Most of my recipes are easy, because I like being able to whip up cookies or scones or any meal in my repertoire on a weeknight. Life is difficult enough, I like easy more often than not in the kitchen. This recipe, however, is not a throw together on a Wednesday night kind of recipe. It’s a few steps, it takes time, but it is really spectacular and lovely and it is a wonderful way to serve fresh berries that are perfectly in season right now. Emmy and I went berry picking on the weekend – our first time! It something we have wanted to do for a while, and although it threatened to rain on us I’m so glad we just went for it. The rain held off, it wasn’t too hot, and we had a fantastic time. Strawberry season is in full swing, and to our surprise and delight, the raspberries were just starting to ripen. So I found myself with more berries than I knew what to do with, yet I also found myself wandering into the farm’s general store and eyeing a beautiful trifle. Of course it wasn’t keto friendly, but I was going to treat myself. Then I saw the line. The line was absolutely horrifying. So I said, FORGET IT, and that very night I started making the elements to throw together my own cute little trifle in a jar. My version is also keto friendly! And I felt so very accomplished making it.
Depending on the size of your jars, this probably makes 4-5 good sized trifles. I have the standard sized mason jars and I filled them up to the very top and then some. This made 4. I could definitely have made them a little more modest and it would have easily made 5 maybe even 6. It’s not an exact science and if there’s not quite enough for a last trifle to serve a guest you can throw it all together in a bowl and I promise it will still be just as delicious. The elements of the trifle that you have to make are the cake, the custard and the whipped cream. The whipped cream is easy! But should be made last, right before serving, so it’s fresh and holds it’s firm shape. The cake and the custard, however, I highly advise making at least a day in advance. The custard really does thicken in the fridge but only after several hours. I checked on it 4 hours after making it, and the consistency was not yet to my liking. I left it overnight, however, and it was perfect. The cake as well needs time to properly cool and firm up. I find with keto/gluten free baking allowing the cake to cool is even more important than with traditional baking due to the crumbly texture of the almond flour.
All in all, I’m glad that I was driven by spite to undertake such an involved recipe because it pushed my outside of my comfort zone. While I do love a one bowl, no mixer, comes together in minutes type of recipe this was a lot of fun and it definitely felt rewarding to be able to serve something so fancy and so pretty friends for Sunday brunch. Please leave a comment if you have a favourite multi-step dessert that you think I should try!
Summer Berry Trifle
Ingredients
Vanilla Pound Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 1 0z cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar free sweetner I used granular Swerve
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup almond flour
Vanilla Custard
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 Tbs powdered sugar free sweetner I used powdered Swerve
- 1 tsp vanilla extract I busted out the GOOD vanilla for this one
Whipped Cream and Berries
- 1 cup fresh cleaned and hulled strawberries
- 1 cup fresh cleaned raspberries
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Vanilla Pound Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degreesButter a 8 inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paperCombine almond flour and baking powder in a large bowl, set asideCut butter into several small squares and put in separate bowl, add cream cheeseMicrowave butter and cream cheese for 30 seconds and stir until well combinedAdd sweetner, vanilla extract, and sour cream to butter and cream cheese mixture and combine until smoothPour wet ingredients into large bowl of almond flour and baking powder and combine until smoothAdd eggs to batter and (you guessed it) combine until smoothPour batter into prepared pan pan, place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until your cake tester or knife come out cleanSet out until cooled completely and remove from pan, wrap in plastic wrap and fridge it (preferably overnight)
Vanilla Custard
- Add cream and vanilla extract to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium heat until it starts to bubble, just below boiling, stirring occasionallyWhile waiting for the cream to heat, whisk together the egg yolks and sweetener in a small bowl until combinedSlowly pour the hot cream mixture over the egg yolks, whisking continuouslyReturn the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoonRemove from the heat and run through a fine mesh strainer to ensure the smoothest consistencyFridge it in a sealed jar, preferably overnight
Whipped Cream and Berries
- Pour the heavy cream and vanilla into a cold bowl and whip with a hand mixer or electric whisk until you get stiff peaksGrab your jars and layer your ingredients, starting with the cake – just grab a piece and crumble it into the jar. Add berries and then custard. Repeat and top with whipped cream and some extra berries and enjoy!