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BAKED GOODS

Dark Chocolate & Orange Trifle From Prue Leith

Rather egotistically, I consider myself the trifle queen! Any leftover cake, croissants, brioche, panettone or raisin bread in our house ends up spread with a suitable, sweet spread (jam, honey, Nutella), soaked in a compatible booze (sherry, brandy, rum, fruit or coffee liqueur), and sunk in lashings of custard and cream. I’m not above using bought cake and custard either. And I love to decorate the top with a colourful mixture of the traditional trifle toppings (glacé cherries, angelica, walnuts) or more modern ones, like freeze-dried raspberries, fresh fruit and edible flowers. Indeed, I mostly just assemble anything I can from the larder and pile the lot on – and I think it looks wonderful.

Photo courtesy of Prue Leith

INGREDIENTS

Makes 4 to 6 servings
 
4 large oranges
3 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur
300 grams (10½ ounces) 70% dark (bittersweet) chocolate
500 milliliters (17 fluid ounces/generous 2 cups) double or heavy cream
50 grams (1¾ ounces/¼ cup) caster or superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 chocolate Swiss (jelly) roll (about 250 grams/9 ounces)
500 milliliters (17 fluid ounces/generous 2 cups) vanilla custard

 

METHOD

Segment the oranges, keeping any juice separately from the segments. Add the Cointreau or other orange liqueur to the juice.

Roughly chop 250 grams/9 ounces of the dark (bittersweet) chocolate, then melt it in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is smooth and fully melted. Remove from the heat and let it cool.

Whip 200 milliliters/7 fluid ounces/scant 1 cup of the cream with the sugar and vanilla until it will just hold its shape.

Fold the melted chocolate into the whipped cream until combined, creating a rich chocolate mousse.

Cut the Swiss (jelly) roll into 1 centimeter/½ inch-thick slices and use two thirds of them to line the bottom and sides of a deep trifle bowl.

Pour half of the orange-juice mixture over the Swiss-roll layer. Spread the chocolate mousse over the cake. Arrange the segmented oranges over the mousse, keeping a few back for garnish.

Add another layer of Swiss-roll slices, then drizzle them with the remaining orange-juice mixture. Pour the custard all over, spreading it out evenly.

Whip the remaining cream until it will just hold its shape.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the remaining chocolate to create chocolate curls for decoration. Or simply grate it.

Top the trifle with the whipped cream, remaining orange segments and a sprinkle of chocolate.

Chill in the fridge, preferably for 2–3 hours, or overnight, which gives the dessert time to set. (Although, it will still taste terrific if you have to eat it straight away.)

PRUE’S HANDY HACK
Rescuing over-whipped cream (or finding a good use for it)

If you have whipped the cream a little too long and it has started to go grainy, stop whisking at once and stir in a little more double (heavy) cream to try to rescue it. If it is too late and the mixture curdles, don’t throw it away. Whisk it some more until it separates into butter solids and watery buttermilk. Drain the mixture through a fine strainer or cheesecloth, into a bowl. Rinse the butter under cold water then press it into a ramekin or small dish to use in the usual way; and keep the buttermilk in a clean jar in the fridge for baking—or for pancakes!

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