Trifle Cupcakes

Trifle is a long established classic British dessert that has been made in England since 1596. It started out life a flavoured cream, but has since gone on to develop further layers of sponge, fruit and custard. Most people only make trifle at Christmas, but I'd quite happily eat it any time of the year! I was inspired to make my own Trifle Cupcakes after seeing CakeyBoi's version. They are a light vanilla sponge which has been filled with jelly and custard, then topped with whipped cream, chocolate flakes and a raspberry - hello yummyness! These Trifle Cupcakes are the ideal way to make trifle a more portable dessert and they would be fantastic at a party!

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Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

• Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the baking spread and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
• I used a baking spread for the cupcakes, but you can use butter too.
• I used ready made custard for the filling, which you can buy either in a carton or a tin, if you'd like to make your own creme patisserie for the filling, follow the instructions in my Queen Of Pudding Cupcakes recipe.
• For more information on how to bake perfect cupcakes, check out my Vanilla Cupcakes recipe!
• Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50).
• For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Trifle Cupcakes

To start make the cupcake batter and divide it between 12 cupcake cases. Bake them for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, then leave them to cool completely.

Use a small knife to cut a circle in the top of the cake, then scooped out the sponge. Leave enough cake at the bottom and sides so that the cupcake retains it's structure and won't collapse. Put about a teaspoon of ready made strawberry jelly into each cupcake. You can use strawberry or raspberry jelly. Then add custard on top (which I forget to take a photo of!)

Finally, whip up some cream and pipe it on top of the cupcakes, then sprinkle each cupcake with a bashed up Flake bar and add a raspberry on top.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

Which custard and jelly should you use for the fillings?

Using ready made jelly and custard makes these cupcakes really simple and quick to put together. The ready made jelly by the brand Hartleys is also vegetarian, so it's great for a mix of dietary needs. The sachets or cubes of jelly that you make yourself aren't usually vegetarian. If you're not sure, look for gelatine on the label. Gelatine is made from boiling animal skin and bones (yuck, right?!) so you want to avoid this to suit a vegetarian diet. I like to use good quality custard, but something like Ambrosia would work well too. You could even make your own custard if you like, a creme patisserie custard is the best kind. You want it to be quick a thick custard so it doesn't run out all over your face when you bite into the cupcake!

Can you make the cupcakes with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

Can these cupcakes be made gluten free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additional baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons additional baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cupcakes if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Can these cupcakes be made dairy free?

For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread for the cupcakes. For the buttercream For the topping you can use a dairy free cream that whips up. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cupcakes if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Can the cupcakes be made in advance?

Because the cupcakes are topped with whipped cream, I would advise not to make them more than one day in advance of your event. Whipped cream is always best as fresh as possible, but it will be fine overnight stored in the fridge. Unfortunately, you cannot freeze these cupcakes once they are filled and decorated.

Is butter or a baking spread better for cupcakes?

I prefer to use a baking spread (my preferred brand is Stork) for cupcake and cake sponges. I find that they are easier to use and they make the sponge rise more. You can also use most baking spread straight from the fridge, which is handy during a last minute baking emergency!

Recommended equipment & ingredients

• Mixing bowls
• Cupcake tin
• Cupcake corer
• Cooling rack
• Kitchen scales
• Electric hand mixer
• Piping bags
• Wilton 2D Piping nozzle
• Red cupcake cases
• Flake bar

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Many thanks to CakeyBoi for the inspiration for these Trifle Cupcakes!

If you like this, check out more of my Cupcake recipes!