trifle??
So I was going to make a roulade-type birthday cake with homemade lemon curd. My gènoise sponge didn't turn out well: I overbaked it and it refused to roll. The texture is too dry. Rather than dump it and start over can I layer it with berries as a trifle? I have to moisten it somehow and balance all the flavors coming at you: the lemon-zest flavored gènoise, the tart curd, the berries which can also be tart this time of year. So I thought of moistening the cake with just a simple syrup rather than another tart lemon syrup, mixing the curd with whipped cream and layering with berries. Have never made a trifle though. Can anyone suggest ideas? Should the whipped cream be made with a little confectioners sugar (containing cornstarch) to support it? Everything will be made a day or two in advance... Could any of you suggest some ideas? Should I add layers of plain whipped cream in addition to the lemon-curd whipped cream blend? As to the serving container, I only have a glass ice bucket, so it's a little deeper than a trifle dish. How big to cut the spongecake "fingers"? How to go about this??
4 Comments
I don't find the need for a syrup. A full-on is pretty darn good and moist without a need for a syrup. That's why there's lots of whipped cream in my trifles.
If you want a berry lemon trifle, I would scatter the berries or macerate them in a little sugar which would negate the need for a syrup.
Hmmm. Now I want trifle...
One is from Felicity Cloake (Guardian newspaper) who's been writing a column for years about "how to make the perfect x" where she reviews the waterfront on recipes for a popular dish, gives you alternatives, and ends with her composite recommendation ...the so-called "perfect" one. I find her reliable. Here's a link:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/22/how-to-make-perfect-trifle
If the British directions (including package of this or that cookie, not specified, but usually about 150-200 grams or 5-7 oz each) is too odd, look at this lemon blueberry one from Canada, closer by ingredients & with more understandable quantities.
http://www.cbc.ca/inthekitchen/2013/01/lemon-blueberry-trifle.html
You have leeway on how to cut the cake as, by the time the dish has finished chilling and is served, you don't see individual pieces of cake, as such, but the misture of cake, custard, fruit, cream.
For moistening, you can use a simple syrup or one with some liqueur flavoring to boost the total dish.