Holiday Recipe and Blog Swap: English Trifle with Bella Before and After

I love having visitors on my blog.  Today I am pleased to have Bella of Bella Before and After.  She is sharing a delicious recipe for an English Trifle.  I have never attempted a trifle, but they are sure to impress any holiday guests.  She has been kind enough to share this family recipe, and take us through it step by step.  Tutorials are sure a lot of work, and I really appreciate her kindness.  She has a fantastic blog of her own.  She is always working on a new and impressive project.  In addition to her great creative talent, she is a sweetheart.  I always look forward to hearing from her.  Here's Bella.

Hey everyone, today Tricia is hanging out at my place Bella Before and After sharing an awesome simple sewing tutorial, just perfect for the holidays. I love Tricia's sewing tutorials so much, because they are simple, and easy to follow, and so very cute. I love her style, and visit her often, and I know you love her too.

Oh man, am I excited to be GUEST posting on this awesome blog.

Thanks Tricia for giving me the opportunity.

Well guys my name is Bella, and my blog is called

How very original right? The reason I picked this for my blog name is simply because the kinds of projects I like to make usually involve an ugly before, and a better after, lol. My favorite kind of crafts are the ones

I can do for free, or make for really cheap. I really hate spending money on new things, and get much more satisfaction from saving something that would otherwise go to waste.

I also LOVE to cook, and do it every single day, he he. For the moment, this seems to be what I do most often, and I love anything Indian, Romanian, Mexican. What a combo right?

I am also on a mission to get in shape, be healthy, get organized, and have a clean house, for more than a minute. I blog about all these things, and more, and always have some challenge set up for myself.

Please come by every Tuesday for my weekly party **Amaze me August** and keep on coming, this party stays open all week until the next one starts. I've had a lot of fun, hosting this party, and hope that you will join us, and share your creations too.

Today I am sharing a quick recipe for an English Trifle. I grew up around cakes, and pastries my whole life. My mom has been doing this for over 35 years. Way back in the day, when I was a little girl, my mom worked at a German Bakery in California, and they used to make this Trifle every Christmas. While this dessert is English, apparantly the Germans, Romanians, and Americans all like it too, lol.

I certainly am not known for following rules, or recipes, and of course this is my very own creation. My mom would be horrified, but here goes.

This recipe can double as two, I am using one of my favortie cakes from childhood (grandmas cake) as the sponge cake, instead of a regular sponge cake. My version has sour cherries in it, and it's so dang good.

Then to cut back on time spent in the kitchen, and to make it easy for you to do at home, I used simple jello vanilla pudding (not instant) instead of making a real custard, like this recipe calls for.

Alrighty then let the pictures begin!!

Don't laugh, BUT I have not a single big glass bowl, so I used a canning jar, and a green glass. These were immediately eaten by my kids, and (myself) so the rest of the pics, are another one I had to assemble to show you how I made it.

Eggs, seperated, VERY important, DO NOT get any yolk in the white.

Sugar, Flour, Sour Cherries, (I get these from the Bosnian store, if you have an international European store, they should carry it) and try to get the ones alraedy pitted. Make sure you drain the cherries.

Add just a splash of veg oil, and stir the egg yolks really quick.

Beat the egg whites until fluffy, and then add the sugar.

Beat until smooth, and silky, oh and I like to add a squeeze of lemon juice at this point.

Sift the flour into the egg whites.

Add the yolks, and beat SLOWLY, you can even do this by hand, you do not want to lose the FLUFF people, so be careful.

Light as air, PERFECT.... Pour in two cake pans, I used 10 inch round silicone ones.

Leave a little and add some cocoa powder to it.

Drop it in, and give it a swirl.

Plop those DRAINED cherries in.....

Remove when it smells yummy, and a toothpick comes out clean, also if you touch the top it feels spongy.

Slice and dice it baby.

Ok, so like I said, we ate the other two so fast, I could barely take a picture, so this was my second time making it, and actually took some pictures, he he.

Just layer bite sized pieces of cake, then, add pudding, rasberry preserve, bananas, strawberries, and more pudding, and so on until you get to the top.



Finish it off with some whipping topping, and a strawberry.



Then dig in for thirds, lol.





Here is the recipe, if you can call it that. I don't use them, and can't really give them either, so here is what I used, and how I did it, if I remember correctly, he he.

ENGLISH TRIFLE

• 10 eggs SEPERATED carefully, really carefully!!!
• 10 large SOUP Spoons, of SUGAR
• 8 large SOUP Spoons of FLOUR (all purpose)
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 jar Sour Cherries (pitted if possible)
• Strawberries, and Bananas
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Vanilla Pudding, the kind you boil in milk
• Rasberry preserve

Now in case you are wondering, why we use SOUP spoons, it's just the way ROMANIANS bake, I am telling you, almost every recipe, calls for either a SOUP spoon, or LITERALLY a TEA spoon. We also regulary use mugs, instead of actual measuring cups. I know baking is a science, and you have to be precise, but this is how we've been making our cakes for over 30 years, and it still works, so just give it a try will ya.

Ok, now the steps again.

1. Seperate the eggs, and BEAT the egg whites until fluffy.
2. Add a drizzle of oil to the egg yolks and mix a little.
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees, and spray your pans. ( I used silicone, two 10" round ones)
4. Drain your cherries really good.
5. Add the sugar, and a splash of lemon juice to the egg whites, and BEAT again, until silky and smooth.
6. Add the egg yolks, and SIFTED flour, and beat on LOW, or fold it in by hand, slowly, so you don't lose all the fluffliness.
7. Save a little and add the cocoa powder and blend.
8. Pour equally into the pans, and add the cocoa mixture, then give it a swirl.
9. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, (sorry oven temp varies) check to see if it's done by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean, you are good. Also the cake, should smell done, and when you touch the top it should be bouncy, spongy, and bounce right back.
10. Let cool, a bit, and then cut in cubes.
11. Hopefully you have the pudding ready by now, you should have made it while this was in the oven silly, ok that also had a chance to cool, a little right?
12. Start your trifle. Layer cake, fruit, pudding, preserve, whatever, and however you want. It doesn't matter. Having a large clear, glass bowl, is how this is traditionally served. It looks lovely from the sides. I didn't have one, so I used what I had, and you can too. The point is just to be able to see the sides, this is just how trifles are presented.
13. Top your treat with some whipped cream, and by golly dig in. You should let this chill in the fridge for a while, but no such luck at my home, we practically finished it off, while still warm, he he.

Wow, that was long, and took forever. I have no idea why I thought this was going to be fast. Go figure.

Well, TRICIA, what can I say THANK YOU again, for letting me entertain your readers, with my silliness. I hope they enjoyed my version of this wonderful holdiday dessert.

--
Bella
bellabeforeandafter.blogspot.com

Thanks Bella, for sharing this great holiday recipe.  That sponge cake looks so delicious.  I am really thrilled that you shared a trifle.  It looks fantastic, and I'm sure that it tastes fantastic as well. We received a trifle dish as a wedding gift, and it has never been used as intended.  I'm excited to finally be able to help it fulfill it's purpose.

As Bella mentioned, I'm over at her blog today, sharing a tutorial for this easy holiday applique.

Don't forget to check out the Holiday Recipe Link Party.  There are several other mouth watering recipes waiting for you there.  Feel free to link up any of your own recipes.