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Smoking Chimney

Recipes from a working kitchen · Cape Town

Summer Berry Christmas Trifle

By Marna Ross Updated 12 August 2026 4.65 from 17 ratings British
Christmas aren't Christmas without having Summer Berry Christmas Trifle on the dessert table. This is a lovely variation of trifle: a summer berry Christmas trifle. It is beautiful in the red colours, perfect to represent red as one of the Christmas colours. With the fresh strawberries, white cream, soft yellow custard and red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, jelly it is absolutely delicious. I have made this delicious summer berry Christmas trifle while doing the Christmas Lunch at Augusta Kleinbosch Guest Farm. It was a stunner on the table, afterwards when clearing the foods tables there were none left over. For a chef working on Christmas Day, you are fulfilled when the food were all eaten! As a child our Christmas table always had trifle as desserts. My mom used to make the cold buffet foods a day or so in advance and trifle was always part of the table. Trifle is of English Origin, and is popular all over the world. I myself are not very fond of trifle, but I have enjoyed this one in particular, because it is made with the lovely summer berries and the nuts on top. You get all kinds of variations, but the ones made with raspberries, strawberries and blue berries are my favourite. You can of course use other different kinds of fruits. In this particular Summer Berry Christmas Trifle, I use Rosé to give it a lovely flavour. For more ideas for the Christmas table, try Traditional Roast Chicken or Roast Lamb.
A beautiful layered summer berry Christmas trifle dessert in a large glass bowl.
Prep 30 min
Cook 1 h
Total 1 h 30 m
Serves 8

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Ingredients

  • 1 large ready made sponge cake
  • 3 packets red jelly-raspberry
  • strawberry or port wine flavour
  • 675 ml Rosé/ Red wine(Rosé for strawberry flavoured jelly)
  • 500 ml fresh cream, whipped
  • 250 g frozen, mixed berries
  • 2 large punnets fresh strawberries, washed and stems removed
  • 1 liter custard
  • 1 packet(100 g) macadamia nuts
  • mint oreo biscuit chunks for a green colour

Method

  1. Prepare the jelly by following in the instructions at the back of the packet, but substitute half of the water with the rose or red wine

  2. Let it cool slightly and add the frozen mixed berries. Stir every now and again so the fruit will be spread evenly through the jelly

  3. Place in the fridge until set

  4. TO ASSEMBLE: ( Do the layers 3 times)Choose a lovely, deep see-through bowl and start by packing one layer of sponge cake at the bottom

  5. Add 300 ml of custard over the sponge cake

  6. Add a ¼ of the fresh strawberries , then a third layer whipped cream and a third of the nuts

  7. Add a third of the jelly

  8. Repeat the layers 3 times and end with the cream and nuts

  9. Last add the strawberries on top and add some mint oreo biscuit chunks for the green colour

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