This recipe is sponsored by Nature’s Charm. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who sponsor my work!
Homemade eggless ladyfingers, creamy white chocolate dairy-free custard, juicy sweet raspberries macerated in Amaretto and vanilla bean, and clouds of whipped coconut cream - YUM!
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📖 Recipe Overview
- Easy Make-Ahead Dessert - Best served on the second day as that gives the flavors a chance to work their magic. Stick it in the fridge the night before and don't worry about it until you're ready to serve your guests.
- Perfect For Crowds - This makes the perfect Christmas trifle. Everyone can scoop and serve themselves as they please
For more classic British Christmas desserts check out my vegan sticky toffee pudding, mince pies, coffee walnut cake, and chocolate biscuit cake.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
As mentioned, this vegan trifle recipe uses minimal ingredients, the most effort goes into making the homemade ladyfingers! Here's what to grab:
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan Sponge Fingers (Ladyfingers) - I have yet to see a store-bought vegan version so homemade is the way to go. Feel free to use your favorite vegan vanilla cake as well.
- Vegan Custard - I use Nature's Charm vegan coconut ready-made custard (crème anglaise). You can also make homemade vegan custard.
- Coconut Whipping Cream - Nature's Charm coconut cream whips up a dream and is perfect for the dairy-free cream layers in this trifle.
- Dairy-Free White Chocolate - The custard is delicious on its own so feel free to skip the chocolate if you prefer. My favorite is Vivani iChoc or homemade white chocolate.
- Amaretto - When combined, the flavors of raspberries, vanilla, and the hint of almond from the amaretto remind me of a Bakewell tart!
- Vanilla Pod - While completely optional, this adds gorgeous specs of vanilla bean flavor to both the custard and macerated berries.
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🥣 How To Make Trifle Vegan
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1: Macerate the raspberries by tossing them in amaretto, sugar, and vanilla bean. Cover and let them sit for 30 minutes until they become syrupy.
Step 2: Gently warm the coconut milk custard in a saucepan, then whisk in the white chocolate until melted through and smooth.
Step 3: Whisk the coconut cream and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 4: Start by layering the trifle with ladyfingers. Spoon over half of the macerated raspberries along with some of the juices.
Step 5: Pour half of the custard on top, then pipe half of the vegan whipped cream on top in an even layer.
Step 6: Repeat the 4 layers a second time. Top with fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar before serving.
🍓 Variations
- Sherry Trifle - Swap the amaretto for your favorite sherry or brandy. I recommend checking barnivore for a list of vegan-friendly brands.
- Berry Trifle - While I love this raspberry trifle as is, you can use another berry if you prefer. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, or a medley of mixed berries are all great!
- Individual Trifles - Serve them as individual parfaits in small glasses.
- Black Forest Trifle - Swap the white chocolate for dark chocolate and switch the raspberries for cherries.
- No Bake Trifle - Swap the ladyfingers for your favorite store-bought vegan cookies or cupcakes from your local vegan bakery if you want to skip the oven altogether!
📝 Recipe Tips
Throw in the vanilla pod. This will add a lovely flavor to the custard and berries. Don't forget to remove it before serving!
Reserve the syrup. Don't be tempted to pour all of the raspberry syrup into the trifle as you could end up with soggy layers. Instead, hold some of the liquid back to pour over when serving. You can also keep the amaretto raspberry syrup for other recipes and cocktails.
Gently warm the custard. Be vigilant not to burn the custard, heat it slowly until warmed through enough to melt the chocolate.
💬 FAQs
For the most delicious yet fresh trifle, I recommend preparing it a day ahead of serving. This allows time for the layers to set and the flavors to soak and marinade.
Cover the top with a plate or some plastic wrap and refrigerate. Prepare everything except don't add the final layer of fresh raspberries and dusted sugar until right before serving.
Traditional British trifle, often known as Sherry trifle is usually made up of layers of sponge fingers or sponge cake which is soaked in fortified wine or brandy, jelly or fruit coulis/confit, custard, and whipped cream.
Because classic trifle contains eggs and dairy it's not suitable for vegans. Sometimes, it's not even vegetarian due to the gelatin if there is a jelly component.
Yes! You can use alcohol-free liqueur, kombucha, or your favorite juice - cranberry, orange, or apple juice all work well.
Don't worry! I know fancy trifle glasses can be hard to come by. You can use any large bowl that's close to the same dimensions. This recipe is designed for a 20cm (8-inch) footed trifle bowl which is enough to feed 8-10 people.
Make sure you serve it in a glass dish to show off those distinctive layers!
🍮 More Classic Desserts
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š Recipe
Vegan Trifle
Equipment
- 20cm footed trifle bowl or similar glass bowl
Ingredients
- 1 batch vegan ladyfingers *see note 1
- 600 g fresh raspberries plus 100g for garnish (optional)
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 ml Amaretto *see note 2
- 1 vanilla pod sliced in half
- 800 g vegan coconut custard I use 2x cans of Nature's Charm *see note 3
- 200 g vegan white chocolate
- 800 ml coconut whipping cream I use 2x cans of Nature's Charm
- 50 g powdered sugar plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Macerate the berries: To a large bowl, add the raspberries, granulated sugar, amaretto, and half of the vanilla pod (both the scraped-out seeds and pod). Stir, cover, and let it sit for 20 minutes. Some of the berries will break down which is fine, the liquid will be syrupy when they are ready.
- Custard: Add the coconut custard and the second half of the vanilla pod to a large saucepan and gently warm it whilst stirring constantly. Once simmering, remove it from the heat and whisk in the white chocolate until melted through and smooth (see note 3).
- Whipped cream: Add the coconut whipping cream to a large bowl or stand mixer and whip until light and airy. Whisk in the powdered sugar until combined. Transfer it to a large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Assemble: Add half of the ladyfingers in a double layer to the base of the trifle bowl. Spoon half of the macerated raspberries along with some of the syrup on top of the ladyfingers.
- Pour half of the custard on top, then pipe half of the coconut cream on top.
- Repeat the layers: With another double layer of ladyfingers, the remaining raspberries and some of their syrup (reserve some syrup for serving) followed by the rest of the custard and another piped layer of cream.
- Chill: Cover the trifle with a plate or some plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight)
- Garnish: Top with some fresh raspberries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Storage: Store it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing it.
Notes
- Vegan Ladyfingers: These can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container. You can swap them out for store-bought vegan cookies or vegan cupcakes cut into pieces.
- Amaretto: Swap for vegan sherry, brandy, kombucha, or your favorite fruit juice.
- Custard: Swap for 1.5 batches of homemade vegan custard.
- If the chocolate hasn't fully melted - return it to the heat for a couple of minutes if needed. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the vanilla pod.
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