trifle (thing)

Egg-Free Trifle for Craig

This recipe does not make a Traditional English Trifle. It's an egg-free treat invented by me for my nephew, who is allergic to eggs. There are two parts of a trifle that can present a problem to the egg-sensitive individual: the cake, and the custard.

The Cake

Not only is this cake ridiculously easy to make, but it is flavored with sherry, enabling you to bypass your sister-in-law's objections to getting the children drunk on dessert (the alcohol will evaporate during baking).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I recommend canola or safflower oil)
• 3/4 cup cheap sherry (port will work too, if you can't find the sherry)
• 1/4 cup water

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Measure the dry ingredients into an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. Stir them together with a fork. Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl, then pour them over the dry ingredients. Stir the whole mess together with your fork until well blended. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

While the cake is in the oven, you can work on...

The Custard:

Custard without eggs can be problematic. I recommend Bird's Imported English Dessert Mix for Custard Style Pudding, described in BlueDragon's writeup under custard. It is made by Kraft, and has become widely available in the United States in the last few years. Use two and a half cups of milk instead of the two cups called for in the recipe on the back of the package: a thinner custard will soak into the cake better.

If you can't find Bird's Imported English Dessert Mix for Custard Style Pudding, I'm not sure what to recommend and I am very sorry. You might be able to substitute some sort of vanilla pudding, but it just won't be the same.

Putting It All Together

While the cake and custard are cooling, assemble the rest of your ingredients. You'll need:

• fresh or frozen raspberries
• raspberry jam

When the cake is cool enough, cut it into pieces about the length and width of your fingers. Use some of the pieces to line the bottom of a deep bowl, or maybe a dish for baking casseroles. Heat the jam in a small pan on the stove, or in a small bowl in the microwave, and spread half of it over the cake layer. Pour half of the custard over the jam-covered cake, and sprinkle the whole mess with raspberries. Repeat. Chill it for a couple of hours in the refrigerator, and serve with whipped cream. Not exactly traditional, but my in-laws didn't seem to care.

I think the cake recipe originally came from The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook, which I highly recommend.