Gingerbread Trifle
My sincerest apologies for the iPhone photos, but I just needed to get you this recipe ASAP. To me, this is the ultimate Christmas dessert. My dad made this a few times back when I still lived at home, and now it Christmas just doesn’t quite feel complete unless I get to have it at least once. Layers of cozy, moist, and perfectly spiced gingerbread cake are blanketed in a billowy cloud of mascarpone whipped cream swirled with lemon curd, and all of this is drizzled with a bright and fresh raspberry compote. It’s the ultimate flavor combination! The cake and raspberry compote can both be made up to two days in advance to allow for easy assembly. I very highly recommend giving this one a try and can promise you will not be disappointed!
serves about 16
Ingredients:
For the gingerbread cake:
- 3/4 c buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 c molasses
- 3/4 c packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 c vegetable oil
For the raspberry compote:
- 2 heaping cups fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1/2-3/4 c sugar
For the lemon mascarpone whipped cream:
- 2 8-oz. containers mascarpone cheese
- 2 c heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 10.5-oz jar lemon curd
- 1/4 c powdered sugar (optional)
Method:
Heat oven to 350ยบ. Grease an 8-inch square pan (and line with parchment overlapping the sides for easy removal if desired). In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk and baking soda. Stir in molasses, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until dissolved; set mixture aside. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add eggs and oil to buttermilk mixture and whisk until well-combined. Whisk wet mixture into flour mixture in three separate additions, stirring vigorously until smooth after each addition. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until top is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out nearly clean, with just a few moist crumbs, about 30-40 minutes. Try to avoid opening the oven before the cake is mostly done to avoid a sunken center. Allow cake to cool completely in pan.
In a small saucepan, combine raspberries and sugar. Mash berries (not completely) with a spoon and heat gently over medium-low heat until they release their juices and start to thicken, about five minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine cold mascarpone and cold cream. Whip on high speed until almost as thick as whipped cream, then add lemon zest and vanilla. Continue whipping over medium-high until mixture is nicely thick and does not drip off of a spoon, almost like pudding. Gently fold in lemon curd until mostly combined but there are still some golden ribbons of curd visible. Taste and add powdered sugar if you want it sweeter.
To assemble trifle, cut cake into small cubes (1 inch or so), and line the bottoms of about 16 9-oz clear cups (I used chinet brand). Spoon about a 1/4 of the mascarpone mixture on top, then spoon some of the raspberry mixture on top of that. Do not mix together, as you want to see distinct layers. Repeat with one more layer of each, finishing with a nice drizzle of raspberry compote. At this point, the trifles can be served right away, although I like to refrigerate mine for a few hours to let the flavors meld a little. (I probably wouldn’t recommend assembling trifles more than 6 hours in advance, however!)