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Panettone Cake Trifle

Panettone Cake Trifle

Panettone Cake Trifle is a festive layered dessert that reinvents classic Italian panettone with creamy custard, whipped cream, and fresh fruits, perfect for holiday celebrations. This elegant yet easy-to-make treat showcases Italy’s love for rich flavors and beautiful presentations.
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Servings 12

Ingredients
  

For the Jelly:

  • 425 g tinned black cherries 1 can
  • 650 ml cherry juice
  • 5 sheets Dr. Oetker Platinum Grade leaf gelatin

For the Panettone Layer:

  • 450 g panettone
  • 15 ml sherry 1 tablespoon

For the Custard:

  • 400 ml whole milk
  • 250 ml double cream
  • 15 g Dr. Oetker Madagascan vanilla paste 1 tablespoon
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 40 g cornflour

For the Mascarpone Cream:

  • 500 ml double cream
  • 150 g mascarpone
  • 25 g icing sugar
  • 15 g Dr. Oetker Madagascan vanilla paste 1 tablespoon

To Decorate:

  • Approximately 8–10 black cherries in kirsch
  • 10 g orange zest zest of 1 orange
  • About 15 g Dr. Oetker dark chocolate

Instructions
 

For the Jelly

  • Begin by softening the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the cherry juice into a large saucepan and heat over low heat. Once the gelatine leaves are softened, squeeze out the excess water and add them to the pan. Stir gently and continue heating until the gelatine has fully dissolved.
  • Drain the cherries, reserving the juice for later use. Add the cherries to the pan with the gelatine mixture and pour everything into your trifle dish (we used a 20cm diameter dish). Place it in the fridge and allow the jelly to set for approximately 4 hours.

For the Custard

  • While the jelly sets, prepare the custard. Combine the milk, double cream, and vanilla paste in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy, then whisk in the cornflour. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking continuously until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens—this should take 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to let it boil. Pour the custard into a clean bowl, cover the surface with greaseproof paper to prevent a skin from forming, and leave it to cool.

For the Panettone Layer

  • Once the jelly has set, slice the panettone into thick slices. Using a round cutter, cut circles from the slices. Arrange two layers of these panettone circles on top of the jelly.
  • Mix 2 tablespoons of the reserved cherry syrup with the sherry and drizzle this mixture evenly over the panettone layers.

For the Mascarpone Cream

  • In a large bowl, combine the double cream, mascarpone, icing sugar, and vanilla paste. Using a handheld electric whisk, whisk the mixture until soft peaks form.

To Assemble your Trifle

  • Once the custard has cooled and set, whisk it gently to loosen, then spoon or pipe it over the panettone, filling any gaps between the slices.
  • Next, dollop the mascarpone cream on top of the custard and smooth it out with the back of a spoon or a palette knife.
  • Decorate the top by placing the cherries over the cream, sprinkling with orange zest, and grating the dark chocolate over everything. Your Panettone Cake Trifle is now ready to enjoy! Keep the trifle refrigerated until ready to serve.