The problem with testing boozy recipes is that -hiccup- they’re usually really good and we end up a little jolly by the end of it. No harm there, but it makes it very hard to write when you really need a nap to sleep off the testing phase! Today’s culprit was Grand Marnier Vanilla Pudding, it’s my new favorite dessert. I would stop right there, but it’s actually only one element of this show stopping Holiday Spirit Trifle. And by ‘spirit’ we mean business 🥃 .
With the holidays barreling towards us, gingerbread, oranges and Grand Marnier come together in one gorgeous bowl of, how shall we say it, “YUM”. It’s a riff off the old classic of lady fingers and brandy, and the layering technique is from none other than the lovely @maryberry herself. You need to dig deep into the bowl to make sure you get all the good jingle juice at the bottom!
The puddings need to be prepared ahead of assembling the trifle, so please plan ahead! This looks beautiful in a traditional trifle bowl, which has straight vertical sides, but any glass bowl will do at a pinch. xoxo Kirsty
Ingredients (serves 12)
Prepare ahead:
1 pack of orange flavored gelatin pudding, prepared according to package instructions
1 pack of vanilla pudding (yielding 2 cups/ 475 ml pudding) prepared according to package instructions
For assembly:
500g (17oz) Lebkuchen, ginger cake, or gingerbread cake (not cookies), cubed
6 tablespoons Grand Marnier, divided
6 oranges, zest and juice of 2, the other 4 without the skin and pith
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
Chocolate shavings
Prepare the orange gelatin pudding and vanilla pudding according to package instructions.
Cut the cake into cubes.
Zest two of the oranges, then juice them, set aside. Peel the remaining 4 oranges with a paring knife, allowing your knife to follow the shape of the orange, slicing through the skin and pith, so you're left with 'naked' oranges. Slice one orange horizontally into 5-6 slices, slice the remaining 3 oranges into segments. To cut segments, use a sharp knife to cut the flesh out from between the membranes. Set aside.
Add 4 tablespoons of the Grand Marnier to the orange juice.
Place half of the cake cubes in the bottom of the trifle bowl, make sure they are packed tightly. Drizzle over half the Orange-Grand Marnier mixture. Cut the gelatin pudding into cubes or scoop out blobs with a teaspoon. Spoon half of the gelatin in one layer over the cake cubes. Nestle the round orange cross-sections evenly along the outside of the bowl, so that they show through the glass. Build another layer with the remaining cake, orange-Grand Marnier drizzle, and gelatin.
Top the cake layers with the orange segments.
Add the remaining two tablespoons of Grand Marnier and the orange zest to the vanilla pudding. Combine well and layer this on top of the cake and gelatin.
Whip the heavy cream to a soft peak and smooth this onto the top of the trifle. Decorate with chocolate shavings. Allow to chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Can be assembled hours ahead.