Lily Vanilli’s Festive Trifle

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By Lily Vanilli

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This gloriously indulgent recipe has been created by London bakery owner Lily Vanilli with Del Monte. For more recipe inspiration, please visit www.delmonteeurope.com.

Serves: 10-15 in a 30cm x 30cm trifle bowl
Preparation time: 45min

Ingredients:

• 1 x 415g can Del Monte® Fruit Cocktail in Juice, well drained
• 1 x 415g can Del Monte® Peach Slices in Juice, well drained
• Elderflower liqueur, to taste
• Handful of fresh cherries, stalks on
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped
• Edible gold dust / desiccated coconut / hundreds and thousands
• Pink food colouring or 2tsp freeze-dried raspberries, crushed (optional)
• Madeira Cake (2-3 shop-bought loaves or homemade)
• Custard (1 x 400g can or homemade)
• 50g unsalted butter, softened
• 150g icing sugar, sifted
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 35ml double cream
• Berries and edible flowers, for decoration

To make:

1. Soak the Madeira cake by pricking the surface with a fork and gently drizzling with liqueur.
2. Prepare cherries for decoration. Gently melt 2/3 of the chocolate in a metal or glass bowl set over an inch of simmering water in a saucepan. When almost completely melted, remove from the heat and add the remaining chocolate, stirring until completely melted. Remove from heat and gently dip your cherries in the chocolate to coat completely.
3. Once set, brush the cherries with edible gold dust until they shine. If using coconut or hundreds and thousands instead of gold dust, dip into your chosen decoration while chocolate is still wet.
4. Add colouring or freeze dried raspberries to custard.
5. Make the buttercream. Beat together butter, sugar, vanilla, food colouring/freeze-dried raspberries and cream.

Assemble your trifle:

1. Gently place the first layer of soaked Madeira cake into the base of a 30cm x 30cm trifle bowl.
2. Top the cake with a layer of Del Monte® Peach Slices, making sure they are placed up to the edge of the sponge.
3. Then add a layer of pink custard and another layer of cake.
4. Top this with a layer of Del Monte® Fruit Cocktail making sure the fruit is placed up to the edge of the sponge.
5. Then add a layer of pink custard and another layer of cake.
6. Repeat this pattern as many times as your bowl allows, ensuring you finish with a final layer of Madeira cake.
7. Using a piping bag, pipe the top layer with the buttercream, with extra dabs piped in a circle around the edge of the trifle.
8. Place your decorated cherries where you have piped your dabs.
9. Decorate with fresh berries and edible flowers, arranged in a suitably celebratory design!