Gluten-free Easy Sherry Trifle
Sometimes you just need a dessert that’s simple, flexible, and easy to make ahead, and this trifle fits the bill quite nicely. It’s one of those recipes that looks like a celebration but takes very little work. I mean, this is more a set of assembly instructions rather than a recipe. Pretty much all the ingredients are shop-bought-ready. Which is just what’s needed sometimes.
Trifles are also very flexible. You can easily scale the quantities up or down depending on how many people you’re serving. Prefer a non‑alcoholic version? Leave out the sherry. Want a different flavour profile? Swap in another alcohol, just remember that stronger spirits will need a lighter hand.
Choose Your Fruit
You can use almost any fruit you like. I’ve gone with raspberries and strawberries because they’re classic, and I love them. But you could just as easily make an orange jelly and add tangerine segments, use cherries, or experiment with other combinations. Just keep in mind that some fruits prevent jelly from setting, so check before you add them in. As long as you’re aware of that, you can create any trifle you fancy.
Not into soaked cake? Leave the gluten‑free cake out entirely. Craving something richer? Add gluten‑free chocolate cake instead. Make it your own.
Make‑Ahead Magic
This trifle is made the day before, which means zero stress on the day you’re serving it. It keeps beautifully for at least three days – possibly longer, though around here it never lasts that long.
A Note on Gelatine
The jelly I use isn’t vegetarian. If you need a vegetarian option, look for agar, a plant‑based gelatine made from seaweed. You’ll often find it in the baking aisle of larger supermarkets. What’s trickier to find right now is a vegetarian version of ready‑flavoured jelly, so keep that in mind when planning.
Ingredients
- ½ (~125g) gluten-free Madeira sponge cake
- raspberry jam
- 2 x 135g packets of strawberry and/or raspberry jelly
- ~300ml cream sherry
- ~300g raspberries and/or strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 500g ready made vanilla custard
- ~250ml fresh cream, at least 30% fat
- 1 heaped tbsp icing sugar, optional
- Hundreds & Thousands sprinkles
Instructions
- Halve your gluten‑free cake—you’ll only need one half for this recipe. If you like, wrap the remaining half in baking paper, pop it into a freezer bag, and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Slice the half you’re using horizontally into two or three layers. Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam over the cut sides and sandwich the layers back together.
- Next, slice the cake vertically into thin strips, no more than 1 cm thick. Place these slices into your trifle bowl and pour 300ml Cream Sherry over the slices
- You can use fresh or frozen fruit. Frozen raspberries can go straight in without thawing. If you’re using frozen strawberries, let them soften just enough to slice. Prepare all your fruit and sprinkle it all over the cake slices.
- Make the jelly according to the packet instructions. Pour the jelly over the fruit and cake slices, Don’t worry too much about the order—both the fruit and cake tend to float. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until fully set.
- When the jelly has set, spoon the vanilla custard evenly over the top.
- For the cream layer, you can use unsweetened whipped cream (traditional for trifle), but I prefer to sweeten it lightly. Add 1 heaped tablespoon of icing sugar to the fresh cream and whisk until softly thickened.
- Spread the whipped cream over the custard and finish with a generous scattering of Hundreds & Thousands. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
- This trifle can be made 1 - 2 days ahead.
