Amarula & rooibos trifle

Skip the jelly and load up on South African flavours of Amarula and rooibos.

Amarula & rooibos trifle

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

For the Amarula & rooibos custard

6 rooibos teabags
2 cups (500ml) milk
4 large egg yolks
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
3 Tbsp (22.5g) corn flour
⅓ cup (80ml) Amarula liqueur
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla

For the berry layer

½ punnet (150g) cherries
2 punnets (160g each) raspberries
¼ cup (60ml) sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced

For the chocolate cream

180g dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup (250ml) cold whipping cream
⅔ cup (147g) caster sugar
1 store-bought layered chocolate sponge cake
10 sprigs rosemary
Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. For the custard, place the teabags and milk in a pot over low heat and infuse for about 8-10 minutes. Remove teabags once infused.
2. Cream together egg yolks and sugar until fluffy.
3. Pour 1 cup of infused milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Pour mixture back into the pot with remaining milk.
4. Cook on a medium heat until steaming hot.
5. Mix about ¼ cup of the infused milk with the corn flour in a small bowl until smooth. Pour corn flour mixture back into the pot and cook for about 5-10 minutes or until bubbling. Allow to bubble for about 2-3 minutes while stirring until thickened. Remove from heat.
6. Add Amarula and vanilla then mix through. Pour custard in a bowl, cover with cling wrap directly on the surface and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until needed.
7. For the berry layer, halve the cherries, remove pits and place in a small pot with the raspberries, sugar, lemon zest and half of the lemon juice.
8. Cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until syrupy. Set aside to cool completely.
9. Reserve a bit of chopped chocolate for garnish and melt the remaining chocolate.
10. Whip the cream to stiff peaks, adding sugar gradually, whisking to medium-stiff, glossy peaks.
11. Fold the cooled melted chocolate through the whipped cream.
12. To assemble the trifle, break the cake into pieces and arrange some in the bottom of a trifle dish. Add some custard, top with berry mixture and then add some chocolate cream. Repeat to create multiple layers until all ingredients are used.
13. Finish the trifle by sticking the rosemary sprigs into the trifle to make them stand with the leaves facing down, resembling Christmas trees. Sprinkle with chocolate.
14. Dust with icing sugar and serve.