Whether you're celebrating the end of this year or the start of a new one, or perhaps you're reading this later in the year and want a show-stopper dessert to wow your guests for a special occasion, I think this Prosecco berry trifle will hit the spot.
It's jam-packed with layers of strawberry Prosecco jelly, creamy white chocolate custard, a biscuit layer, strawberry cream, and blow-torched Italian meringue. Yep, there are quite a few elements to this recipe but it's totally worth it! And hey if there's anything 2020 has thought me is that it's ok to spend more time doing the things you love, even if that is crafting your way through this decadent recipe with layers of indulgence. If you do want to cut down the recipe you can skip the Italian meringue topping and just have a coconut cream top which also works as a treat!
Choosing a vegan wine
Did you know that many wines are not suitable for vegans? Some wines use a fining agent in their process which is derived from animals, making them unsuitable for vegans and vegetarians.
To check whether a wine is vegan-friendly you can check the label, as some brands have started to include this information on the bottle. Although this is still rare, if you're unsure whether a particular brand of wine is vegan-friendly, you can type a quick search into barnivore which has more information on popular brands!
LET'S MAKE PROSECCO BERRY TRIFLE!
(FULL RECIPE AMOUNTS AND INSTRUCTIONS ARE IN THE RECIPE CARD AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST)
MAKE THE PROSECCO JELLY
If you're looking to save time on the day of your special occasion, I would suggest making the jelly and layer in advance. It's important that you allow it to set in the trifle bowl (or serving vessel) that you intend on assembling the rest of the trifle in, as once it sets you won't be able to transfer it to another container. Cover and chill the jelly until ready to assemble the remaining layers of the trifle.
First, we're going to blend up the strawberries with the sparkling grape juice so that the flavors are evenly mixed. Pass the strawberry mixture through a sieve into a large bowl to remove any pieces of strawberry that may be present after blending.
Next, separate out about 200ml of the strawberry mixture and add it to a jug. Add in the agar-agar powder, stir well and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. You want to allow the powder to dissolve completely before applying heat!
Crack open the bottle of Prosecco and add the measured amount as per the recipe to the bowl with the strawberry mixture. Stir to mix all of the ingredients before transferring them to a large saucepan along with the agar-agar mixture. Bring the heat up to medium-high to activate the agar-agar and once boiling, bring the mixture down to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Make sure you constantly stirring to avoid the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly for 15-20 minutes.
Add the fresh raspberries to the bottom of your trifle bowl and carefully pour the jelly mixture on top. You can leave out the fresh raspberries if you'd prefer but they add a nice effect to the jelly. Allow the jelly to come to room temperature and then place it in the fridge to chill for one hour!
MAKE THE WHITE CHOCOLATE CUSTARD
The custard layer can also be prepped 1-2 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge and assemble it on top of the jelly layer on the day of serving.
Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. A double boiler consists of a water bath made using a saucepan which is filled about quarter ways with water. The saucepan is placed on low-medium heat so that the water is brought to a gentle simmer. The white chocolate is then added to a heat-resistant bowl (which covers the entire circumference of the saucepan), and the steam that rises from the simmering water will gently melt the chocolate. It’s important not to apply direct heat to chocolate as it will burn, also, make sure you avoid water splashing into the bowl at all costs as this will cause the chocolate to seize.
Once melted, add the chocolate to your food processor along with the other custard ingredients and simply blend for a few minutes until smooth. Transfer the white chocolate custard to a piping bag and pipe it on top of the jelly in an even layer.
PREPARE THE BISCUIT AND STRAWBERRY CREAM LAYERS
Add the crushed vegan biscuits on top of the custard layer. If you're making your own cookies, I recommend my vegan gingerbread cookies. You can also use vegan-friendly store-bought digestives or other biscuits of your choice. Or why not opt for a layer of homemade vegan ladyfingers instead!
To prepare the strawberry cream, first make a strawberry coulis by blending the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water together before transferring them to a saucepan. Simmer for 10-12 minutes on medium heat, whilst stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and allow the coulis to cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge.
Whisk the coconut cream and beat in the cooled strawberry coulis. Add the strawberry cream on top of the biscuit layer of the trifle.
MAKE THE ITALIAN MERINGUE TOPPING
As for the berry cream, and Italian meringue, these are best when prepared on the day that you're planning to serve the dessert.
Prepare the Italian meringue (if used) and pipe it on top of the trifle. Use a blow torch to brown the tops and garnish with freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries.
Storage instructions
As mentioned further up in this post, this trifle is best served on the day it's prepared, however, you can prepare the jelly and custard layers the day before serving and finish off the other elements on the morning of your special occasion.
Once ready, cover and store refrigerated for 1-2 days maximum.
Frequently asked questions
You can use alcohol-free Prosecco or another alcohol-free sparkling wine of your choice if you'd like to skip on the booze.
You can cut the recipe in half if you need fewer portions. You can also use glasses, jars, or champagne flutes to serve instead of the large trifle jar pictured in this recipe.
The answer to that question is yes and no, depending on what part of the recipe you're talking about! There are quite a few different elements to this dessert so understandably, you may want to get ahead of yourself and prepare it ahead of time.
More vegan desserts
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Description
Ingredients
Prosecco Jelly
- 550 ml (2 ⅓ cups) prosecco, vegan friendly
- 550 ml (2 ⅓ cups) sparkling grape juice
- 300 g (10.6 oz) fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) caster sugar, optional
- 14 g (3 ½ teaspoons) agar-agar powder
- 200 g (7.05 oz) fresh raspberries, optional
White Chocolate Custard
- 200 g (7.05 oz) vegan white chocolate
- 900 g (31.75 oz) silken tofu, pressed *see notes
- 118 ml (0.5 cups) pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) vanilla bean paste, or 1 vanilla pod (seeds only)
- Pinch (Pinch) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) lemon zest
Strawberry Cream
- 200 g (7.05 oz) strawberries
- 3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) lemon juice
- 25 ml (1 ⅔ tablespoons) water
- 300 g (10.6 oz) chilled canned coconut cream or coconut milk, *see notes
- 1 batch vegan Italian meringue, https://addictedtodates.com/vegan-italian-meringue-egg-free/
- 200 g (7 oz) vegan biscuits of choice, crushed
- freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries, for garnish
Instructions
- For the jelly, add the 300g of fresh strawberries, grape juice, and sugar (if using) to your blender and blitz for a couple of minutes until smooth. Sieve the mixture to remove any lumps and transfer to a large bowl.
- Separate about 200ml of the strawberry grape juice into a jug and add the agar-agar powder. Stir well and allow it to sit and dissolve for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the Prosecco to the large bowl along with the remaining strawberry mixture and gently stir to combine. Transfer it to a large saucepan.
- Add the agar-agar mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil on medium/high heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 5 minutes, whilst continuously stirring. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the fresh raspberries to the bottom of your trifle bowl and carefully pour the jelly mixture on top. Allow the jelly to come to room temperature and then place it in the fridge to chill for one hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare the custard by melting the white chocolate over a double boiler.
- Add the melted white chocolate, silken tofu, maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, salt, and lemon zest to your food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the white chocolate custard to a piping bag and pipe it on top of the jelly in an even layer.
- Add the crushed vegan biscuits on top of the custard layer.
- To prepare the strawberry cream, first make a strawberry coulis by blending the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water together before transferring them to a saucepan. Simmer for 10-12 minutes on medium heat, whilst stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and allow the coulis to cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge.
- Whisk the coconut cream and beat in the cooled strawberry coulis. Add the strawberry cream on top of the biscuit layer of the trifle.
- Prepare the Italian meringue (if using it) and pipe it on top of the trifle. Use a blow torch to brown the tops and garnish with freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries.
- This trifle is best served on the day it's prepared, however, you can prepare the jelly and custard layers the day before serving and finish off the other elements on the morning of your special occasion.
- Once ready, store refrigerated for 1-2 days.
Notes
- Pressed silken tofu: To remove the liquid from the tofu you'll need to press it and drain off the liquid. Simply wrap the blocks of tofu in a clean tea towel and place them between 2 chopping boards. Add weight on top such as a heavy pot or saucepan, and allow the tofu to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Chilled coconut milk: Refrigerate the tin of coconut milk overnight, then only use the thick cream from the top of the can.
Nutrition
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