Pendray Heritage Trifle Recipe

Prepare sponge

Cut the sponge cake or genoise into roughly 1-inch cubes and place in a large shallow bowl or tray so you can easily drizzle the soak over them.

Combine orange liqueur (or orange juice) in a small bowl. When assembling the trifle, lightly brush or sprinkle the liquid over the sponge cubes to moisten but not saturate them — about 120 ml total across the layers.

Place the prepared seasonal fruit in a bowl. Add lemon juice and honey (or light syrup) and toss gently to combine. If using very tart fruit or to macerate, sprinkle with the optional 2 tbs sugar and let sit for 10–15 minutes, then drain off excess juice if needed.

Infuse milk

In a medium saucepan, bring 500 ml whole milk and 1 tsp dried culinary lavender to a simmer over medium heat. As soon as it reaches a simmer, remove from heat and let steep, covered, for 10–15 minutes to infuse lavender flavor. Strain milk through a fine sieve to remove the lavender buds and return milk to the pan.

Mix egg base

While milk is infusing, whisk together 6 egg yolks, 120 g granulated sugar and 45 g cornstarch in a bowl until pale and smooth.

Cook pastry cream

Place the infused milk back on medium heat. Slowly temper about one-third of the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking continuously, then pour tempered yolk mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a gentle boil (1–2 minutes). Once thickened, remove from heat.

Finish pastry cream

Whisk in 60 g unsalted butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Pour the pastry cream into a shallow container, cover directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming, and chill until cool (at least 2 hours).

Prepare cream cheese (if using)

If using cream cheese for added stability, soften 100 g cream cheese to room temperature and briefly whip until smooth.

Infuse cream

Lightly crush 1 tsp dried lavender between your fingers or with a mortar and pestle. Add crushed lavender to the chilled heavy cream (600 ml) and let sit in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes to gently infuse. Strain if you prefer no texture; otherwise leave the fine bits for a subtle texture.

Whip cream

In a chilled bowl, whip the chilled cream until it reaches soft peaks. Add 60 g icing sugar gradually and continue whipping to medium-stiff peaks. If using cream cheese, fold the whipped cream into the whipped cream-cheese mixture until homogeneous. Taste and adjust sweetness to taste.

Select a large glass trifle bowl or individual glasses. Start with a layer of sponge cubes (about one-third of the 6 cups), lightly drizzle with a portion of the orange liqueur/juice so they are moist but not soggy.

Add a layer of one-third of the lavender pastry cream, spreading evenly over the sponge.

Scatter one-third of the macerated seasonal fruit over the pastry cream.

Add a layer of one-third of the lavender whipped cream, smoothing lightly.

Repeat two more times (sponge soaked, pastry cream, fruit, whipped cream) building three total tiers, finishing with a final layer of whipped cream on top.

After assembling, chill the trifle for at least 2 hours (preferably 4 hours or overnight) to allow flavors to meld and layers to set.

Before serving, garnish the top with extra seasonal berries or sliced fruit, a sprinkle of grated dark chocolate or flaked almonds if using, and a few fresh lavender sprigs or edible flowers for presentation.

Scoop or spoon portions into bowls, ensuring each serving gets layers of sponge, pastry cream, fruit and lavender whipped cream.