Sherry trifle

Serves 6-8 For the Swiss roll, you will need: A little melted butter to grease the tin 125g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting the Swiss roll tin 4 eggs 125g caster sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for sprinkling 2 tablespoons warm water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 tablespoons raspberry jam For the pastry cream, you will need: 175ml milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod 3 eggs — separate 2 and leave 1 whole 110g caster sugar 25g flour You will also need: 150ml sweet sherry 600ml softly whipped cream (measure when whipped) 2 tablespoons of flaked almonds, toasted until golden and 1 tablespoon edible silver balls; or 10 cherries and 10 diamonds of angelica; or sparklers 1 You will also need a 25cm x 38cm Swiss-roll tin, and a serving bowl — ideally a glass one — that has a capacity of approximately 1.7L. Preheat the oven to 190°C, 375°F, Gas 5. 2 First, make the Swiss roll. Line the base of the Swiss-roll tin with parchment paper. Brush the base and sides of the tin with the melted butter and dust with some flour. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, the caster sugar, the warm water and the vanilla extract together until the mixture is light and fluffy (use an electric whisk or a food mixer) — this should take about 5 minutes. Sift in the plain flour, about one-third at a time, and fold it into the mixture using a spatula or a large spoon. 3 Pour the mixture gently into the prepared Swiss-roll tin and bake it in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the centre of the Swiss roll is slightly springy and the edges have shrunk a little from the sides of the tin. 4 Cut out another piece of parchment paper, or tinfoil — it should be slightly larger than the Swiss-roll tin. Sprinkle the top of the baked Swiss roll with caster sugar (this stops the Swiss roll from sticking to the parchment paper or tinfoil) and place the piece of parchment paper or tinfoil, whichever you’re using, over the sugared Swiss roll. Quickly flip the Swiss roll over so that it’s sitting on the piece of parchment paper or tinfoil, whichever you’re using, then carefully remove the tin and the parchment paper from the underside of the Swiss roll (which will now be facing up). Place a slightly damp, clean tea towel over the cake while it cools — this will prevent it from drying out and cracking when you roll it. 5 When the Swiss roll is cool, spread it sparingly with the raspberry jam. With the longest side facing you, roll up the Swiss roll, rolling away from you, then set it aside. 6 Next, make the pastry cream. Put the milk and the vanilla extract or the vanilla pod, whichever you’re using, in a saucepan over a low heat. Slowly bring the milk and vanilla mixture just up to the boil, then remove the saucepan from the heat. In a bowl, whisk the two egg yolks and the whole egg with the caster sugar until the mixture is light and thick. Stir in the flour, then pour in the milk and vanilla mixture — remove the vanilla pod if you are using it. 7 Pour the egg, caster sugar, flour, milk and vanilla mixture back into a clean saucepan and cook it over a very gentle heat, whisking it constantly until the mixture thickens as it boils. Next, remove the saucepan from the heat. Put the egg, caster sugar, flour, milk and vanilla mixture in a bowl. 8 In a clean bowl, whisk the two egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold in the thickened egg, caster sugar, flour, milk and vanilla mixture while it is still warm. Allow the mixture to cool before using it. 9 To assemble the trifle, cut the Swiss roll into 2cm slices and line the glass bowl with them, sprinkling them with sweet sherry as you go. Pour in some pastry cream, add the rest of the Swiss roll slices, then sprinkle them with the rest of the sweet sherry. Spread the rest of the pastry cream over the top, cover the trifle with cling film and leave it for a few hours or overnight. 10To serve, spread the softly whipped cream over the top and decorate the top with the toasted flaked almonds and silver balls, or with the cherries and diamonds of angelica, or with lit sparklers, whichever you are using. 11 This trifle can also be served in individual glasses, by carefully cutting small pieces of the Swiss roll to fit the individual glass and then layering the trifle in exactly the same way as described above.