Learn how to make the best Christmas trifle for the holidays with layers of rum-soaked sponge cake, eggnog pastry cream, cranberries, and whipped cream. This festive, make-ahead holiday dessert is stunning and a real treat!
Poach the cranberries (up to 2 days before assembling and serving)
In a large saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
When the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is hot, add the cranberries and poach them until soft (the skins will begin to burst, but shouldn't turn. tomush!).
Take the pan off the heat and let it cool down. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge.
Make the eggnog custard (up to 2 days before assembling and serving)
Have a strainer ready and a plastic wrap-lined baking sheet nearby.
Whisk together the milk, nutmeg, and half the sugar over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar until lightened and pale, then add the flour and cornstarch. Whisk to combine everything and get rid of the lumps. The mixture should be smooth.
When the milk is steamy and hot, pour it over the egg mixture and whisk to temper the yolks. Pour everything back into the saucepan.
Heat the custard, whisking constantly, until it boils, then boil for 3 minutes.
Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla and the rum.
Strain the custard over the plastic wrap-lined baking sheet and smooth into a thin layer. Top with another layer of plastic wrap, directly in contact with the pastry cream. Wrap tightly. Cool completely in the fridge.
Make the sponge cake (up to a month ahead of time)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175 °C). Grease the bottom of a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line it with a round of parchment paper.
Warm the milk with the butter to melt them together in the microwave or a small saucepan. Add the vanilla and set this aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (I have also done this successfully with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with an electric hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar until they are light and fluffy and creamy coloured (this takes a good 5 minutes of beating), then add in the salt.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl.
Add the flour mixture, alternating with the warm milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.
Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. This takes 30 to 35 minutes.
Unmold after 10 minutes onto a wire rack to cool completely. Carefully run a thin, serrated knife or a pairing knife between the pan and the cake to loosen it. I leave the cake out overnight on a wire rack before assembling. It may dry out a little on the edges, but this means it will absorb the syrup more easily!
Make the trifle syrup
Strain the poached cranberries over a bowl, saving the syrup and the cranberries.
Combine 188 mL (¾ cup) of the reserved cranberry syrup with 60 mL (¼ cup) rum.
Whip the cream
Whip the cream to soft peaks then add the icing sugar before you finish whipping.
Assemble the trifles (4 hours to 1 day before serving)
Split the cake into two layers using a large serrated bread knife.
Transfer the chilled custard to a bowl and whisk vigorously to loosen it up and smooth it out before using it to assemble the trifles
Assemble the trifle in a large glass trifle dish that has at least a 9-inch (23 cm) diameter and 4-inch (10 cm) height.
Scatter a few poached cranberries on the bottom of the dish and top with a few dollops of pastry cream, smoothing it out. This is to create an even base if your dish is rounded on the bottom.
Place one layer of cake, gently pressing it into place to anchor it. Brush generously with approximately half the syrup (or as much as the cake can soak up).
Scatter roughly half the poached cranberries in a single layer and top with half of the pastry cream, smoothing it out from edge to edge.
Spread half the whipped cream over the top in an even layer.
Repeat the steps, laying down the second cake layer, brushing with syrup, then topping with cranberries (reserving a few to use as decoration), pastry cream, and whipped cream.
Store the trifle in the fridge until you are ready to serve it (at least 4 hours).
To decorate the trifle, scatter the reserved poached cranberries and white chocolate curls on top and grate a little nutmeg.
Chilling pastry cream on a sheet pan is a trick I learned in pastry school! It chills much faster, especially given how much this recipe makes. Faster chilling means safer chilling for pastry cream, which spoils quickly if you aren't careful.
I used a 9-inch springform pan for the cake because my trifle dish has a 9-inch diameter. Feel free to bake this recipe in a different-sized pan to accommodate your trifle dish! Adjust the baking time accordingly.
When assembling the trifle, reserve a few poached cranberries to use as garnish to decorate the top to make it pretty!
You can assemble this Christmas trifle in a large trifle dish (with a volume of at least 4 L) or smaller wide-mouth Mason jars (500 mL) for individual desserts. This recipe will make about a dozen individual trifles, but have extra jars on hand, just in case.
I get white chocolate curls from my local bakeries and chocolate shops. You could also shave a bar of white chocolate using a peeler but the effect won't be quite the same.
Substitutions:
You can replace the cranberries with Amarena cherries soaked in syrup. Strain them and use them directly when you are assembling the trifle. You may use the syrup to soak the cake layers. Taste it first and adjust it with alcohol, water, or sugar.
You can make the sponge cake as written or use a store-bought plain sponge cake if you are short on time.
Make ahead instructions and tips:
Cake: after it's cooled completely, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze it for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge two days before serving.
Pastry cream and poached cranberries: make them up to 2 days before you plan to serve the trifle. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Whipped cream: prepare it before assembling the trifle. It's not as stable unless you add gelatin.