Best 9 Cranberry Trifle Recipes

CRANBERRY TRIFLE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, 2 cups granulated sugar, ginger, and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium; cook until cranberries begin to burst, 8 to 10 minutes. Let compote cool completely.
• Make cream filling: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, brown sugar, remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and vanilla on high until well combined. With mixer on medium, gradually add heavy cream; continue beating until soft peaks form.
• Arrange 1/3 of cake in a 3-quart serving dish. Spoon 1/3 of compote over cake; spread to sides of dish. Dollop 1/3 of cream filling over compote; spread to sides of dish. Repeat twice, ending with cream filling. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Garnish with Candied Orange Zest, if desired.

CANADIAN CRANBERRY TRIFLE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine cranberries, cranberry sauce, sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, until thickened, 10-15 minutes. Add wine and extract. Remove from heat; cool completely., For custard, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in another large saucepan; gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2-3 minutes longer. Remove from heat., In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks. Return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in coconut extract. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour., To assemble, cut cake into 1-in. cubes. In a 3-qt. trifle bowl or other glass serving dish, place half of the cake cubes; sprinkle with wine if desired. Layer with half of the almonds, cranberry mixture and custard. Repeat layers. Refrigerate, covered, until serving. Top with whipped cream, additional cranberries and toasted almonds.

CRANBERRY CUSTARD TRIFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter, sugar, and stevia until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl and beaters after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
• Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Smooth tops and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold onto rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour.
• For cranberry sauce, combine water, sugar, stevia in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes. Add cranberries and orange zest and reduce heat to simmer gently until berries are translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool completely.
• For custard, whisk sugar, stevia, egg yolks, egg, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium bowl. Bring milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Whisking constantly, pour half the milk into the egg mixture. Pour egg mixture, whisking constantly, back into saucepan with remaining milk. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low, until custard thickens, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape custard into a bowl and stir in vanilla. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of custard, and chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
• For frosted cranberries, toss cranberries with egg white to lightly coat. Roll cranberries in sugar, then spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and let dry for 2 hours at room temperature.
• When ready to assemble trifle, make whipped cream. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream, stevia, and vanilla on medium speed until stiff. Beat custard in a medium bowl until creamy.
• To assemble, cut cakes into 1-inch chunks. Scatter half the cake cubes in a 2- to 3-quart glass trifle bowl. Spread half the cranberry sauce on top. Top with half the custard. Top with remaining cake cubes, then cranberry sauce, then custard. Spread whipped cream evenly on top, and decorate with frosted cranberries and orange zest.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE TRIFLE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the first 5 ingredients; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, until berries pop and mixture is thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool completely., For custard, in a large saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in milk. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. , In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot milk mixture into egg yolks; return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a clean bowl; stir in vanilla. Cool for 30 minutes. Press waxed paper onto surface of filling; refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour., To assemble, place half of the cake on the bottom of a 4-qt. trifle bowl or glass bowl; drizzle with 2 tablespoons orange liqueur. Layer with half of the cranberry mixture, 1/4 cup almonds and half of the custard. Repeat layers. Refrigerate, covered, until serving. Top with whipped cream and orange sections.

MAKEOVER CRANBERRY TRIFLE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the first five ingredients. Cook over medium heat until the berries pop, about 15 minutes. Cool completely., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped topping., Place a third of the cake cubes in a 3-qt. trifle bowl; top with a third of the cranberry mixture and a third of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

CRANBERRY COGNAC TRIFLE

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350°F and butter pans. Line bottom of each pan with wax or parchment paper and butter paper. Dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together yolks, 1 1/2 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined well, then whisk in flour and salt until smooth. (Batter will be thick.)
• Beat whites with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. With mixer at low speed, gradually beat in remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks.
• Fold about one third of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Divide batter among pans and spread evenly. Rap pans against a work surface to release any air bubbles. Bake, 1 pan at a time, in middle of oven until cake is pale golden and beginning to shrink around edges, 10 to 11 minutes per pan. Cool layers completely in pans on racks.
• Assemble trifle:
• Loosen edges of 1 cake layer with a knife. Place a sheet of wax or parchment paper on top of layer and invert onto a rack. Carefully peel paper from cake. Place a new sheet of wax or parchment paper on inverted cake and reinvert onto work surface, peeling off paper that is now on top. Repeat with remaining 2 layers.
• With long side of layers toward you, halve layers vertically with a serrated knife. Spread 1 half of each layer (3 of 6 halves) with cranberry jam, then top with remaining plain halves.
• Put each "sandwich" crosswise into 10 (71/2- by 3/4-inch) strips. Arrange 1 strip vertically in trifle dish with a cut side against glass (see photo below), then trim strip flush with top of dish. Using trimmed piece as a guide, cut remaining strips to fit dish, reserving trimmings. Brush strips on all sides with Cognac syrup and fit strips tightly all around edge of dish. (If your dish is slightly smaller on bottom than on top, cut a few strips in half diagonally to fill any gaps.)
• Brush trimmings with syrup and arrange one fourth of them in 1 layer in bottom of dish. Pour in 1 cup custard. Repeat layering of trimmings and custard to fill dish, ending with custard. (You may have a small amount of custard left over.) Brush top of strips around edge with syrup. Cover trifle with plastic wrap and chill at least 8 hours.
• Make topping:
• Beat heavy cream with confectioners sugar, Cognac, and vanilla with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks. Remove plastic wrap from trifle and mound cream on top.

CRANBERRY-RASPBERRY TRIFLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8-inch round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; dust side with flour.
• Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, zest, and salt in mixer bowl. Place bowl over (not in) pan of hot water and whisk until warm. Remove from heat and beat with electric mixer until doubled in volume and slowly dissolving ribbon forms on top of batter when beater is lifted. Sift flour over batter and gently fold in with rubber spatula.
• Remove about 1/4 of the batter from bowl and mix with melted butter; gently fold into remaining batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan sharply on counter a few times to release air bubbles.
• Bake cake until edge pulls away from side of pan, 20-30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Turn cake out of pan, carefully remove paper, and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make custard and cranberry fillings and candied almonds. For custard fillings: heat milk and cream to boiling in medium saucepan. Meanwhile, mix sugar, flour, and cornstarch in mixing bowl. Add eggs and whisk until lightly. Gradually whisk in one-quarter of the hot liquid. Return egg mixture to saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Place plastic wrap directly on surface to prevent skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Place 1 cup custard in food processor and add berries and liqueur. Process until blended but berries are not completely pureed. Cover remaining custard with plastic wrap; reserve.
• To make cranberry filling: combine cranberries, water, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in medium saucepan and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop and flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
• To make candied almonds: melt butter in small skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds and 1 T. sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and almonds turn golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining 1 T. sugar and spread on piece of waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container.
• Cut cooled cake horizontally in half with long serrated knife. Trim to fit neatly in 2-1/2-quart glass dish with straight sides. Spread each cake half with half the cranberry filling. Place 1 cake half, filling side up, in bottom of dish. Top with raspberry custard filling. Top with remaining cake half, filling side up, and cover with plain custard filling. Refrigerate covered at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Garnish with candied almonds and fresh raspberries before serving.

CHOCOLATE, CRANBERRY AND GINGER TRIFLE

Steps:

• For filling:
• Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until cranberries pop, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Mix in crystallized ginger. Cover and refrigerate until cold.
• For pudding:
• Bring milk to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Using electric mixer, beat yolks and sugar in medium bowl until very thick, about 3 minutes. Add cornstarch; beat to blend. Gradually beat in hot milk. Return mixture to saucepan; whisk over medium heat until pudding thickens and comes to boil, about 3 minutes (pudding will be very thick). Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and mixture is smooth. Mix in Grand Marnier. Transfer to medium bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding. Chill until cold, about 3 hours. (Filling and pudding can be made 1 day ahead. Chill.)
• Mix crystallized ginger into pudding. Beat cream in large bowl until firm peaks form. Set aside 1 1/2 cups whipped cream. Fold remaining whipped cream into pudding in 2 additions.
• For assembly:
• Cover bottom of 8-inch-diameter, 3-quart trifle bowl with single layer of cake pieces, turning crusts away from sides of bowl. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier. Spread 1 cup cranberry filling over cake to sides of bowl. Spread 1 1/4 cups pudding over cranberry filling to sides of bowl. Repeat layering 2 more times (reserve remaining chocolate pudding for another use).
• Spread 1 1/2 cups whipped cream over trifle, building up whipped cream edges slightly. Spoon remaining filling atop whipped cream (but not atop whipped cream edges). Cover; chill at least 4 hours. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Chill.)

CRANBERRY TRIFLE WITH PUMPKIN CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 15-by-10-inch jellyroll pan and set aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir together the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Using an electric mixer, beat the two egg yolks and the whole egg on high speed for 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of the sugar and beat 3 minutes longer. Quickly pour in the oil.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the pumpkin mixture. Beat the 3 egg whites with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to high and slowly add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture and fold in the remaining whites. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is springy to the touch, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• To make the mousse, combine the cranberries, 1 cup of sugar and the Grand Marnier in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer until cranberries pop, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl, stir in the lemon zest and refrigerate until cold.
• In a medium-size saucepan, combine the egg yolks, remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the salt. Whisk until the yolks are very thick. In another saucepan, scald the milk. Whisking rapidly, pour the milk into the yolk mixture. Set the pan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon -- do not let mixture simmer. Set aside.
• Place the water in a small saucepan and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let stand for 1 minute. Place over low heat until completely dissolved. Stir the gelatin into the custard. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the cranberry mixture. Chill for 30 minutes. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Reserve 1/2 cup and fold the remaining whipped cream into the mousse.
• Turn the pumpkin cake out of the pan and cut into 2-inch squares. Brush with the brandy. Place half of the cake squares in the bottom of a 3-quart glass bowl. Spoon half of the mousse over the cake. Repeat the layers. Spoon or pipe out the reserved whipped cream in a decorative pattern around the edge of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours or overnight.