Publised on 11/07/2024. Last Updated on 06/12/2024 by Richard
Zesty vegan cherry lemon trifle, with layers of lemon pound cake, fresh cherry compote and lemon infused custard, topped with vegan whipped cream!
Alright, pals, get ready to meet your new favourite dessert – the vegan cherry lemon trifle! Imagine layers of zesty lemon custard, juicy cherry compote, and fluffy sponge cake all piled high and topped with soft peaks of whipped cream . Yep, this vegan version of everyone's fave dessert is as good as it sounds, right down to the beautifully whipped vegan cream. This beauty is the perfect mix of sweet, tart, and just plain delicious.
Perfect for any kind of celebration – summer BBQs, winter holidays, you name it. Be prepared to walk into every room clutching a trifle dish for the next 12 months! This vegan cherry lemon trifle is gonna be the star of the show. Serve it up at a summer party to wow your mates, or bring it to the Christmas table to add some zing to your festive spread. Trust me, everyone will be begging for seconds. Looking for a traditional trifle? I've got you covered over here!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
Let’s dive into the ingredients. You’ll need some pretty straightforward stuff to whip up this vegan cherry lemon trifle. And hey, the full recipe is down at the bottom of this post in the recipe card, so feel free to scroll if you’re in a rush!
- Vegan lemon pound cake or vegan ladyfingers (make these in advance using my recipes, if you can)
- Fresh or frozen cherries
- Sugar
- Cherry liqueur or cherry brandy
- Lemon juice
- Water
- Cornstarch
- Lemon zest
- Soy milk or any unflavoured, unsweetened plant-based milk
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon extract
- Vegan butter
- Vegan double cream (use my vegan whipping cream recipe or store bought)
- Icing sugar
- Fresh cherries for decoration
The Cake Layer of the Vegan Cherry Lemon Trifle
Alright, let’s chat cake. For this vegan trifle recipe, I’m all about my vegan lemon pound cake. It’s got that perfect lemony zing. But hey, if you fancy a twist, my plain vanilla pound cake works too. And for those feeling a bit fancy, my vegan ladyfingers soaked in cherry liqueur are a real treat.
Whatever you pick, it’s the perfect base for our trifle adventure. Just be sure to prepare either your pound cake or vegan lady fingers in advance so they have time to cool fully on a wire rack before layering everything up.
How To Make The Cherry Compote Layer
Next up, cherry compote! This layer of cherries is super easy and adds a juicy, fresh fruit burst of flavour. Here’s a quick breakdown, but remember, the full recipe’s at the bottom of the page:
Cook up some fresh cherries with sugar, cherry liqueur, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the cherries start to soften and get all juicy.
Make a cornstarch slurry (fancy word for mixing cornstarch and water) and stir it into the cherry mixture until it thickens.
Take it off the heat, add a bit more cherry liqueur and lemon juice, and let it cool.
Cool and Frost: Once completely cool, remove from the wire rack and frost with vegan vanilla buttercream and decorate with vegan sprinkles.
How to Make the Lemon Custard Layer
Now for the lemon custard layer – the heart of our trifle. Here’s a quick how-to, and yep, you guessed it, the full recipe is at the bottom of this page:
Heat your soy milk with strips of lemon zest until it’s hot and bubbly, then let it infuse off the heat. This gives it that extra lemony kick.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together water, cornstarch, vanilla and lemon extracts, and sugar.
Strain the infused soy milk into the bowl, mix it all up, and return it to the medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until it thickens to a thick custard, then stir in vegan butter and remaining milk.
Let it cool completely, covered with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming, before using it in your trifle.
How to Store Vegan Cherry Lemon Trifle
Once you've got your vegan cherry lemon trifle all arranged in your fave glass trifle bowl, it's time to serve and enjoy! Got some trifle left? (I mean, probably not, but just in case!) Pop it in the fridge, covered up nicely. It actually tastes even better the next day when all the flavours have had time to party together. Keep it cool and enjoy within three days for the best texture and taste.
For serving, it's best to scoop this trifle at room temperature (otherwise the vegan whip cream can become a little firm) so be sure to take the trifle out of the fridge at least an hour before serving, but leave it covered.
Vegan Cherry Lemon Trifle FAQs
A: Absolutely! Berries like fresh strawberries, blueberries or raspberries are just as delish. Just adjust the sugar to balance the tartness.
A: Yep! In fact, it’s better if it sits in the fridge overnight. The flavours develop beautifully, and the cake soaks up all the yumminess.
A: I like to layer in the following order: lemon or vanilla cake in the bottom of the bowl, cherry compote, layers of zesty eggless lemon custard finished with vegan whipped cream.
A: Sure thing! Just use a gluten-free sponge cake or ladyfingers. Everything else in the recipe is naturally gluten-free.
So, there you have it – a vegan cherry lemon trifle that’s as gorge to look at as it is to eat. I can’t wait for you to try it. Don’t forget to snap some pics of your trifle masterpiece and tag @schoolnightvegan on social media – I love seeing what you guys create!
If you’re craving more vegan dessert goodness, check out my vegan strawberry shortcake – perfect for summer, or my vegan tiramisu for a year-round treat. And could anything get more classic desserty than my vegan peach cobbler? Prolly not! Happy trifle-ing, friends!
Vegan Cherry Lemon Trifle
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Medium Saucepan
- small bowl
- Baking sheet
- Plastic wrap
- Stand mixer or electric hand whisk
- Trifle dish or glass trifle bowl
Ingredients
For the Cake Layer
- ½ a loaf of vegan lemon pound cake (see my recipe here) sliced into cubes
- Or
- 12 vegan ladyfingers soaked in cherry liqueur (see my recipe here)
For the Cherry Compote
- 250 g pitted cherries fresh or frozen, sliced in half
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon + 2 tablespoon cherry liqueur or cherry brandy divided
- 1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the Lemon Infused Custard
- Zest of two lemons peeled into strips
- 500 ml soy milk + 4 tbsp or any unflavoured, unsweetened plant milk, divided
- 2.5 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 teaspoon lemon extract
- 80 g sugar
- 60 g vegan butter
For the Whipped Cream Layer
- 220 ml vegan whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon icing sugar confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Decorating
- 50 g fresh cherries
- Zest of one lemon finely shredded
Instructions
To Make the Lemon Pound Cake Layer
- Bake a vegan lemon pound cake and allow it to cool completely. Slice half the loaf into cubes and set aside.½ a loaf of vegan lemon pound cake, 12 vegan ladyfingers
To Make the Cherry Compote Layer
- In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the cherries, sugar, 3 tablespoon cherry liqueur, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until the cherries start to break down and the liquid turns dark red.250 g pitted cherries, 2 tablespoon sugar, 3 tablespoon + 2 tablespoon cherry liqueur or cherry brandy, 1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- In a small bowl, make a slurry by whisking together the water and cornstarch.3 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Stir the cornstarch slurry into the cherry compote until it thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoon cherry liqueur and 2 tablespoon lemon juice until combined and glossy.
- Spread the compote on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to cool completely.
To Make the Custard Layer
- In a medium saucepan, heat 500ml of the soy milk with the lemon zest strips until hot and bubbles start to form on the edges. Do not allow it to boil.500 ml soy milk + 4 tbsp, Zest of two lemons
- Turn off the heat, cover, and leave to infuse for at least 10 minutes, preferably up to an hour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the water, cornstarch, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and sugar.2.5 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water, 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1.5 teaspoon lemon extract, 80 g sugar
- Strain the infused soy milk through a sieve into the bowl, discarding the zest. Whisk the mixture together and return it to the saucepan.
- Cook over low heat, stirring continuously until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the vegan butter vigorously.60 g vegan butter
- Gradually add the remaining 4 tablespoon of soy milk, one tablespoon at a time, stirring well until smooth. Transfer to a baking tray and cover closely with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
To Make the Whipped Cream Layer
- Using a stand mixer or electric hand whisk, whip the vegan whipping cream until stiff peaks form.220 ml vegan whipping cream
- Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract, and whisk until well combined.2 tablespoon icing sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To Assemble
- Transfer the cooled lemon custard to a bowl and whisk until smooth. If the custard is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of extra soy milk.
- In a trifle bowl, layer the components in the following order: cubes of lemon pound cake, cherry compote, lemon custard and whipped cream.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or ideally overnight.
To Decorate and Serve
- Allow the trifle to come to room temperature for an hour before serving. Just before serving, garnish the trifle with fresh cherries, any extra cubes of pound cake you might have and finely shredded lemon zest.50 g fresh cherries, Zest of one lemon
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