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Not-So Tipsy Laird Trifle

Recipe by Jenn Giam Smith

  • Total Time4 hours 35 minutes
  • Yield6 people 1x
  • DietVegetarian

A bright, layered Scottish-inspired dessert—raspberries, almond custard, whipped cream and citrus-infused sponge. All the charm of a traditional trifle, none of the booze.

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My Tipsy laird done and ready to eat. is a layered dessert with cake, then custard, the berries, then whipped cream, the almond slices & raspberries.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Trifle Build:

  • 10 oz sponge cake (see Notes for alternatives)
  • 12 oz fresh raspberries
  • 6 Tbsp clementine-&-lemon simple syrup (plus extra to brush on cake)
  • 2 cups almond custard (see recipe below)
  • 2 cups homemade whipped cream (see Notes for shortcuts)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup thinly sliced toasted almonds, for finishing

Airy Genoise Sponge Cake (based on The Spruce Eats, adapted):

  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour (+ extra to flour the pan)
  • 5 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted (+ butter for greasing pan)

Almond Custard:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Tbsp almond extract
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Clementine & Cinnamon Simple Syrup:

  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 2 Tbsp clementine juice (about 1 clementine)
  • 3 Tbsp water
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Bake the sponge cake

    • Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease and flour one (or two) 9-inch pans; line bottoms with parchment.

    • Set a saucepan of water to simmer to act as a double-boiler base.

    • In a heat-proof bowl (set over simmering water), whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla for ~3-4 min until warm.

    • Transfer to stand mixer; beat 10-15 min until thick, pale, and ribbons form.

    • Fold in flour gently, then melted butter until just combined.

    • Immediately pour into prepared pan(s). Bake 20-25 minutes (test at 20 mins).

    • Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely (about 45 mins).

  2. While cake bakes — multitask like a kitchen pro:

    • Make the almond custard: In a saucepan, combine milk, cream, sugar, vanilla & almond extract; heat until tiny bubbles form around edges (don’t boil). Remove from heat. Whisk ~2 Tbsp of hot milk mixture into yolks, then whisk yolks back into pan. Return gently to heat, whisk until custard thickens (2–3 mins). Remove from heat, strain through fine mesh, cover with plastic wrap (touching surface) and chill.

    • Make the simple syrup: In a small saucepan, whisk sugar + water over medium heat until dissolved and simmering. Remove from heat; stir in lemon + clementine juices and cinnamon. Cool and store in a glass jar in the fridge until use.

  3. Whip the cream — then chill everything: custard, cake (if still warm), syrup.

  4. Assemble the trifle when ready to serve:

    • In a large glass dish (or individual glasses), place a thick layer of cake slices. Brush generously with simple syrup.

    • Reserve a few raspberries; layer the rest evenly over the cake. Drizzle remaining syrup over raspberries.

    • Pour chilled almond custard in a thick layer over raspberries.

    • Top with whipped cream (spoon or pipe for extra flair).

    • Decorate with reserved raspberries and toasted almond slivers.

Equipment

Notes

Substitutions:

  • For simplicity, you can swap in store-bought pound cake (1:1) and ready whipped cream (1:1) if life is busy.
  • If you’re gluten-free: consider swapping cake flour for a GF blend + cornstarch.
  • Use ghee (1:1) if you prefer.
  • If you’ve never whipped cream before: follow my full whipped-cream guide for smooth success.
  • When testing cake doneness: insert a toothpick or touch lightly—if it springs back gently, you’re good.

Storage:

  • Once assembled, this trifle is best enjoyed within 24 hours. The layers hold up best if served soon.
  • Components stored separately:
    • Sponge cake (airtight) in fridge up to 1 week
    • Almond custard (airtight) in fridge up to 3 days
    • Simple syrup in a sealed jar in fridge up to 1 month
    • Whipped cream (airtight) in fridge up to 1 week

Find it online: https://www.jenn-smith.com/not-so-tipsy-laird-trifle-kid-friendly-scottish-desser/