle. She'd make two, the adult dessert had sherry added.
Cherry Trifle
- 1 thawed frozen pound cake, cut in cubes
- 3 packages cherry jelly powder
- 2 14-oz. tins of cherries with juice
- 1/2 cup amaretto liqueur
- 500 ML whipping cream
Heat 1 package of the jelly powder, the amaretto, and 1 cup cherry juice in the saucepan to make the juice/jelly mixture.
Trifle Variations: Vary the flavors of jelly powder and the type of fruit used to make your own favorite trifle. For example, try strawberry jelly powder and frozen drained strawberries. Or peach jelly powder and canned peach slices.
