light, fruity and chocolatey trifles made with a homemade lemon sponge cake, a lemony custard, a chocolate custard and all finished with a creamy whipped vegan coconut cream. Decorate these festive trifles with dark chocolate, some crushed cookies and extra lemon for a vegan, easy and impressive dessert.
120ml plant-based milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ lemon, zested
60g caster sugar
40ml sunflower oil
½ tsp vanilla essence
105g self-raising flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
A pinch of salt
1 x 400g tin vegan custard, chilled
2 tbsp cocoa powder
½ lemon, zested
3-6 crushed amaretti or regular biscuits
200g coconut cream, from 1 tin of full-fat coconut milk, chilled*
100g icing sugar*
3-6 squares 85% Dark Chocolate
Lemon zest
Place the tin of coconut milk for the topping in the fridge overnight. Prepare the lemon sponge: preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C and line a 10x7-inch tray (or similar) with baking paper.
Whisk together the plant-based milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, oil and vanilla till smooth. Sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda and add the salt. Whisk to a smooth batter. Pour into the tin and spread out evenly.
Bake for 13 minutes, or until golden at the edges and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes then lift out to cool fully on a wire rack.
When you are ready to serve, prepare the custards. Divide the custard into two bowls and add the lemon to one and the cocoa powder to the other and whisk/stir till smooth.
For the cream: scoop off the solid part (the cream) from the chilled tin of coconut milk and weigh out 200g. Add to a bowl and beat with an electric whisk for 30 seconds. Now add the icing sugar and beat for 1 minute till smooth and fluffy. (or you can whip up the vegan whipping cream, if using). Keep in the fridge till ready to use.
Cut out 6 circles from the sponge cake, the same size as your serving jars. Or, you can slice the cake into whatever shapes/sizes you like.
To assemble: lay some cake at the bottom of each jar. Top with some crushed cookies, some lemon custard and some chocolate custard. Repeat each layer once more then pipe on the whipped cream.
Top with some a square of 85% Dark Chocolate, some lemon zest, extra crushed cookies and cake crumbs.
Enjoy straight away or keep for 1 day in the fridge, covered well.
