THE MANOR TRIFLE

Ingredients.......2 single rounds of 1 sponge, strawberry/ raspberry jam, 1 packet of jelly crystals ( raspberry / port wine),3 tbs of sweet cream sherry, Apera, 1 packet of Cottee's instant pudding mix, 1 825gm can of sliced peaches ( drained ), 125gm of creamed cheese, 1 x 300ml bottle of cream, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 100gm of castor sugar, the surface of the trifle is your canvas ... make it your own, I used chocolate bits , fresh raspberries , maraschino cherries and sweet basil tips. So let's start....spread one side of each of the sponge rounds with the jam. Slice the jam spread sponge rounds into squares. Turn the sponge pieces into a large bowl ( a clear bowl, so the layers can be seen ). Sprinkle the sponge pieces with the cream sherry , if using. Mix the jelly crystals with 250ml of boiling water and 200ml of cold water until the crystals are dissolved. Pour the dissolved crystals over the broken sponge pieces in the bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator. Drain the can of sliced peaches and place the peach slices on kitchen towelling to absorb excess liquid. Spread half the peach slices over the jellied sponge pieces. Now prepare the pudding mix accoding to the packet instructions or prepare a custard a thickened custard mix, ( I used the instant pudding mix ). Spoon the pudding over the sliced peaches. Place the bowl back in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. It is now time to top the rest of the sliced peaches over the pudding . Place the bowl back in the refrigerator. Now it is time to prepare the cream topping for your trifle. Place 125 gm of cream cheese in the bowl of your beater along with 300ml of cream, 100gm of castor sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract . Beat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened. Pipe this mixture thickly over the layer of sliced peaches . The final topping of the cream is your open canvas .....make the trifle your own. I used bluberries in place of the sliced peaches ( peaches are traditional fruit in trifles ). My trifle topping was a combination of chocolate bits, coconut balls, fresh raspberries and fresh sweet basil tips.