A Traditional Christmas Trifle Turned Vegan and Gluten Free (and way more delicious)
Its recipes for children week. This week’s recipe is vegan trifle just in time for Christmas. I am not sure if all children like trifle but guess what, I loved it. It was one of my favourite parts of Christmas growing up.
I may have told some of you already that I grew up in the Northern Territory so Christmas was a different experience for us up there than it may have been for many. It was always hot. Always. Even if it was raining. Steamy hot meant no oven on. My parents would cook on the Weber outside and my brother and I helped our mum make delicious salads and of course a trifle. It was always with bought sponge as it was way too hot to put the oven on to make a cake but the rest was pretty much from scratch.
What I loved about making trifle for Christmas was that it needed to be planned ahead. The sponge and Jelly in the morning before Christmas, the custard in the evening and then topped with the cream on Christmas day itself.
We would indulge in trifle on Christmas day and there would still be plenty left to offer guests who popped over on Boxing Day. I don’t celebrate Christmas these days so I wont be making this trifle but I am so happy to share the vegan trifle version with you as it’s a goodie.
The photo is actually of a version where we make a millet pudding instead of sponge but if you are indulging in trifle this year go ahead and treat yourself to the sponge version.
Christmas Trifle Turned Vegan & Gluten Free
For the Sponge
Ingredients
1¼ cups almond meal
1¼ cups gluten free flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup rice malt syrup or maple syrup
¼ cup vegan butter or sunflower oil
200ml almond or soymilk
Method
Place the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk through to get out any lumps.
Mix all of the wet ingredients together in another bowl.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Place on a baking paper lined tray. The shape or size is not important as you will be breaking up the sponge.
Bake in a 160°C oven for 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Place on a wire rack and let cool down completely.
When cool divide the sponge between individual trifle glasses or put in one big trifle bowl.
For the Jelly
Ingredients
1¾ cups apple or apple and pear juice
5 cups fresh strawberries or one packet frozen berries
2 tsp rice malt syrup or more if you like sweeter
1 tsp agar powder
Method
Add ¾ of a cup of apple juice to a blender with the defrosted berries or fresh strawberries and blend until smooth.
Strain this mixture through a sieve.
Place the 1 cup of apple juice in a saucepan and bring to boiling point. Add the agar and whisk.
Reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes whisking the whole time.
Pour this into the blended apple juice and fruit.
Let cool a little then pour over the sponge.
Place the sponge and jelly in the fridge to let sit. It will take a few hours and wont go completely hard like normal jelly.
For the Custard
Ingredients
2 cups of plant based milk (almond or rice works really well)
2 tbsp maple syrup or rice malt (more if you like it sweeter)
2 tsp vanilla extract or the seeds of 1 vanilla pod
4 to 6 tbsp corn starch
Pinch salt
Method
Place 1½ cups milk into a saucepan and add the sweetener, heat the milk until just under boiling point..
Add the remaining milk to a Pyrex jug and stir in the corn flour until very smooth, add the salt and stir.
Pour the warm milk into the jug and stir, then place everything back into the saucepan.
Cook over a medium heat until the custard thickens. Stir in the vanilla.
Let cook a little then pour over the sponge and jelly and place in the fridge to set completely.
Cashew Cream
Ingredients
1 cup soaked cashews
Beans of ½ pod vanilla
1 tbsp rice malt syrup or more if you wish
¼ to ⅓ cup water
Method
Place everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Spoon this onto the custard and then decorate.
Decorations
Fresh fruit
Shaved chocolate
Mint leaves (chocolate tipped ones would be even better)
# If you make this recipe please share on facebook or instagram to #veetsvegancookingschool
Upcoming Weeks
Can you believe it this is the last blog post for 2019. What a fabulous year it has been. I hope you have enjoyed many of the recipes I have shared with you all.
The next blog post will be on the 7th January so keep an eye out for it.
Then on the 9th January I will be holding the first three day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course for 2020. Followed by another one the week after on the 16th January. Both of these courses still have one place available. If those are too soon for you to jump in, there is another on the 13th to 15th of February which has 2 places left.
I will take this opportunity to thank you all for being wonderful subscribers. To thank my beloved Mak for helping with the proofing of my blogs and the awesome Melanie Saunders from Engana Graphics for putting up the blog posts each week.
I hope you have a wonderful festive time and if like me you don’t celebrate but still get a little lonely during the festivities please do send me an email and I will be sure to reply.
Massive thanks with love Veet
