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Low-Carb English Trifle

4.7 stars, average of 30 ratings

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Everyone loves dessert after their holiday dinner, and there is no better option than a classic English Trifle.

This is a show stopping dessert that's perfect for any holiday gathering. I made it last year and this year again for an early Christmas dinner with friends. All I can say is there wasn't much trifle left after we finished, it was a winner! :)

How To Make Keto English Trifle

Classic English trifle is made with several layers of cake, custard, whipped cream and berries. Some recipes are made without the cake layer but I think that the cake gives it a much better texture and the trifle is prettier.

Once you have all the components ready, it's really easy to assemble the trifle. We've got layers of buttery Madeira Cake drizzled with boozy rum berry sauce, followed by creamy Keto Vanilla Custard, soft and pillowy whipped vanilla cream, and finally the perfect berry gelatin topping.

Finally, this stunning trifle is meant to be served messy so don't worry about ruining it as you serve it. Time to dig in!

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Recipe Tips

You can sprinkle some toasted flaked or slivered almonds like I did, or add fresh berries. Almonds are a safer option that will last for longer, especially if you plan to keep the trifle in the fridge for several days. If you want to keep the almonds crunchy, sprinkle them on top of the trifle just before serving.

Instead of our Low-Carb Madeira Cake you can make this English Trifle with our Keto Pound Cake which is flavored with vanilla and almond extract.

The berry layer can be made with a combination of berries and other fruits including raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, red currants, blackcurrants and cherries. Go easy on the last four options if you want to keep the carbs in this trifle low.

Rum can be skipped altogether or substituted with whiskey, bourbon or brandy (make sure you avoid cognac with added sugar).

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Hands-on Overall

Serving size about 170 g/ 6 oz

Allergy information for Low-Carb English Trifle

✔  Gluten free
✔  Nightshade free
✔  Pork free
✔  Avocado free
✔  Coconut free
✔  Fish free
✔  Shellfish free

Nutritional values (per serving, about 170 g/ 6 oz)

Net carbs6.2 grams
Protein8.7 grams
Fat41.4 grams
Calories442 kcal
Calories from carbs 6%, protein 8%, fat 86%
Total carbs8.9 gramsFiber2.7 gramsSugars4 gramsSaturated fat20 gramsSodium134 mg(6% RDA)Magnesium60 mg(15% RDA)Potassium272 mg(14% EMR)

Ingredients (makes 16 servings)

  • 1 recipe Keto Vanilla Custard
  • 1 recipe Low-Carb Madeira Cake
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries (225 g/ 8 oz)
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries (225 g/ 8 oz)
  • 1 cup frozen wild blueberries (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
  • 5 tbsp Allulose or Erythritol, divided (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
  • 5 gelatin leaves or 1 1/2 tsp gelatin powder
  • 2 tbsp rum (30 ml) - can be skipped or doubled for taste
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream (480 ml/ 16 fl oz)
  • 1 tsp unsweetened vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup flaked or slivered toasted almonds

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Keto Vanilla Custard by following this recipe. It's best if you prepare this the day before and refrigerate to ensure it's fully set before assembling. Low-Carb English Trifle
  2. Prepare the Madeira Cake by following the instructions here. Once cooked, place on a cooling rack. Make sure has cooled down to room temperature before assembling. Low-Carb English Trifle
  3. To prepare the berry layer, place all of the berries in a saucepan. Add 4 tablespoons of water and 3 tablespoons of sweetener (Allulose or Erythritol). Gently heat up over a low-medium heat, until the berries have fully thawed. Low-Carb English Trifle
  4. Use a ladle to transfer about 3/4 cup (180 ml) of the berry sauce into a small bowl. To the bowl add 2 tablespoons of rum (you can add more rum or skip it altogether).
  5. Place the gelatin leaves into a small shallow plate and add a few tablespoons of water to soak and soften.
  6. Heat up the remaining berry sauce (the one without rum) over a medium heat. Once it's hot, add the softened gelatin leaves and stir until they carefully dissolved. Take off the heat and set aside until it has reached room temperature. Low-Carb English Trifle
  7. When you are ready to assemble the cake, put the cream with 2 tablespoons of powdered sweetener (Allulose or Erythritol) and vanilla extract into a bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip until stiff peaks form.
  8. Cut the cake into 10 slices and then cut each slice into quarters. Low-Carb English Trifle
  9. Start by layering the trifle. Add half of the sliced cake to the bottom of a large trifle bowl (mine has 3.6 L capacity). Using a spoon, drizzle half of the berry sauce over the cake. Low-Carb English Trifle
  10. Add half of the custard and spread evenly on top of the cake. Then add half of the whipped cream. Top with the remaining cake slices and then drizzle the remaining berry sauce on top. Top with the remaining custard and use a spatula to spread evenly. Low-Carb English Trifle
  11. Pour the cooled berry sauce on top and then transfer into the fridge until the berry topping is fully set. This will take 1 to 2 hours.
  12. Meanwhile, transfer the remaining cream into a piping bag and refrigerate. Low-Carb English Trifle
  13. Once set, use the piping bag to decorate the top of the trifle. A large star or a round tips will work best. Top with flaked toasted almonds (if you want to keep them crunchy, add the almonds just before serving). Refrigerate until ready to serve, and store for up to 5 days. Low-Carb English Trifle
  14. To serve, use a large spoon to scoop out each serving. Trifle is meant to be messy so don't worry about keeping it pretty! Low-Carb English Trifle

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, about 170 g/ 6 oz)

Net carbsProteinFatCalories
Vanilla Custard, homemade (KetoDiet blog)
1.2 g2.2 g14 g142 kcal
Madeira Cake, homemade (KetoDiet blog)
2 g5 g15.1 g164 kcal
Strawberries, frozen (unsweetened)
0.8 g0.1 g0 g4 kcal
Raspberries, frozen (unsweetened)
0.6 g0.2 g0 g5 kcal
Blueberries, wild, frozen (unsweetened)
0.6 g0.1 g0 g3 kcal
Allulose, natural low-carb sweetener
0.1 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Gelatin powder, thickening agent, unsweetened
0 g0.2 g0 g1 kcal
Rum, distilled alcoholic beverage (~40% vol)
0 g0 g0 g4 kcal
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)
0.8 g0.6 g11.4 g110 kcal
Vanilla extract, sugar-free, alcohol-based
0 g0 g0 g1 kcal
Allulose, natural low-carb sweetener
0.1 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Almonds, nuts (flaked, sliced)
0.1 g0.4 g0.8 g9 kcal
Total per serving, about 170 g/ 6 oz
6.2 g8.7 g41.4 g442 kcal

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Martina Slajerova
Creator of KetoDietApp.com

Martina Slajerova

I changed the way I ate in 2011, when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. I had no energy, and I found it more and more difficult to maintain a healthy weight.

That’s when I decided to quit sugar, grains, and processed foods, and to start following a whole-foods-based ketogenic approach to food.

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Comments (14)

Absolutely delicious! I haved this recipe and made it over two days to enjoy it in all it's glory on Christmas day, and it absolutely knocked it out of the park.. sooooo good! The only thing I changed was to add some more homemade keto strawberry jam/compote that I had at hand because I felt like I didn't have enough of the boozy berry syrup to soak through all that lovely cake, but this could just be because of the size of my trifle dish and how I arranged the cake pieces. This is definitely something we will make again in the future for special occasions, it is totally worth the effort, and not really difficult at all! And I love that it intentionally looks messy when you serve it.. perfect! 😊 Thank you so much, Martina, this really did make our Christmas a little more special.

A little late to reply (toddlers keep us very busy 😊 ) I think this would be so good with any berries, I'd totally reuse any leftover berries for it. If you feel like there isn't enough berry juice, you could add juice from one orange (that would still be ok carb wise).

Hi - just wandering if it’s ok to make this in advance, with leaving just the final piped layer to the day of serving. Will the cream layers hold up to being assembled the day before?

I know this is too late to answer but yes, they will hold up well as long as you whip it until stiff peaks form.

Absolutelly amazing! made half of it coz we are only 3 at home and they just loved it! thanks for all your recipes!

Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed!

Just checking, is the rum and gelatine added to the ladled off berry sauce and then kept for the top of the trifle?

Hi Lorraine, I just edited step 6 to clarify, I hope this helps! 😊

I can 100% vouch for how delicious this trifle is. Lots of Yums were exchanged🤣! Amazing

Thank you so much Jo!

That looks lovely - to me though, a uk trifle screams sherry. I looked up the carbs in Tio Pep, my favourite very dry sherry and it's  4.3 gms per 100ml. I'm here debating whether it's worth me going for a smaller portion with the sherry if I eat it on the right day - because its definitely going to appear on our table over Christmas. It's our traditional dessert on Christmas day.

You are right! I avoided sherry for the simple reason that it's not a zero carb option but you could swap it if you don't mind a few extra carbs 😊

Going for it - should be easy to keep the carbs down with traditional roast chicken and cauliflower and green veg and I'd rather have the sherry trifle than the seasoning - stuffing is always known as seasoning in our part of Yorkshire. A prawn based starter and we're sorted

That sounds delicious! 4-5 g net carbs per 100 ml sounds good, similar to a glass of gin & tonic but divided by 16 so I don't think you actually need to compromise 😊