Trifle (dairy-free)

Trifle

Makes one biggish trifle

Ingredients:

a medium sponge cake or pack of sponge fingers
a large can of fruit in syrup (eg pineapple)
1 litre dairy-free milk substitute
4 tbsp custard powder
4 tbsp sugar
1 can thick coconut milk or cream, chilled
extra sugar, to taste
dairy-free sprinkles or glacé cherries

Method:

Line a large bowl with sponge fingers or crumbled pieces of cake. Drain the fruit, then pour enough juice over the cake to soften it. Cover with the fruit.

Make the custard according to the instructions on the tin: either make a paste with a small amount of milk in a saucepan and then gradually add the rest, stirring over a low heat, or use a very large jug in the microwave (when the milk boils it will rise very high unless you catch it), stirring every minute until thick. 

Cool the custard for a few minutes, then pour carefully over the cake.  Cool completely and refrigerate. 

If you're using canned coconut milk, open it upside down and drain off any liquid. Turn the remaining cream into a large bowl and whip, using an electric mixer if possible, adding a spoonful or two of sugar, if liked. It won't whip as well as dairy cream does, but should become thick enough to spoon over the cold custard. 

Top with halved cherries or sprinkles, and refrigerate until needed. 

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Trifle is a classic British dessert, quick and easy to assemble, and attractive to look at, particularly if served in a glass bowl so the layers can be seen. It's traditionally made with dairy milk and cream, of course, and an 'adult' variation uses sherry rather than fruit juice to soften the cake at the bottom. 

The last time I made trifle, I forgot to put the fruit on top of the sponge fingers until I'd poured the custard over. No problem: I put the pineapple on top of the custard, instead. 

There are many variations; some people like to use jelly (or fruit in jelly) on top of the cake layer rather than simply fruit. But it's hard, nowadays, to find good quality jelly to make up, without artificial sweeteners, and of course most jelly is not vegan (or, indeed, vegetarian). 

You can make your vegan jelly own using fruit juice and agar-agar instead of gelatine, but I prefer to use just fruit. It's quicker, too; if you use jelly you have to ensure it's fully set before adding the custard, and the custard must be completely cold before you do so, or it will melt the top of the jelly. 

It's possible to make nut-based creams, according to other recipe blogs, but I prefer to keep things simple, in keeping with the idea of trifle. So the discovery of canned coconut milk was a revelation. If you can find canned coconut cream, that probably whips more thickly, but we tend to use Lidl's full-fat canned coconut milk, which is virtually all cream. Even their 'low-fat' version has more of the thick, creamy part than many other brands. 

Fresh fruit can, of course, be used instead of canned; moisten the cake with a little fruit juice (or sherry) if you do so. Fresh fruit such as halved strawberries or sliced kiwi can make an attractive topping. 

If you prefer a chocolate version, use chocolate cake at the bottom, and add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder to the initial paste when making the custard. Alternatively make chocolate blancmange and use that. Grated vegan chocolate is a good alternative to sprinkles, although a bit more time consuming, and somewhat messier too.

My most recent variation involved some slightly stale gingerbread (the cake variety) leftover from Christmas. I chopped it roughly and put it in a bowl, then moistened with some home-made (vegan) lemon curd.  I then made some chocolate custard in the microwave using half a can of thick coconut milk, one tablespoon of custard powder, one tablespoon of cocoa powder, and one tablespoon of sugar. The rest of the canned coconut milk was so thick that I just scooped it on top rather than whipping it, so it was very quick to put together. I didn't use any fruit.