Trifle is a dessert that brings back very fond memories for me. It was my Nanas favourite dessert and she was always the nominated bearer of trifle at any family celebration and always at Christmas time. I haven’t eaten trifle in a very long time, but I have been asked by a few readers to come up with a healthy, intolerance friendly trifle so here it is.
Traditional trifles vary from the very, very bad (those made with processed ingredients like jelly, ready to eat custard and those horrendous 30+ ingredient jam rolls with a shelf life of many years), to the not so bad with each of the ingredients being homemade, albeit loaded with refined sugar.
My trifle is all made from scratch, a little finicky but certainly not at all difficult. I have endeavoured to cover most of the main dietary intolerances but feel free to add any I’ve missed (in the comments below).
It’s certainly nourishing without scrimping on deliciousness. So without further-a-do, a Well Nourished Trifle…
Health benefits
Packed with natural ingredients like raspberries, coconut milk, and grass-fed gelatin, this trifle is not just tasty, but also nourishing. It’s rich in collagen from the gelatin, healthy fats from the coconut, and full of vitamins and antioxidants from the fresh fruits. A healthier dessert choice that’s still a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
This trifle has layers of homemade jelly, home made sponge cake, custard (either traditional or vegan), and a creamy topping of your choice. Use natural sweeteners like rice malt syrup or honey, and customise the recipe to suit your dietary preferences. Whether you opt for coconut milk in your custard or whipped cream for the topping, this dessert offers wholesome, delicious ingredients.
How to make this Healthy Trifle recipe
Start by making the jelly with raspberries, sweetener, and grass-fed gelatin. Bake your chosen sponge, cut it into cubes, and soak it in sherry or a non-alcoholic syrup. For the custard, you can make a traditional egg-based one or a vegan version with mango and coconut milk. Assemble by layering the jelly, cake, custard, and creamy topping, then finish with fresh fruit and edible flowers. I love using fresh berries like strawberries and blueberries to make a berry trifle.
Serving suggestions and how to store
This trifle looks stunning in a glass bowl. trifle dish or individual glasses. For added texture, top with fresh fruit like berries or passionfruit. You can make it ahead of time and store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoyed within a few days.
Vary this to suit your dietary needs
For a low-fructose option, use rice malt syrup and low-fructose fruits. Vegans can opt for the vegan custard, make the jelly with agar-agar, and use a vegan-friendly cake. This recipe is highly adaptable, so you can easily swap ingredients to suit gluten-free, dairy-free, or low-sugar diets.
Recipe notes
Gelatin:
For the gelatin, I use THIS gelatin. Because gelatin is derived from animals, I like to know I am consuming the best quality product with the least chemical loading.
Sponge cake:
For the sponge you have a few cake options:
1. Vanilla Bean Cup Cake which is gluten, nut and grain-free with dairy and fructose-free options (legume-based)
2. Basic Healthy Cake recipe which is gluten, grain, dairy-free with fructose free option (suits Paleo)
3. Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe is vegan, made with spelt or a gluten-free flour.
4. Simple Vanilla Cake a sweeter cake made with olive oil
For more delicious, healthy and easy to make wholefood treats, click HERE.
Healthy Trifle
Ingredients
Jelly
- 500 ml water (2 cups) boiling from the kettle
- 85 g rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup (¼ cup)
- 200 g raspberries (2 cups) defrosted if frozen, pureed and pushed through a sieve to remove the seeds
- 2 tbsp grass-fed or organic gelatin (see recipe notes above)
Sponge
- Choose either:
- Vanilla Bean Cup Cake OR
- Easy Healthy Cake OR
- Vegan Vanilla Cake (recipes linked above)
Custard (choose your preference)
Vegan, dairy, gluten, egg and grain-free custard
- 2 mango/s -peeled and flesh pureed
- 1 tsp vanilla -powder, extract or essence
- 125 ml canned coconut milk (½ cup)
Traditional gluten-free custard (with dairy-free option)
- 2 tbsp rice malt syrup or maple syrup
- 2 egg/s
- 2 tbsp cornflour -gluten-free (or arrowroot for grain-free)
- 1 tbsp vanilla -powder, extract or essence
- 500 ml milk (of choice) (2 cups)
Creamy topping
- 250 ml cream (1 cup)whipped, or full-fat natural yoghurt, coconut yoghurt or cashew cream.
Serve
- fresh fruit
Instructions
Jelly
- Combine the hot water and sweetener until it is dissolved.
- Sprinkle the gelatin over the raspberry puree and mix until well combined.
- Add the hot water/syrup mixture and stir well until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Pour into a glass container and refrigerate to set.
Sponge
- Bake your sponge and once cooled cut into cubes.
- It is entirely up to you, but you can do as my Nana would have and soak the cubes in sherry. Or for a non-alcoholic syrup, combine 85 grams (¼ cup) of maple syrup or rice syrup with ¼ cup of boiling hot water stirring until combined. Add the juice of either a lime or orange and spoon over the cubes to soak your cake as you assemble it.
Custard
Vegan, dairy, gluten, egg and grain-free custard
- Blend the mango, vanilla, and coconut milk until well combined.
Traditional gluten-free custard
- Heat your chosen milk and sweetener until just starting to simmer.
- Remove from the heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and cornflour (or arrowroot). Add the vanilla.
- Slowly add to the hot milk whilst whisking.
- Return the pot to a low heat and stir continually until the custard thickens to your desired consistency.
- If you do end up with any lumps, you can pass it through a sieve.
To assemble
- Place a layer of jelly in the bottom of the bowl or glass.
- Arrange the cake on top, spoon over the sherry or non-alcoholic syrup and then cover with a layer of custard.
- Add another layer of jelly followed by a layer of whipped cream, full-fat natural yoghurt, Coyo coconut yoghurt (vegan and dairy-free), or cashew nut cream (vegan and dairy free).
- Top with fruit and edible flowers and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Store
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge.