Phew, thats a bit of a mouthful. Both the title and literally. (Sorry I had to)
It’s summer! That means fresh fruit, vegetables, and herbs. More specifically, peaches! I love peaches but they’re only in season for a few short months. And we are going to make the most of it starting with this trifle!
Before I go any further about this ice cream, I have a little announcement. I have started a TikTok channel! Aside from baking and dancing, I love video editing and filming. I decided that my summer project this year would be to start a TikTok Chanel to practice two of my passions. I probably won’t post all that often because it’s more of a fun project but I look forward to sharing videos in the coming months!
I’ve been pretty pumped about some recipes this summer. Last summer, I had 3 months to work on my blog, but only ended up publishing two or three recipes. I would say I was busy, but I think it was more that I was… uninspired. But tis’ no longer so! I have a whole lineup of recipes for this summer that I am having so much fun testing out.
I’m especially excited about this one because I love peaches. There’s something about them that just screams summer. And they pair so well with so many things. They’re honestly just a jackpot for baking. But I wanted to do something a little different from your typical muffins or pie. Enter: this trifle.
What is a Trifle?
A trifle is a layered dessert with all the stuff. Seriously. It’s got cake pieces, vanilla custard, fresh fruits, and whipped cream. It’s all layered in a big bowl and every scoop is filled with so many different flavors and textures. It’s truly the best. And… it’s so pretty! Just look at all of those layers! I feel like trifle is sort of the dessert of summer. And with 4th of July coming up, this is definitely a great summery alternative to a classic fruit pie.
Describe this Trifle to me
Taste: Alright, we’ve got a few different textures going on here. There’s buttery brown sugar cake pieces, creamy vanilla custard, juicy brown sugar roasted peaches, and fluffy whipped cream. You also get a nice tartness from the spots of blackberries, as well as a nice earthy hint from the thyme syrup. It’s truly the best summery flavor balance.
Texture: One of the best things about trifle is its variety of textures. It’s got fluffy and soft cake chunks, soaked in thyme syrup for added flavor and moisture. Next up is a smooth and creamy vanilla custard, and juicy brown sugar roasted peaches along with tart blackberries. To top it off, we’ve got fluffy swirls of whipped cream.
Ease: Given the many components, this will take some time to whip up. I recommend making the custard ahead of time so it’s all ready to go when you are assembling. You can also make the thyme syrup the day before to save time. Now all you have left to do day of is make the simple brown sugar cake layer, cut and cook the peaches, whip the cream, and assemble. It will take time but it is a great way to practice multiple different skills and techniques. Plus, you get a delicious trifle! So I see it as a win-win.
The Cake
Let me just say, I love this cake. It’s quick to make, no mixer required, and so delicious! It’s a simple brown sugar sponge and its warm flavors go great with the juicy summery peaches. It’s got pretty typical ingredients with a few exceptions. There’s more brown sugar than white for added moisture and flavor depth. Additionally, we’re adding a touch of molasses which gives more of that brown sugar flavor without making it too sweet.
The Custard
I’m going to try and keep this pretty brief because I feel like I have been writing a lot about custards. My last post had cust the one before had custard filled donuts, and we’ve also had banana bread with a side of, you guessed it, custard! And this custard is pretty standard. Temper egg yolks with hot milk and cook it with one other stuff like sugar and vanilla for flavor and cornstarch to make it nice and thick. As I said earlier, I recommend making the custard the day before to save you some time.
The Peaches and Cream
Alright, time for the main even, the peaches! The first time I made this recipe I had some, let’s just say, less than perfect peaches. They were very bruised and bland. The second time, the peaches had great flavor, but were hard as rocks. But I learned that to balance out the sweetness, some less ripe peaches are actually ideal. To make them a little less crunchy and to enhance the flavor we cook the peaches in a little salted butter and brown sugar. I toss in some blackberries for added tartness as well. Now onto the cream. We’re keeping it simple here with just cream, vanilla, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt. It’s not very sweet to mellow everything out.
Brown Sugar Thyme Peaches and Cream Trifle
Ingredients
Method
- I recommend making this the day before so it can chill overnight.
- In a medium sized heat proof bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine. It will be thick and pasty, so you may need to switch to a spatula.
- In a medium saucepan, bring your heavy cream and whole milk to a simmer over medium heat. Once just simmering, stream ½ cup of the warm milk/cream into your egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then slowly pour the rest of the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture, continuing to stir constantly. Pour the custard back into the sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Cook until thickened to a scoop-able consistency, that will hold its shape in a mound on a spoon. This will take around 5 minutes. If the custard begins to split, remove it from the heat and whisk vigorously and it should come back together.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste. Place a piece of cling wrap directly on top of the custard and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but overnight is best.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and line a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper, and then grease the the parchment. I find butter works best for greasing pans. Set aside.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg white, milk, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, melted butter, vegetable oil, molasses, and vanilla until smooth and combined. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and combined. It may be a little lumpy at first, but it will smooth out if you keep whisking. Batter will be a pourable consistency.
- Pour all of the batter into the previously prepared cake pan and bake for 20-23 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, and the cake bounces back when lightly pressed. Allow to cool completely in the pan set on a wire cooling rack.
- Bring the water just to a simmer in a small saucepan. Once just simmering, add the thyme and stir to make sure it is coated in the water. Cover and set the heat to the lowest setting. Allow to steep covered for 20 minutes. Next, remove the thyme (don’t get rid of it, we will add it back in) and add the granulated sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Then add the thyme back in, cover, and allow to steep on the lowest heat for another 20 minutes. Pour the syrup through a strainer to remove all of the thyme and allow to cool completely.
- Add your sliced peaches to a bowl and toss with the brown sugar. Allow to sit for at 5-10 minutes while your pan heats up.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add the salted butter and let it melt, and brown a little. Add the brown sugar peaches and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes. The peaches will release a lot of liquid.
- Pour the peaches in a strainer to remove some of the liquid. Then add them back to a bowl to cool completely. I let them sit in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. I recommend saving the peach brown sugar syrup, to use in drinks or to top desserts!
- Once peaches are cooled completely, stir in the blackberries.
- In a large bowl, whip the cream with the confectioner sugar, salt, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Stiff peaks are when the cream will hold its shape when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.
- Make sure all of your components are cooled completely before you begin assembling.
- Slice the cake into roughly 1 inch squares. Some of them won’t be squares because the cake is circular, that is ok. Layer half of the cake pieces in the bottom of a large trifle bowl (I actually used a glass flower pot). Drizzle roughly 1 ½ Tablespoons of the thyme syrup on the cake. You can use more or less depending on how strong you want the thyme flavor. Spread half of the cooled custard on top of the cake. It will be a relatively thin layer. Add half of the peach mixture on top of the custard and press into an even layer. Add a little less then half of the whipped cream on top of that. Repeat this process with the rest of the cake, another 1 ½ Tablespoons of the syrup, the rest of the custard, the rest of the peaches, and most of the cream.
- I like to pipe spirals of whipped cream on top using Wilton 1M piping tip. I finish this off with some flowers, peach slices, and blackberries but you can decorate it however you want!
- Serve immediately, or cover the top with cling wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Another enjoyable, thorough & well-written post! Excellent. I even showed it to my wife and she was incredibly impressed. We both are looking forward to the TikTok videos!
This looks amazing!!