Our Family Traditional Trifle Recipe

Trifle, a classic English dessert made with sponge soaked in berry syrup, topped with marinated fruits or berries, topped with cream or custard. This berry trifle is one of the simplest dessert you could make with just a handful of ingredients. Every time I host a family dinner, this one is sure to be on the table. It has become a family traditional trifle. But I can assure you can finish this whole thing from start to finish in under 30 mins.

Traditional Trifle Recipe

Last week I found a box of ladyfinger biscuits lying in the cupboard which is leftover from my chocolate tiramisu. It is not enough to make another batch of Tiramisu, but definitely perfect for a trifle. I also had some berries lying in the freezer. 

Jump to:

• About Berry Trifle Recipe
• Ingredients
• Step by Step Pictures
• Expert Tips
• 📖 Get Recipe

This trifle is relatively easy to make and is perfect to serve for any parties. Every time I host birthday parties or family gathering, this is the one dessert I make. Since it uses mascarpone cheese and cream as filling, the taste is so rich and creamy. Everyone in the family just love it. 

About Berry Trifle Recipe

Trifle is a popular English dessert traditionally made with sponge cake soaked in fruit syrup, topped with jelly, whipped cream, custard, it is layered in a transparent glass bowl to showcase the layer. 

Trifle is a versatile dessert it can be made however way you like. You can top with custard, cream mixture, jelly or even puddings. 

This recipe for trifle is made with lady finger biscuits instead of sponge cake, berries, sweetened whipped mascarpone cream. Started making this to use up leftover berries, ladyfingers, now has turned into a family traditional recipe. 

Similar Recipes

• Ginger Coffee Caramel Trifle Recipe - Ginger Biscuit Trifle Recipe
• Jelly Custard Trifle Recipe
• Cake Crumb Trifle Recipe - Easy Leftover Cake Recipes
• Chocolate Cherry Trifle Recipe
• Nutella Biscuit Trifle

This is a fantastic dessert which can be served for any parties. This trifle is one of the quickest and easiest desert you could ever make. Plus it is so tasty and light.

You start by cooking berries in sugar and vanilla till it gets syrupy. You shouldn't mash the berries, instead strain it so you get the syrup separately.

Sponge cake or lady finger biscuits are soaked in the berry syrup and layered in a glass bowl. The strained berries is topped over the sponge fingers. Mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, sugar and vanilla is whipped till creamy and spread evenly over the berries. 

You can either top the cream with whipped cream or jelly. but I just drizzled some strawberry syrup. 

Family Traditional Trifle

If you have followed me from the earlier stage, I love making trifles. Not because it is easy to make, but it is actually therapeutic to make a trifle. I have made quite a few actually for the blog. But this one is the easiest recipe but so rich and tasty. 

Traditionally trifle has some kind of custard used in them. Like my plum custard trifle, chocolate cherry trifle or this jelly custard trifle. 

But this one needs bare minimum cooking. The result is so rewarding. 

Ingredients

• Sponge - I used ladyfinger biscuits as the sponge for the trifle. Instead of that you can use regular plain sponge cake. 
• Fruits - I used a mix of strawberry and blueberry. You can add mixed frozen berries or include black berry and raspberry as well. 
• Sugar - Sugar helps make the berry syrupy which is used to soak the sponge fingers. 
• Vanilla - pure vanilla is used in the cream filling as well as the berry for flavour. 
• Filling - the cream filling is made by mixing mascarpone cheese, cream, icing sugar and vanilla. Simple and basic. You can use cream cheese instead of mascarpone cheese. 

---

Step by Step Pictures

Make Berry Syrup

1)Take strawberries, blueberry, sugar and vanilla in a sauce pan.

2)Place on medium high heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes till the sugar melts and the syrup form in the berries. No need to mash the berries. Let them be whole.

3)Now take the berries and strain them through a sieve, you need the syrup and the berries separately. Allow the berries to cool. 

Make Cream Filling

4)Now take mascarpone cheese, cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl.

5)Use an electric mixer to whip till thick and creamy. Store this in fridge until required. 

Soaking lady finger

6)Now take a trifle bowl. I am using a stemmed glass bowl. Take your ladyfinger biscuits and dip in the syrup.

7)Place on the bottom of the stemmed glass bowl. Press gently so it form an even layer in the base. If you are using sponge cake, arrange the cake in bottom and pour over the syrup on top.

Layering berries & cream

8)now spread the strained whole berries on top of the ladyfinger biscuits. Spread it evenly.

9)Now dollop the whipped mascarpone cheese on top of the berries. Spread evenly.

Chilling & Serving

10)place this in fridge for at least 4 to 5 hours. Drizzle top with strawberry syrup or cut berries. Scoop and serve.

---

Expert Tips

Sponge to Use - The base of the trifle can be either sponge cake or ladyfinger biscuits. You can use plain vanilla sponge for the base. 

Flavouring syrup - once the berry syrup is strained, you can add any berry liquor if you want more depth in flavour. 

Choose Fruits - Instead of berries, you can use mixed fruits like pinepple, peach, plums, mangoes or even oranges. 

Decorating - Trifle is one such dessert that can be decorated and layered as you like. You can top with jelly, whipped cream if you prefer. 

Storage - prepared trifle can be stored in fridge upto a week. Scoop and serve in small portion. 

📖 Get Recipe