How to Make Apple and Cinnamon Trifle - Recipe

These quick and easy mini trifles are a great way to round off Sunday lunch on a cold winter's dayThis weekend, faced with making a great big sponge cake for my daughter's fifth birthday party, I kept all the trim from the sponge, wrapped it and stashed it in the fridge, not entirely sure what I had planned for it. Serendipitous then, as the weekend thundered to a close, that I also made some apple sauce for a Sunday roast pork lunch. Pudding was a cinch: soaking the sponge in a little apple juice, and topping this with the surplus apple sauce, some shop-bought custard (absolutely!) and whipped cream. I made individual apple trifles - by all means make a bigger version if you prefer. (Serves 6)For the sponge:4 large eggs100g caster sugar125g plain flour, sifted30g butter, melted and cooledFor the apple sauce:40ml water50g caster sugar4 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced into 1.5cm chunks¼ tsp ground cinnamon300ml double cream100ml apple juice 500g fresh custard, bought or homemade Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark three. In an electric mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar on high speed for a few minutes, or until it has tripled in volume and is pale and thick. Gently fold in the sifted flour, then the melted butter until just combined. Pour into a 25cm cake tin lined with greaseproof paper. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool. (The cake can be prepared beforehand and stored until necessary.) Place the water and sugar in a heavy-based pan over low heat and stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Once dissolved, bring to a boil and add the apples and cinnamon. Stir, cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the apples have softened. Remove from the heat to cool to room temperature. Whip the cream into soft peaks and chill until required. Slice the sponge cake into 2cm cubes, then place into the bottom of a large trifle bowl or six individual glasses. Pour the apple juice over the broken-up sponge and soak for five minutes. Top the sponge with the apple sauce, the custard and finally the cream. • Follow Claire Thomson on Twitter or get more recipes at 5o'clockapron.com.
Apple and cinnamon trifle. Photograph: Claire Thomson/Guardian