This recipe for Tempting 4-Element Trifle with Fresh Fruit, Mascarpone Whipped Cream and 10 Minute Pastry Cream is a true showstopper! It’s also delicious. Layers of delicate vanilla sponge are brushed with a light mandarin orange syrup. The cubed sponge alternates between layers of vanilla pastry cream, fresh fruit and a Marcarpone whipped cream. This trifle recipe is less fussy than a cake and can be made a day ahead.
Although the individual steps for this dessert are easy, I won’t tell you that it’s a quick one to make. This is a weekend or special gathering dessert – perfect for an Easter dinner or Saturday brunch. The individual steps take some time, but this Tempting 4-Element Trifle recipe is well worth the time and planning involved. The good news is you can break it down into steps. You can make the sponge and pastry cream up to two days in advance, and you can assemble the Trifle the night before serving.
In this blog post, we’ll touch on the history of pastry cream and dig into the individual elements and process for assembling this beautiful and decadent dessert.
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The Culinary History of Pastry Cream
Pastry cream, also known as crème pâtissière, is a type of egg-based custard. It has a rich culinary history that traces back to to the 17th century when French chefs began incorporating it into their desserts.
Traditionally, pastry cream is made by combining milk, sugar, egg yolks, and flour or cornstarch, resulting in a smooth and velvety custard-like texture. Pastry cream has been a versatile component in classic pastries like éclairs, cream puffs, and fruit tarts. Its popularity expanded globally, influencing various cuisines and finding its way into a myriad of desserts.
In modern-day dessert making, pastry cream serves as a foundation for creating indulgent and decadent desserts. It is often flavored with vanilla, chocolate, or other extracts to enhance its taste, and pastry chefs continue to innovate, playing with the composition of the base ingredients and incorporating it into diverse recipes to the delight of dessert enthusiasts everywhere. A simple internet search for pastry cream can yield everything from a classic recipe to vegan versions.
If you’re craving something sweet, simple and silky, this grown-up version of vanilla pudding is lovely as a stand-alone dessert or served with a side of tart, fresh berries. And since most people already have the basic ingredients in their refrigerator and pantry as staples, it’s a quick and easy to whip up.
My Recipe for Classic Vanilla Pastry Cream
In this recipe, I use my recipe for Delicious Classic Vanilla Pastry Cream in 10 Min. This is a great foundation recipe for any baker to have on hand. Classic vanilla pastry cream is a versatile base used in many desserts including, fresh fruit tarts, cakes, cream puffs, napoleons and doughnuts. It’s also a simple and satisfying dessert on its own with a little fresh fruit. Pictured right, this pastry cream recipe is the first element in this Tempting 4-Element Trifle.
Fortified Mascarpone Whipped Cream Adds Form and Flavor to this Tempting 4-Element Trifle
When testing this recipe at home, I felt that straight whipped cream lacked the personality this recipe needed. It also tends to want to revert back to its liquid form over time, so I turned to an old pastry trick – fortified whipped cream. Fortified whipped cream typically refers to whipped cream that has been enhanced or “fortified” with additional ingredients to improve its flavor, stability, or texture.
Common additions include sugar, vanilla extract, or stabilizers such as gelatin or cornstarch. The goal is to create a whipped cream that not only has a light and fluffy texture but also possesses a more robust taste and a longer shelf life. Fortified whipped cream is often used as a topping for desserts, cakes, pies, and beverages, providing a delightful and enhanced finishing touch to a variety of sweet treats.
In this recipe, I use both Mascarpone cheese and a touch of gelatin to add support to this whipped delight. With the addition of these two ingredients, the cream is able to maintain it airy lightness, and hold its shape. A fortified Mascarpone whipped cream is the second element in this dessert.
A Delicate Sponge and Fresh Fruit Keep this Dessert Light
Even though the texture and feel of this dessert is light, it’s still fairly rich. In early versions, I tested this recipe using a pound cake, but when paired with the richness of the mascarpone and the pastry cream, it quickly became too heavy.
The use of a Genoise sponge was intentional here. The cake is made by whipping egg whites and egg yolks separately with a small amount of sugar. Flour is gently folded into the whipped yolks. Next, the egg whites are gently folded into the yolk and flour mixture one third at a time. The cake batter is spread in a baking sheet lined with parchment and allowed to bake at 350 degrees F for 17-19 minutes. The finished cake is a very light sponge that can still hold up under the weight of the other ingredients.
And then there’s the fruit. I found a variety of tart, fresh fruit was perfect for cutting the cream. Tart kiwi, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and mandarin oranges pair perfectly with the vanilla notes in this dessert. The use of a light sponge cake and tart fresh fruit make up the third and fourth components of this Tempting 4-Element Trifle.
I do hope you’ll give this recipe for Tempting 4-Element Trifle a try. The flavor and silky texture of the Mascarpone whipped cream and pastry cream pair beautifully with the delicate sponge and fresh tart fruit. And it’s just so pretty. Pretty enough to plan a dinner around. It takes a little work, but it’s well worth the time and effort.
Tempting 4-Element Trifle with Fresh Fruit, Mascarpone Whipped Cream and 10 Minute Pastry Cream
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate10
servings1
hour10
minutes19
minutesLayers of delicate vanilla sponge are brushed with a light mandarin orange syrup and layered with vanilla pastry cream, fresh fruit and Marcarpone whipped cream.
Ingredients
- For the vanilla sponge cake
5 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
2/3 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. white granulated sugar divided in half (two separate portions of 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted
Lemon juice for cleaning your beaters and mixing bowl before whipping the egg whites.
- For the pastry cream
2 cups whole milk ( you can use 2%)
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- For the Mascarpone Whipped Cream
1 1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin dissolved in 2 Tbsp. cold water
1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
4 ounces Mascarpone cheese, slightly softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
- For finishing the trifle
1 cup mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained. Reserve the syrup for brushing the cake.
3 cups assorted fresh fruit such as kiwi, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries.
Powdered sugar for dusting.
Directions
- Prepare the sponge cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 12-inch x 9-inch x 1-inch cake pan by first spraying it with cooking spray to help the paper stick. Line the pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Divide the sugar into two separate small cups. Each bowl should have 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. of granulated sugar. Set aside.
- Clean a medium-large mixing bowl and beaters with lemon juice to remove any oils or cleaning residues that would impede the egg whites from whipping properly. Set aside.
- Divide the eggs, being careful not to get any egg yolk into the whites. Place the whites in the bowl that was just cleaned with the lemon juice. Place the egg yolks in a separate bowl.
- Beat the egg whites over medium speed until they become frothy. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. of sugar. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form – approximately 5-7 minutes. Set aside momentarily.
- In the second bowl, beat the egg yolks over medium speed until they start to lighten in color. Add the vanilla and gradually add the remaining sugar. Increase the speed of the mixer to high and whip until the yolks are light and fluffy – approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Sift and gently fold the cake flour into the egg yolks. Do not over mix. Your goal is to incorporate the flour without knocking the air out of the yolks.
- Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk and flour mixture to loosen up the batter. Fold in another 1/3 of the egg whites until just incorporated. Repeat this step one last time.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and gently spread it evenly across the pan. Don’t fuss with it too much so as not to knock the air out of the batter.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for 17-19 minutes or until the cake becomes lightly browned on top or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool to room temperature for at least 2 hours.
- Prepare the pastry cream
- While the cake is baking (or cooling) prepare the pastry cream. In a 5-quart heavy bottom stock pot, whisk together the eggs, sugar, corn starch, salt, vanilla and milk over medium heat. Stir constantly.
- Continue stirring until the mixture comes together and thickens to the consistency of a semi-thick custard pudding. Approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter until completely incorporated.
- Pour the custard through a strainer into a glass bowl. Discard any clumps or bits of egg. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard. Allow the custard to cool to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator. The pastry cream can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Prepare the Mascarpone whipped cream
- In a small, microwave safe bowl, bloom the gelatin in 2 Tbsp. of cold water for 3 minutes. Place the gelatin mixture in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to dissolve. Allow the gelatin to cool while you prepare the cream.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla over low speed. Add the gelatin and whip until very soft peaks form.
- Add the softened Mascarpone to the cream mixture and whip on high until just incorporated. Be careful not to over-whip the cream. The cream should be just firm enough to hold a peak.
- Assemble the Trifle
- Remove the cake from the pan and peel it away from the parchment paper. Gently brush the top of the sponge with the reserved mandarin orange s syrup. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Begin with a single layer of the cake. Follow with a layer of Mascarpone cream, a layer of fruit, a second layer of cake and a layer of pastry cream. Repeat the order of the layers again – cake, Mascarpone cream, fruit, cake, pastry cream. Finish with a cluster of cake on top. Dust with powdered sugar or decorate as desired.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This trifle can be made the night before an event.
Notes
- Where can I find mandarin oranges in syrup? You can find mandarin oranges in convenient snack-size portions by the apple sauce and other canned fruits in your grocery store. The use of this syrup gives the cake a little extra moisture and flavor.
- I can’t find Mascarpone cheese. What can I use instead? You can substitute regular or light cream cheese. it will have a slightly tangier taste, but it will still be delicious.
- Not pictured in this post, but toasted, sliced almonds make a lovely flavor and textural addition to this trifle.
