Difficulty: Medium
Serves 10
Remember that time on Friends when Rachel made that heaps gross trifle and put beef mince in it? This is nothing like that time. Nothing says Christmas like a trifle and you all know how much I love pomegranate so I’ve allowed the two to join forces to make the world’s most perfect festive dessert!
Layers of pomegranate jelly, vanilla sponge, pomegranate arils, custard and coconut cream make this a freaking must-have for your Christmas table – if for nothing else to show your non-vegan family that you don’t spend your days nibbling on grass and cardboard.
Ingredients
Sponge
- 3 cups soy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups plain flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pomegranate Jelly
- 1 litre pomegranate juice
- 3 teaspoons agar agar powder
- 1/3 cuo caster sugar
- 2 cups pomegranate arils
Custard
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 750mL soy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 2 can full fat coconut cream (left upside down in the fridge for as long as possible, but at least 24 hours)
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fresh pomegranate arils and mint to serve
Method
- Kick things off with the sponge by preheating your oven to 180°C and lining a large rectangular cake tin with baking paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
- Next, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl and add the salt.
- Slowly pour in the soy milk mixture and mix well before adding the canola oil, sugar and vanilla extract.
- Once combined, pour into the cake tin and bake for 30 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean). Allow to cool.
- While the cake is cooling, get stuck into the jelly layer! In a large saucepan, whisk together the pomegranate juice and agar agar powder over medium heat and bring to the boil.
- Add the sugar and continue to mix until dissolved before carefully pouring the mixture into a trifle dish and allowing to set in the fridge.
- Once the cake is cooled, remove it from the cake tin and cut into 3cm chunks.
- Carefully press the cake on top of the jelly layer of the trifle and tightly pack it in.
- Sprinkle 3/4 of the pomegranate arils on top, mainly around the edges.
- It’s custard time! Blend together the sugar and flour until fine before adding the soy milk and vanilla extract, blending until smooth.
- Transfer to a saucepan and on a medium-high heat, whisk constantly until thickened.
- Allow to cool for a little while before blending again and pouring onto the top of the trifle. Place back in the fridge while you prepare the topping.
- Open the can of coconut cream and pour out the clear liquid sitting on top. Scoop out the cream and transfer to the bowl of your electric mixture.
- Add the vanilla extract and sift in the icing sugar before whipping until peaks are formed.
- Neatly dollop the cream onto the top of the custard before sprinkling with pomegranate arils and some fresh mint leaves to add an extra festive touch.
