Christmas day trifles - with a vegan, gluten and dairy-free option too!

So Christmas day involved lazy time at home all day. Then it started storming. Then we had dinner = turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread, cranberry jelly, veggies, gravy, stuffing, champagne! Then I watched Michael Jackson's 30th anniversary concert on tv while eating my trifle glass. Mmm. Only things I'd change - less nuts, more strawberries. It really comes down to personal preference though - tailor these to your own taste!

 

Chocolate butterscotch trifles 

Ingredients

1. Martha Stewart's one-bowl chocolate cupcakes (see here) - I used about 1.5 cupcakes per 250ml trifle cup

2. Butterscotch pudding (see below)

3. Whipped cream (see below)

4. Chopped macadamia nuts - about 1/8 cup per trifle  

5. Chopped strawberries (or any other fruit) - about 2 medium sized strawberries per trifle

6. Butterscotch schnapps (or rum, whisky etc) for drizzling on cake (optional)

Butterscotch pudding (this was much more than I needed for 3 trifles. Next time I would make 1/2 of this amount)

adapted from Joy the Baker's recipe which was adapted from David Lebovitz

Ingredients

4 tbsp (56.8g) unsalted butter

1 C (226g) dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp cornstarch

2 C whole milk

1/2 C (116g) heavy cream

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tablespoon butterscotch schnapps (I used this) or whisky, rum etc (optional)

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan (preferably one with a rounded bottom to prevent pudding overcooking and sticking at the edges - this happened to me because I didn't have this saucepan!). 

2. Add brown sugar to the melted butter and whisk together to ensure that all of the brown sugar is moistened by the  butter.  The mixture will be grainy.  That’s ok.  Remove the pan from the flame.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch, salt and 1/4 cup of milk.  Make sure there are no cornstarch lumps in the mixture.  Whisk in the eggs.

4. Return the sugar and butter mixture to a medium-low flame.  Pour in the milk (1 + 3/4 cups), cream and cornstarch mixture.  Whisk almost constantly as the mixture heats.  The mixture will thicken just as it starts to simmer.  Allow to simmer, whisking constantly, until the pudding is the thickness of warm hot fudge sauce. (I was quite unsure of how long this step was supposed to take - I was simmering and whisking for over 5 minutes but I only just looked up David Lebovitz's version of instructions and it mentions to simmer for only 1 minute! This may be the reason why mine wasn't as smooth as expected).

5. Pass the pudding through a fine mesh strainer and into a bowl.  Stir in the vanilla extract and alcohol of choice (if using). Cover the pudding with plastic wrap, directly on top of the pudding, and allow to cool and thicken in the refrigerator for at least an hour (this took longer for me! probably more like 3-4 hours but I just left it overnight).

Whipped cream (I used this amount in 3 trifles. I think next time I would multiply this by an extra 1/3)

adapted from Joy the Baker's recipe using tips from Joy of Baking

Ingredients

1 1/2 C heavy cream

3 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp butterscotch schnapps, whisky, rum (optional - I didn't add this)

1. For best results chill beaters and bowl in fridge for 1 hour or in freezer for 15 minutes (I skipped this as there was no room in the fridge or freezer due to too much xmas food!)

2. Whip together cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and alcohol of choice (if using).  Whip until soft peaks form (cream should droop slightly from ends of beaters when lifted). 

ASSEMBLY

1. Alternate layers of pudding, crumbled cupcakes, nuts, whipped cream and strawberries. Top with extra nuts and grated chocolate (curls would have been nicer).

Snickerdoodle trifle with caramelised banana and strawberries

Ingredients

1. These vegan snickerdoodle cupcakes (see recipe below)

2. Soy Life vanilla yoghurt

3. Chopped strawberries (about 2 medium sized per trifle)

4. Chopped macadamias (about 1/8 cup per trifle)

5. Caramelised banana (see below)

Vegan snickerdoodle cupcakes

adapted from Frosted Bakery recipe

makes 1 dozen (I halved the recipe but only used 1.5 per trifle)
Ingredients
1 C soy milk 
1 tsp apple cider vinegar 
1/3 C + 2 tsp vegetable oil 
1 1/4 C plain flour (I used gluten-free) 
2 tbsp cornstarch 
3/4 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt 
3/4 C (168g) sugar 
2 tsp vanilla extract  
2 tbsp cinnamon 
2 tbsp brown sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) . Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

2. Mix together soy milk and vinegar and set aside for 1-5 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and white sugar.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar and 2 t of the vegetable oil.

5. Add the remaining oil and vanilla extract to the soured soy milk. Stir together and add to the dry ingredients. Mix together to form a smooth batter.

6. Pour into the lined cupcake pans. Spoon a heaping 1/2 t full of the cinnamon mixture into each cupcake and swirl with a toothpick (next time I would fill the pan about 1/4 full, add 1/4 tsp cinnamon and swirl then repeat this - just so the cinnamon is more evenly distributed).

7. Bake for 19-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (mine took 20). Let cool for 5 minutes in pan then transfer to a cooling rack.

Vegan caramelised banana
adapted from Joy the Baker's recipe
I halved this recipe, using 1 medium banana - this would have been enough for 2 trifles
Ingredients

2 to 3 ripe but firm bananas, sliced about 1/3″ thick, at an angle

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I used Nuttelex)

scant 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons whisky (optional - I didn't use this)

1. Melt butter in a small sauce pan.  

2. Add banana slices in a single layer and top with brown sugar.  

3. Allow bananas to brown on one side.  Flip bananas, cook down the sugar, and allow bananas to brown on the other side.  This took me about 4 to 5 minutes (a bit longer for me - I used a low-medium flame. Next time I'd use a medium-high flame).  

4. Remove pan from the flame and drizzle in about 2 teaspoons of whisky (if using).  The pan will sizzle a bit.  Use this sizzling time to remove the bananas and sugar from the pan and place on a plate to cool slightly before using. 

ASSEMBLY 

Layer yoghurt, crumbled snickerdoodle cupcakes, banana, strawberries and nuts. Top with nuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I made the cupcakes and pudding the night beforehand and assembled the trifles around midday and ate them after dinner. YUM. Love that trifles are so versatile.

So I'm sad to say that I probably won't bake again for the rest of the year! Working this week and then back to uni on the 3rd of Jan. Will no doubt do/attempt some baking in the dodgy college kitchens - blah!