Try this wonderful peach tea trifle recipe this summer

Another dessert I really enjoy and everyone I share it with enjoys is an English trifle. Trifles are a great, light dessert for the summer full of fruit and cream. It’s great in the summer because that’s usually when we get fresh fruit. This year peaches were really good so I tried a peach and strawberry trifle. Usually there is some alcohol in a trifle. The English are always trying to get some alcohol into their cooking where ever they can! All the tea and biscuits you associate with the English and not a lot of tea in their cooking. Strange. Anyway, I decided to use tea instead of alcohol in this recipe. Normally you’d soak the sponge cake in some kind of alcohol but in this recipe I decided to use tea. In this case I chose a Peach tea I bought this summer in PEI but any tea could be used! The idea is to get some tea flavour in there. I have some suggested modification at the end the recipe for future versions of the tea inspired English trifle. But until then, this is my first attempt at a tea inspired trifle!

Peach Tea Trifle Recipe

Ingredients

1 9” round layer sponge cake
50mL (1/4c) fruit jam (Optional. I usually use a jam that compliments the fruits I plan on using in the trifle itself. So in this case a strawberry or peach jam.)
50mL (1/4c) peach tea (Again, I used a tea that complimented the fruits I chose to use. Feel free to use any tea you choose.)
750mL (3c) fresh fruit (I used peaches and strawberries in this recipe but you can use any type of fruits.)

Custard

(I usually double this recipe so there is more custard. You don’t have to do this but I find it’s nice.)

375mL (1.5c) milk
125mL (0.5 whipping cream, unwhipped)
15mL (1 tablespoon) sugar
25mL (2 tablespoons) cornstarch
10mL (2 teaspoons) vanilla
4 egg yoks, lightly beaten

Topping

375 mL (1.5c) whipping cream, unwhipped
15mL (1 tablespoon) sugar

Directions:

Spread jam over cake. Break into small chunks and place in base of 2L (2 quart) glass bowl. Sprinkle with peach tea, or whatever tea you decide to use. Spread fruit over cake.
To make custard, stir cornstarch into milk. In top of double boiler, gently heat milk mixture, cream and sugar. Stir 125mL hot milk into beaten egg yolks, whisk egg mixture back into remaining sauce, stirring constantly until thickened.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Cool 10 min.; spoon custard over fruit. Refrigerate until serving time.
In a chilled bowl whip cream until it is slightly thickened. Add sugar, continue to beat until stiff peaks are formed.
Smooth half of the whipped cream over the surface of the trifle. Garnish with some of the fruit. Serve and eat!

Serves whoever is around and rarely lasts long.

Modifications for future versions:

While I was making this recipe and after trying it, I thought of a few other ways I’d like to try incorporating some tea into the recipe. I’m thinking in the whipped cream itself to add a bit of concentrated, steeped tea. Not too much, but just a little instead of say vanilla, to add a hint of flavouring. I’m also thinking the same with the custard. I steeped the tea in the regular way which results in a great cup of tea but the flavour is a bit too mild, I find, for a recipe so rich in other flavours and the tea flavours almost gets lost. So I’m thinking for future tea inspired recipes to steep a more concentrated tea or even try a tea infusion of some sort either with just hot water or with oil in the case of a tea infused dressing or marinade. If you’re wondering which teas would work with this recipe, I’m thinking fruit “teas” with berries for a berry inspired trifle, e.g. blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries for the fruit in the trifle. In any case, stay tuned for more tea inspired recipes!

Note:

I’m no cook, chef or baker so everything I make is based on the enjoyment of creating something new, cooking, baking and especially tea! I hope you enjoy the recipes, both making them and the tasting the results!

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Lani and Norm

I enjoy learning and sharing that knowledge.Sharing has been in many forms over the years, as a teaching assistant, university lecturer, Pilates instructor, math tutor and just sharing with friends and family.Throughout, summarizing what I have learnt in words has always been there and continues to through blog posts, articles, video and the ever growing forms of content out there!