Home cook: Sharmini Jayawardena
Ingredients
1 sachet of plain gelatin crystals
500gm sponge cake
1 can of any fruit in syrup or
500gm stewed fruit
1 carton heavy cream
(When making this dessert attention should be paid to the colour of the ingredients as when you layer the ingredients in a glass dish the colours should let’s say, tell a story)
To make the cake
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C
2. Measure all of the ingredients (225gm or 8oz self-raising flour, 225gm or 8oz butter at room temperature, 225gm or 8oz castor sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tsp baking powder), into a large bowl.
3. Mix all of the ingredients using an electric whisk.
4. Pour the mixture into 2 non-stick 7” tins.
5. Place them in the oven till golden brown 15-20 mnts.
6. Cool on a wire rack before using/serving.
To make the jelly
1.In the glass dish you are using to make the pudding, mix the gelatin crystals in an amount of boiling water, (the jelly should not be too soft when set.) Add color and flavor like strawberry if you want it to be red or green if you want apple and so on.
2. Add sugar to taste.
3. Mix well and cool it before leaving in the refrigerator to set.
Prepping the fruit
1.Drain the syrup from the fruit and sweeten it well.
2.Cut up the fruit into smaller pieces if they are too large.
To stew the fruit
1. Peel and cut up some Granny Smith apples or pineapple or any berries into pieces.
2. Add equal quantities of water and sugar to a pan and stir until thick, add the fruit and cook until soft. Adding a stick of cinnamon is optional.
Method for the Trifle
1. Bring the dish with the set jelly out of the refrigerator.
2. Halve the cake with a serrated knife and layer one half on top of the jelly, covering the edges well with the cake.
3. Now soak the cake by pouring part of the syrup evenly over the cake layer. Or soak it in sherry or other fruity alcoholic beverage.
4. Place a layer of fruit pieces over the soaked cake layer.
5. Continue with another layer of cake and then soak it with syrup.
6. Place a layer of fruit over that layer of cake.
7. Top it all up with a layer of thickly whipped heavy cream and spread it evenly.
8. Place the cherry on top or any other decoration you like.
Enjoy! 
