Cooking 10 mins
Serves 12
Go full retro this Christmas with a glorious, show-stopping Retro Christmas Trifle designed to be the centrepiece of your festive table. Delicate, buttery vanilla-spiked mini madeleines hero this layered dessert, soaked lightly and stacked with vibrant summer berries, shimmering jelly and tangy lemon curd for the perfect balance of sweet and zesty flavours. A generous layer of cream and Beerenberg’s iconic Merry Berry Jam finishes the trifle with colour, nostalgia and unmistakable festive charm.
Perfect for Christmas lunch, large family gatherings and warm-weather celebrations, this chilled dessert can be prepared ahead of time, making entertaining simple and stress-free. Each spoonful delivers creamy, fruity layers and classic holiday flavours, combining traditional trifle comfort with a slightly elevated bakery-style twist.
Serve straight from a glass trifle bowl to showcase the beautiful layers and create a dessert everyone will gather around. It’s bright, celebratory and designed for sharing — a timeless Australian Christmas favourite that never goes out of style.
Prepare your jelly mixture and pour into your trifle dish with fruits. Set in the fridge overnight.
To make the madeleines, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until the mixture is light and foamy.
Whisk the flour, almond meal and baking powder in a separate bowl to remove any lumps. Gently fold the flour and almond meal mixture into the whisked eggs until everything is just combined.
Add the melted butter and gently mix. Transfer the batter to a container with a lid and place in the fridge for at least three hours.
When you are ready to bake the madeleines, preheat the oven to 220oC and prepare your madeleine trays by greasing them with butter and adding a light dusting of flour.
Divide the batter between the prepared madeleine trays by filling each cavity until it is about 3⁄4 full. Do not overfill each cavity, mini madeleines only need 1 tsp of batter.
Reduce the oven temperature to 170oC and bake until the edges of the madeleines are lightly golden, and they have risen. Mini madeleines will take 7-8 minutes in a metal tin and 8-9 minutes in silicone moulds.
Remove madeleines immediately from their trays and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Allow the madeleines to cool shell side up.
Assemble your trifle by layering your lemon curd, whipped cream, Merry Berry Jam, berries, and madeleines on top of the jelly set in your trifle dish.
Serve immediately once assembled for best results!
