Ginger and Spiced Winter Fruit Trifle
Serves 8-10
When the ginger cake hasn’t turned out quite as expected and has oozed out of the cake tin in the oven because the tin I used was too small. What to do? It still tasted delicious but wasn’t the visual centrepiece I was hoping for. Trifle! Perfect solution! This decadent trifle is layers of the aforementioned deeply treacly ginger cake, custard, pecan praline cream and spiced apples and pears roasted in brown sugar and brandy. Needless to say, it went down well!
Ingredients:
Ginger cake:
100g dark muscavado sugar
120g caster sugar
300g black treacle
200g salted butter, melted
3 large eggs
zest of one orange
1 tbsp bicarb of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
100g finely chopped crystallised ginger
300ml boiling water
400g plain flour
Praline cream:
cup pecans
160g caster sugar
4 tbsp water
250g mascarpone
300ml thickened cream
Layers:
500ml thick custard
4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices
4 almost ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices
juice one orange
2 star anise
2 sticks cinnamon
1/2 cup brandy
2 tbsp brown sugar
Grease and line a 23cm round tin (not a 20cm one like I originally did!). Make sure the greaseproof paper extends over the top of the tin.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C fan forced.
Put treacle, sugars, eggs, orange zest and butter into food mixer and whisk until combined.
Add all the dried ingredients gradually and mix till all combined. Add the water and whisk to combine.
Pour into lined tin and bake for about 50 -60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. (Cover with foil if it is cooking too quickly on top).
Meanwhile prepare the fruit: put the fruit slices into a lined roasting dish and sprinkle the sugar over. Pour over the orange juice and brandy and add the spices.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes till the pear breaks easily with a fork. You still want a bit of bite in the fruit to give the trifle texture.
To make the praline: Spread out the pecans on a large lined baking tray. Put the caster sugar and water into a small pan and heat over a low to medium heat. Do not stir, but swirl occasionally. When the mixture is starting to turn golden keep a close eye. Take off the heat when it turns a dark golden brown. Pour the caramel immediately over the pecans and leave to set. When set break off a few pieces to decorate the trifle, then blitz the rest in a food processor till fine.
Beat the mascarpone and cream together till thick. Be careful not to overwhip it as it will separate. (add a bit more cream if this happens). Mix in the blitzed praline crumbs.
Layer the trifle: Cool the cake and fruit. Cut slices of the cake and press down onto the bottom of the trifle dish. Add a layer of half the fruit and syrup. Add half of the custard, then repeat. Chill until needed. When ready to serve top with the cream and decorate with the praline shards.