Christmas Trifle Delight with Pears, Raspberries, and Amaretto Recipe
Christmas Trifle Delight is a festive layered dessert combining creamy custard, tender pound cake soaked in aromatic liqueurs, poached pears, and fresh raspberries, topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and garnished with mint leaves for an elegant holiday treat.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes (poaching pears)
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes (including chilling time)
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: English
Ingredients
Scale
Custard Layer
- 3 cups creme Anglaise (or prepared Bird’s custard)
Pound Cake Layer
- 1 (12 ounces) pound cake, crusts trimmed
- 1/3 cup marsala wine or sherry
- 1/3 cup amaretto
Fruit Layer
- 4 large pears, poached and sliced into wedges
- 4 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 cups whipping cream
Garnish
- Fresh raspberries
- Mint leaves
Instructions
- Poach Pears: Peel, core, and slice the pears into wedges. Gently poach them in simmering water until just tender, then set aside to cool.
- Prepare Pound Cake: Trim the crusts off the pound cake and cut into cubes or slices suitable for layering.
- Soak Pound Cake: In a shallow dish, combine the marsala wine (or sherry) with the amaretto. Briefly dip or brush the pound cake pieces with this mixture to absorb the flavors.
- Layer the Trifle: In a large glass trifle bowl or individual glasses, begin by spreading a layer of the soaked pound cake pieces. Next, spoon a layer of creme Anglaise or Bird’s custard over the cake.
- Add Fruit: Arrange a layer of poached pear wedges over the custard, then scatter a layer of fresh or thawed raspberries.
- Repeat Layers: Continue layering cake soaked with liqueurs, custard, pears, and raspberries until all ingredients are used, ending with a custard layer on top.
- Make Whipped Cream Topping: Using a mixer, beat the whipping cream with confectioner’s sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Top Trifle: Spread or pipe the whipped cream evenly over the top layer of custard.
- Garnish and Chill: Decorate the top with fresh raspberries and mint leaves. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld and the trifle to set.
Notes
- For a non-alcoholic version, replace marsala wine and amaretto with equal parts fruit juice or flavored syrup.
- Use fresh pears when in season for the best flavor; canned pears could be used in a pinch but fresh is preferred.
- Chilling the trifle for several hours enhances the melding of flavors and texture.
- Bird’s custard can be substituted with homemade creme Anglaise or any good-quality custard.
- To save time, poach pears a day in advance and store them refrigerated.
Keywords: Christmas trifle, holiday dessert, layered custard trifle, poached pear dessert, pound cake trifle