Strawberry Lemon Trifle
Submitted by Nette
Strawberry lemon trifle with homemade genoise cake, lemon curd cream filling, kirsch-strawberry syrup, toasted almonds, and piped whipped cream. A showpiece French-style layered dessert.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
60 minCOOK
30 minREADY
2 hrsThree components made from scratch, layered in a glass bowl for maximum visual impact. A light genoise cake soaked in strawberry-kirsch syrup, lemon curd folded with whipped cream, sliced fresh berries, and toasted almonds all come together into a trifle that’s as impressive to look at as it is to eat.
The genoise is a French sponge cake made by whipping whole eggs with sugar over warm water until they triple in volume, then folding in sifted flour. This produces an airy, porous cake that absorbs the strawberry syrup without turning to mush.
The lemon curd filling gets made separately: lemon juice, sugar, butter, and egg yolks cooked until thick, then lightened with whipped cream. That combination of tart curd and cool cream is the flavor that ties the trifle together.
Kirsch (cherry brandy) in the strawberry syrup adds a subtle boozy note that complements both the berries and the lemon.
Chef Tips
- Warm the eggs over simmering water to just lukewarm before whipping. This helps them reach maximum volume.
- Fold the flour into the egg foam gently in small additions. Dumping it all at once deflates the volume you worked to build.
- Press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the lemon curd while cooling to prevent a skin from forming.
- Assemble in a clear glass bowl to show off the layers. The alternating cake, cream, and berry strata are the whole presentation.
Variations
- Raspberry version: Replace strawberries with fresh raspberries and raspberry jam for a more tart trifle.
- Shortcut trifle: Use store-bought pound cake and prepared lemon curd to save time.
Ingredients
Directions
FOR THE GENOISE: Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Break the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk in salt, then sugar.
Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until just lukewarm.
Whip by machine until cold and increased in volume, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Mix cake flour and cornstarch.
Sift over egg foam in 3 or 4 additions, folding it in with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into a buttered, paper-lined 10-inch round pan and level it off.
Bake the Genoise layer about 30 minutes until it is well risen, golden and beginning to shrink away from sides.
Unmold immediately and cool on a rack.
Bake and cool the Genoise layer.
FOR THE LEMON FILLING: Combine lemon juice, sugar and butter in a non-reactive saucepan.
Bring to a boil over low heat. Whisk yolks in a bowl and whisk in ⅓ mixture.
Return remaining lemon mixture to a boil over low heat and whisk in yolk mixture.
Continue cooking several minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened and just at a boil.
Pour into a bowl, press plastic wrap against surface and chill.
Immediately before using, whip cream and fold into lemon curd.
FOR THE STRAWBERRY SYRUP: Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Rinse, hull and purée strawberries.
Add purée and kirsch to syrup off the heat. Strain and chill.
To assemble, rinse remaining berries and reserve six for a decoration.
Hull and slice remaining berries.
Cut Genoise into thin vertical slices.
Place a layer of cake slices in a glass serving bowl.
Moisten cake with syrup and strew with ¼ each of the sliced berries, almonds and jam.
Spread with ¼ of the lemon filling.
Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with a layer of cake slices and syrup.
Whip remaining cream and spread half on the trifle.
Decorate border with remaining cream (pipe with a star tube) and reserved strawberries.
Chill until serving time.
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