Mary Berry Pear Trifle
by Mary Berry
Calories: 464.2|Fat: 26.6|Carbohydrates: 43.8|Protein: 7
| 4 hours 30 minutes
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Christmas just wouldn't feel complete without a serving of Mary Berry's Pear trifle – a time-tested classic that my family always looks forward to. Nowadays, you can find some excellent ready-made fresh vanilla custards at the supermarket, but of course, if you prefer, you can still whip up your own homemade custard.
Mary Berry’s Pear Trifle is a delectable holiday dessert that boasts layers of canned pears, trifle sponges, strawberry jam, sherry-soaked biscuits, fresh vanilla custard, and a generous topping of whipped cream and toasted flaked almonds. It’s a delightful medley of flavours and textures that perfectly captures the spirit of Christmas.
Why You’ll Like It
Mary Berry’s Pear Trifle is a timeless Christmas classic — a delightful mix of fruity goodness, soft sponge cake, and creamy custard that’s always a crowd-pleaser. This indulgent dessert brings heavenly layers of flavor and texture to your holiday table.
- Layered Delight: Every spoonful offers a perfect contrast — soft, juicy pears, tender sponges, rich custard, and billowy whipped cream.
- Effortless Elegance: Despite its impressive look, this trifle is surprisingly easy to assemble — perfect for busy holidays or winter birthday celebrations.
- Easily Customizable: Not a custard fan? Swap it for lemon curd! Out of sherry? Try amaretto, brandy, marsala, prosecco, or a splash of Cointreau. My secret twist? A mix of Martini Rosso and lemonade.
For The Perfect Mary Berry’s Pear Trifle
- If you need to toast flaked almonds yourself, place them in a dry pan on the hob over medium heat. Keep them moving with a wooden spoon and keep a close eye on them, as they can quickly become overdone.
- This trifle is an excellent dessert to prepare a day in advance. Allowing it to sit in the fridge overnight lets the flavours meld together beautifully. Just remember to scatter the almonds over the top right before serving.
What You Need
- Pears – 1 x 400g can pears in natural juice
- Trifle sponges – 1 packet containing 8 sponges
- Strawberry jam – as needed
- Dry Sherry – 75ml medium dry sherry
- Ratafia biscuits – 10 ratafia biscuits or almond biscuits (like macaroons)
- Vanilla custard – 600ml (store-bought) good quality fresh vanilla custard
- Double cream – 300ml double cream
- Almonds – 25g flaked almonds, lightly toasted
Making Mary Berry’s Classic Pear Trifle With Sponges, Custard and Sherry
- Drain the pears, but be sure to save the juice.
- Cut the pears into small pieces.
- Split the trifle sponges in half and sandwich them together with the strawberry jam.
- Measure out the sherry in a measuring jug, and then top it up to 150ml with the reserved pear juice. If you prefer your trifle without sherry, you can use all of the pear juice, which should amount to about 150ml.
- Take a glass serving dish, approximately 20cm in diameter and 6cm deep.
- Place half of the chopped pears in the bottom of the dish.
- Follow this with half of the prepared trifle sponges, then add the remaining pears, and finally, the remaining sponges.
- Sprinkle the ratafias evenly on top.
- Now, pour the sherry and pear juice mixture evenly over the layered ingredients.
- Pour the custard over the top layer.
- Whip the cream in a separate bowl until it just holds its shape.
- Spoon the whipped cream gently over the custard, smoothing it out evenly, or fluffing it up, as you prefer.
- Chill the trifle in the refrigerator.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the toasted flaked almonds on top.
Variations
- You can experiment with different fruit variations like peaches, berries, or even a combination of your favourites.
- For a non-alcoholic version, skip the sherry and use pear juice or apple juice for a kid-friendly alternative.
- You might also love a simpler creamy recipe such as Mary Berry’s Raspberry Parfait or Tiramisu made with sponges
Serving Mary Berry Trifle
- Serve Mary Berry’s Pear Trifle in clear, glass trifle bowls to showcase its beautiful layers.
- Chill it for a few hours before serving to let the flavors meld together.
- Garnish generously with the toasted flaked almonds just before serving.
- It’s the perfect sweet ending to your Christmas feast, sure to leave everyone craving seconds!
Goes Well With:
British Desserts
This pear trifle shines on a festive table alongside classic British desserts like Mince Pies or a Christmas Cake.
Discover Mary Berry Christmas Cake
Hosting a cozy afternoon tea?
Pair it with buttery shortbread or scones with clotted cream and jam
Make Paul Hollywood's Scones
Boozy Pairing
Serve it with a glass of prosecco, limoncello or amaretto liqueur.
Enjoy Homemade Limoncello
Health Info
- Calories: 464.2
- Sugar: 32.9
- Sodium: 148.1
- Fat: 26.6
- Carbohydrates: 43.8
- Fiber: 1.8
- Protein: 7
Mary Berry’s Christmas trifle with pears
Fat: 26.6|Carbohydrates: 43.8|Protein: 7
Description
Christmas just wouldn't feel complete without a serving of Mary Berry's Pear trifle – a time-tested classic that my family always looks forward to. Nowadays, you can find some excellent ready-made fresh vanilla custards at the supermarket, but of course, if you prefer, you can still whip up your own homemade custard.
Ingredients
- 1 can (400g) pears in natural juice
- 1 packet trifle sponges containing 8 sponges
- strawberry jam
- 75 ml medium dry sherry
- about 10 ratafia biscuits or broken almond biscuits such as macaroons
- 600 ml bought good-quality fresh vanilla custard
- 300 ml double cream
- 25 g flaked almonds lightly toasted
Instructions
- Drain the pears, but be sure to save the juice.
- Cut the pears into small pieces.
- Split the trifle sponges in half and sandwich them together with the strawberry jam.
- Measure out the sherry in a measuring jug, and then top it up to 150ml with the reserved pear juice. If you prefer your trifle without sherry, you can use all of the pear juice, which should amount to about 150ml.
- Take a glass serving dish, approximately 20cm in diameter and 6cm deep.
- Place half of the chopped pears in the bottom of the dish.
- Follow this with half of the prepared trifle sponges, then add the remaining pears, and finally, the remaining sponges.
- Sprinkle the ratafias evenly on top.
- Now, pour the sherry and pear juice mixture evenly over the layered ingredients.
- Pour the custard over the top layer.
- Whip the cream in a separate bowl until it just holds its shape.
- Spoon the whipped cream gently over the custard, smoothing it out evenly, or fluffing it up, as you prefer.
- Chill the trifle in the refrigerator.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the toasted flaked almonds on top.
- If you need to toast flaked almonds yourself, place them in a dry pan on the hob over medium heat. Keep them moving with a wooden spoon and keep a close eye on them, as they can quickly become overdone.
- This trifle is an excellent dessert to prepare a day in advance. Allowing it to sit in the fridge overnight lets the flavors meld together beautifully. Just remember to scatter the almonds over the top right before serving.
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I haven’t tried this yet but I’m preparing my menu for Christmas! I’m a big fan of pear recipes especially in October and November . Do you have other popular pear recipes by Mary Berry or any other I can try ?
Oh sure! Try this Apple and Pear Open pie from Mary Berry