Mascarpone custard and fruit trifle

Mascarpone gives this sweet fruit trifle a creamy texture. 

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 85g packet strawberry flavoured jelly crystals
• 250g mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup vanilla custard
• 400g light fruit cake (see note)
• 1/4 cup sweet sherry
• 250g strawberries, hulled, sliced
• 425g can peaches in natural juice, drained, thinly sliced lengthways
• 4 passionfruit, halved
• 300ml thickened cream, whipped
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut, toasted

 

Method

1. Place jelly crystals in a large heatproof bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water and stir until crystals dissolve. Stir in 200ml cold water. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.
2. Place mascarpone in a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in custard and set aside.
3. Cut cake into eight 5mm-thick slices. Place 4 cake slices over the base of a 6 cup-capacity dish. Drizzle with half the sherry. Top with half the custard mixture. Using a spoon, break up jelly. Spoon half the jelly over the custard mixture. Top with half the passionfruit pulp, half the strawberries and half the peaches. Repeat layering with remaining cake, sherry, custard, jelly, passionfruit, strawberries and peaches.
4. Spoon cream over trifle. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Serve trifle sprinkled with toasted coconut.

 

Notes

You will need half an 800g light fruit cake for this recipe.