Vegan Berry Trifle

Vegan Berry Trifle made with layers of cake, custard, whipped topping, and berries.

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5 from 2 votes

Prep Time45

Cook Time45

Chill Time4

Total Time5 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British

Servings:

Calories: 678kcal

Author: Alissa Saenz

Equipment

2 (8 x 4 inch) loaf pans
Electric mixer
1 (3 quart) trifle bowl

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, divided
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 ½ cups organic granulated sugar

For the Custard

1 cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk, chilled
⅓ cup cornstarch
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
⅔ cup organic granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vegan butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch turmeric, or a few drops of yellow food color (optional)

For the Whipped Topping

2 (13.5 ounce/400 ml) cans coconut cream, chilled overnight in the fridge
½ cup organic powdered sugar
½ cup aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

For Assembly

1 pound fresh strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and halved (or quartered if large)
2 cups fresh blueberries, cleaned

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease the insides of two (8 x 4 inch) loaf pans, then line each pan with a sheet of parchment paper, arranging each sheet of paper so that the bottom of the pan is covered, and the paper hangs over the sides of the pan a bit. You'll use this excess paper later on to remove the loaves from the pans.
Whisk ¼ cup of the non-dairy milk together with the flaxseeds in a large mixing bowl. Set this aside while you mix the dry ingredients. It will need to sit for at least 5 minutes for the flaxseeds to gel.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate large mixing bowl.
In a small container such as a liquid measuring cup, stir together the remaining ¾ cup of milk with the oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract, if using.
Add the sugar to the bowl containing the flax mixture. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the sugar into the flax mixture for about one minute, until the ingredients are fully blended and just starting to become creamy.
Turn the speed of the mixer down to low, and while running the mixer, slowly drizzle in the milk mixture.
Begin adding the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Add about a third of the mixture at a time, beating in each addition completely before adding more.
Divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans.
Bake the loaves until a toothpick inserted into the center of each one comes out clean, 33 to 35 minutes.
Place the loaves on a cooling rack when they're done. Let them cool completely.

Make the Custard

Whisk the chilled non-dairy milk and cornstarch together in a small saucepan, until the cornstarch is fully dissolved, then whisk in the coconut milk and sugar.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer while whisking constantly.
Remove the pot from heat as soon as the custard starts to simmer. It should have thickened quite a bit by this point.
Whisk in the butter, vanilla, and turmeric or food coloring, if using. Keep whisking until the butter is completely melted and the ingredients are fully combined.
Let the custard cool down a bit, giving it an occasional whisk to prevent a skin from forming. Once it is just warm to the touch, cover it with plastic wrap, placing the plastic directly in contact with the top layer of custard.
Place the custard into the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.

Make the Whipped Topping

Open the cans of coconut cream, then scoop the solid portions only into a large mixing bowl. Discard the liquid, or save it for another use.
Add the powdered sugar to the bowl with the coconut cream, then use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the coconut cream and powdered sugar together until fluffy, about 1 minute.
Place the aquafaba and cream of tartar into a separate mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the mixture at high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes (Note 1).
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the aquafaba mixture into the coconut cream mixture, being careful to avoid deflating the aquafaba.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or carefully transfer the mixture to an airtight container. Chill the mixture for at least 4 hours.

Assemble the Trifle

Remove the cakes from the loaf pans by pulling upward on the excess parchment paper. Place the cakes onto cutting boards, then cut them into ½ to 1-inch cubes.
Take the custard and whipped topping out of the fridge. Whisk or stir the custard to loosen it up a bit.
Arrange half of the cake cubes into the bottom of a 3-quart trifle bowl. Spread half of the custard over the cake cubes. Top the custard layer with all of the strawberries, then cover the strawberries with half of the whipped topping. Optionally, reserve a few berries for garnish.
Repeat the layering arrangement, using the blueberries in place of the strawberries. Garnish the trifle with any berries you reserved.
Serve the trifle immediately, or, if you have time, cover and chill it for a few hours, or up to three days. Serve.

Notes

Beaters can also be used, but it will take 10 minutes or longer for the mixture to reach soft peaks.
Because the components of this recipe require hours of cooling/chilling, I recommend making the cake, custard, and whipped topping a day or two before serving, then assembling the dish on the following day.

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