Red Berry Profiterole Trifle

Profiteroles are a super light and airy choux pastry filled with cream, which makes them perfect for a decadent, rich, gorgeous Red Berry Profiterole Trifle! Any red berries will do here, but I love the sparkle of pomegranates and red currants paired with plump, fresh raspberries and strawberries. This is a super impressive dessert that is extremely easy to prepare!

If you’re new here, allow me to introduce myself! My name is Byron and since I was just a boy, I have always loved Christmas. I’m that one person who will play Christmas music in June and will shop for Christmas ornaments all year round. If you are regular around these parts, you already know what’s coming. My love for Christmas heavily influences my recipes, which is why, Dear Reader, this Red Berry Profiterole Trife is the first recipe of many that I will be sharing with you this holiday season.

My daughter is a huge fan of Halloween and pumpkin spice, so before you start sending me messages about how it’s only September and we haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet, trust me when I say she has beaten you to it! Every year I start publishing holiday-themed recipes early. I used to wait until the first of November, but I have too many recipes to share to wait!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season. But first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. Over the past seven Christmases, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

Before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more! Welcome, Dear Reader, to my first Christmas series this holiday season! I’m calling this series Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifles.

Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifles Series! Even though this is the first series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

LAYERED DESSERTS ARE THE EASIEST AND THE BEST!

Layered desserts have been popular for many, many years. For those of us who were not blessed with the ability to decorate elaborate cakes or whip up a choux pastry or even master the art of a good meringue, there are layered desserts. Think about it! The popularity of desserts like no-bake cheesecakes, trifles, tiramisus, etc., is proof.

I like to think that a layered dessert can certainly be just as elegant if prepared the right way. Make it simple. Overcomplicated desserts are no fun to prepare or eat. Choose two or three flavour combinations, because too many will just become muddled and the flavours will compete with each other. That’s what I think of trifles. I do love them, but I don’t care for them if they too many ingredients and too many layers. I’ll do my best to keep the trifles in this series uncomplicated.

If you are looking for more layered desserts, look no further! I’ve got you covered right here. Try these Stacked Vanilla Strawberry Shortcakes, for example. Or a breakfast version using waffles! Speaking of strawberry shortcakes, you have got to try these puff pastry flakies – they are probably my favourite dessert of all time.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Profiteroles – You can make these from scratch, or you can buy them in the frozen section of most larger grocery stores. Please note that most of the world calls them profiteroles, but they are most commonly known in the US as cream puffs.
• Whipping Cream – Please see the next section on whipping cream.
• Sugar – This is only used to sweeten the whipped cream. You can omit the sugar if you prefer a less sweet dessert.
• Vanilla Extract
• Cream of Tartar – This is completely optional, however, I like to add a little bit to my whipped cream to help with stabilization.
• Berries – I’m using all red berries here to keep it festive. I used red currants, pomegranates, raspberries, and strawberries.

HEAVY CREAM VS WHIPPING CREAM

Confession time – I use them both interchangeably, depending on what is available at the store, or whatever is on sale! Both of these can be quite costly. If memory serves me correctly, a 250mL carton, or one cup, here in Canada, will run just short of $5! There is a difference between the two, but not enough to concern yourself with when it comes to this Red Berry Profiterole Trifle.

Just in case you’re interested, the most basic difference is the amount of fat contained in both. Whipping cream has 35% fat. It can be whipped into peaks and it’s also rich enough that it won’t curdle when heated in soups and sauces. It’s nearly identical to heavy cream so if a recipe calls for heavy cream and you can only find whipping cream, feel free to use that instead. In contrast, heavy cream, which is sometimes called heavy whipping cream, contains about 38% fat. Either of those would work well in this recipe. I used 35% whipping cream.

HOW TO MAKE A RED BERRY PROFITEROLE TRIFLE

If you are preparing profiteroles from scratch, prepare them as per your recipe. If you are using store-bought frozen profiteroles, thaw them as per the instructions on the package. Transfer the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract to a chilled mixing bowl. Beat at high speed until stiff peaks are formed. If you prefer stabilized whipped cream, add the cream of tartar now and beat until just incorporated – about 30 seconds on high speed. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star piping tip.

To assemble the trifle, pipe a small layer of whipped cream into the bottom of a trifle bowl. Next, place a layer of the profiteroles into a bowl, pushing down slightly into the whipped cream. Top with 1/3 of the berries. (Position the strawberries into the gaps created by the profiteroles. Fill in with the raspberries and sprinkle over the currants and pomegranates.)

Repeat the layering two more times, ending with the berries Garnish with piped whipped cream and mint leaves.
Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN PREPARING TRIFLES

First of all, there are no steadfast rules about how many layers you should or shouldn’t have. My rule of thumb is this – make the trifle big enough to feed your family and/or guests, and use a bowl that is big enough to accommodate the layers. If you have a larger trifle bowl, you can simply add another layer or add more berries or cake to fill it up. Likewise, if your bowl is too small, you can make mini trifles with the leftover ingredients in stemmed dessert bowls.

Trifles cannot be prepared days in advance, nor can they be frozen. Since most trifle recipes are assembly-type recipes, the best thing to do is to prepare them on the day you plan to eat them. However, with that said, every trifle in this series can be prepared a day in advance. If you prepare the trifle a day in advance, it’s a good idea to set the garnish aside and place it onto the trifle just before serving. That way, your trifle will look like it was just freshly prepared.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!