Citrus Trifle
This trifle from Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate is no trifle! The proof is in the homemade orange pudding — even people who don’t like fruit desserts devour this festive treat.
The holidays are a time for showstopping desserts, and that’s exactly what this Citrus Trifle is. Trifles are perfect for holiday gatherings because, for one, they are very large desserts. You’re going to want a bunch of people to share this with! Second, they are really fun to look at — they can almost be considered an edible centerpiece! Lastly, while they appear impressive, they really are pretty easy to make. This recipe has a few steps to it, but they aren’t difficult at all.
This Citrus Trifle is made with homemade orange pudding, an orange mascarpone whipped cream and cubes of buttery pound cake. While the pudding and whipped cream are homemade, I did cut some corners using frozen pound cake instead of making my own. I happen to think frozen pound cake is quite delicious, and since it’s layered between the homemade orange pudding and mascarpone whipped cream, it doesn’t really need to be the star of the show.
This trifle is loved by everyone I share it with — even people who don’t prefer fruit desserts. The orange pudding and mascarpone whipped cream are seriously irresistible and, combined with the pound cake, it’s just the perfect combination. Your holiday table needs this dessert!
12 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
Orange pudding:
1 ¾ cups whole milk
Zest from 1 orange
5 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Orange mascarpone whipped cream:
8 ounces mascarpone, at room temperature
1 18-ounce jar orange marmalade
⅓ cup powdered sugar
4 cups heavy whipping cream
Pound cake:
2 16-ounce frozen pound cakes
Oranges slices, for garnish
Raspberries, for garnish
Directions
- To make the orange pudding: In a medium saucepan, add the milk and orange zest over medium heat. Warm until simmering. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Very slowly, about ¼ cup at a time, add the warm milk mixture and beat until combined.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter. Set aside.
- To make the orange mascarpone whipped cream: Add the mascarpone, orange marmalade and powdered sugar to a large bowl with an electric mixer, and beat with the whisk attachment until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer running, add the heavy whipping cream to combine. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.
- To assemble: cut the pound cake into bite-sized pieces.
- Add 1/3 of the pound cake pieces to the bottom of a large trifle bowl. Top the pound cake with 1/3 of the orange pudding and 1/3 of the whipped cream. Repeat until all of the pound cake, pudding, and whipped cream have been used, in three layers total.
- Top with orange slices and fresh raspberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
