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I know there’s been a lot of talk about the Platinum Jubilee pudding – and I wanted to have a go at making my own LAZY gluten free lemon and amaretti trifle.
Why is it lazy, you ask? Well, quite simply… because I am.
Don’t get me wrong, the Platinum pud’ looks and sounds delicious – but I just want it to be not only gluten free, but easy too.
Because quite frankly, while I’d love to spend all day making custard and coulis, I just do not have time time or the energy.
That being said, I’m also not averse to the fact that to make this gluten free I’ll have to make my own gluten free lemon Swiss roll and gluten free amaretti biscuits.
But do not fear – both of these bakes can be done and dusted in an hour and then it’s simple a case of assembling your trifle.
So while I absolutely applaud Jemma Melvin’s glorious dessert, here is my lazy and 100% gluten free version for those who, like me, just want an easy life!
Making a gluten free lemon Swiss roll
The lemon Swiss roll part of the recipe is probably the most laborious part of this whole lazy lemon and amaretti trifle.
And even that is super simple and easy to do!
I’ve made a classic Swiss roll many times before but this time I wanted to adapt it to be a little bit more… lemony.
Instead my Gluten Free Lemon Swiss Roll has a subtle hint of lemon in the sponge, lashings of lemon curd and a lovely lemon whipped cream.
That’s right, I’ve gone rogue and added cream to the middle of my Swiss roll, but if you want to stick to the OG, you can leave this out.
It works as well with just lemon curd but I wanted to also have this as a standalone recipe and for me, that meant the addition of the lemon cream.
Making gluten free amaretti biscuits
Amaretti biscuits are a naturally gluten free Italian cookie which are really simple and quick to make.
In fact, the start of the recipe is very similar to the Swiss roll, in that you need to whip up some egg whites.
If you want to be *extra* efficient you can even throw together the cookie dough and have them waiting on a baking tray when the Swiss roll sponge comes out of the oven.
My gluten free amaretti biscuits are gorgeously crisp on the outside with a delicious chewy centre.
In fact, they’re so good I also published them as their own recipe because I know when it comes to Christmas-time I’ll be making these almost weekly.
I used almond extract in mine (simply because I didn’t have amaretto – remember, this is the lazy trifle after all!) but you can use amaretto instead.
To be honest, a trifle isn’t a trifle to me if there isn’t at least a little booze in it!
My ‘lazy’ jelly and coulis layer
Yes, the original Platinum pud has both a St Clement’s Jelly layer and a Mandarin Coulis layer.
But I’m afraid in my lazy version I have morphed this into one because, let’s face it, it is a trifle after all so in my head, that means three main layers.
Instead of making it all from scratch, I’ve used good ol’ Hartley’s lemon jelly with some clementine juice to make my orangey-lemon layer.
I also threw in some tinned mandarins for extra ‘pizazz’ and I have to say, I’m pretty chuffed with how it worked out.
And the custard? Let’s be frank, I’m a Devon girl – so it’s good ol’ Ambrosia for me.
I told you I was lazy.
The white chocolate ‘jewelled’ bark
Ok, so I thought the white chocolate bark studded with mixed peel was a pretty cool addition and easy enough to make.
In fact this is the only part of the recipe where I have actually stuck to the original.
I made the bark the night before and left it in the fridge ready for what shall hereby be known as Trifle Assembly Day.
I didn’t add the extra caster sugar in Jemma’s recipe – I simply used melted white chocolate (the Dr Oetker one is gluten free) and mixed peel.
And if you want to see how I got on making the whole thing, you can check out the vlog I made while I whipped this up here:
Making my Lazy Lemon and Amaretti Trifle
Although I have linked to the individual recipe pages, I know it’s nice to have everything in one place.
So in the printable recipe card I’ll go through each part of the trifle in stages.
It may look like a lot but honestly this will save you HOURS compared with making everything from scratch.
That way in this lazy recipe you only need to make a gluten free Swiss roll and amaretti biscuits and the rest is easy.
You can basically make this up in a day or construct it up to the jelly-setting stages the day before, then finish it off before serving.
My Lazy Gluten Free Lemon and Amaretti Trifle Recipe
Here it is, the lazy version of the Platinum Jubilee trifle recipe, completely gluten free.
This recipe would serve around 10 people but you could easily scoff half the Swiss roll and amaretti biscuits and then make a smaller trifle.
In fact, that might be a really fun way to do it!
Either way, I hope you really enjoy making and eating this version of the recipe!
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do also leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me to get those 5 stars.
LAZY Gluten Free Lemon and Amaretti Trifle
My 'lazy' and gluten free version of Jemma Melvin's gorgeous lemon and amaretti trifle to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. I recommend doing everything up-to-and-including the jelly the night before serving, and then finishing the trifle the day after. The jelly will need at least 4 hours to set so bear this in mind when planning this out! This trifle serves around 10-12 people and you’ll need a 2.5-litre trifle dish.
Ingredients
For the lemon Swiss roll
- 4 large eggs (separated)
- 110g caster sugar (plus extra for rolling)
- 90g gluten free plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 150ml whipping or double cream
- 200g lemon curd
- Icing sugar (to decorate)
For the amaretti biscuits
- 2 egg whites
- 160g caster sugar
- 185g ground almonds
- 1.5 tsp almond extract
- 2-3 tbsp Icing sugar (enough to cover the bottom a small plate)
For the jelly
- Half a 135g pack of Lemon Jelly
- Half a 135g pack of Orange Jelly
- 285ml boiling water
- 235ml cold water
- 1 x 300g tin of mandarin slices
- 50ml juice from the mandarin tin
For the chocolate bark
- 200g white chocolate
- 50g mixed peel
For the rest of the trifle
- 500g ready made custard
- 300ml double cream
Instructions
First make the lemon Swiss roll
- You’ll need to follow this recipe to make the gluten free lemon Swiss roll (click here for a more detailed method). In short, preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas Mark 4. Separate the eggs and whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the caster sugar until the mix become glossy, then fold in the (gently beaten) egg yolks.
- Mix the flour, baking powder and xantham gum together then sieve into the mixture. Add the lemon zest and fold in. Gently pour the mix into a 39 x 24cm Swiss roll tin lined with baking paper. Smooth out and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Once the Swiss roll sponge is cooked, remove from the oven and turn this down to 170C ready for your biscuits. Turn the sponge out onto a tea towel sprinkled with caster sugar, while it’s still warm. Roll up from the short end and leave to one side until completely cool. (While this is cooling you can make the amaretti biscuits - see below).
- Once cool, *very* gently unwrap the sponge. Whip up the cream to soft peaks then add 50g of the lemon curd. Spread the sponge with the remaining lemon curd, then the lemon whipped cream, then roll up again and dust with icing sugar. I recommend chilling this in the fridge for at least half an hour before cutting up to construct the trifle.
Next make the amaretti biscuits
- You’ll need to follow this recipe to make the gluten free amaretti biscuits (click here for a more detailed method). In short, preheat the oven to 170C / Fan 150C / Gas Mark 3. Whip the egg whites up to stiff peaks then fold in the ground almonds, caster sugar and almond extract.
- Once you have a dough, roll this into 16 golf-ball-sized balls and roll them in icing sugar. Place on a lined baking sheet, spaced apart, and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and crackled on top. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Then make the chocolate bark
- Melt the white chocolate over a bowl of hot water, then pour it onto a lined baking sheet, smoothing it out into a thin layer. Sprinkle over the mixed peel and leave to set in the fridge. If you’re pressed for time, you can put it in the freezer and it’ll set much quicker!
Adding the Jelly
- Once the Swiss roll is cool, cut it into approx 2cm slices. Line these around the edge of a 2.5-litre trifle dish and then place the remaining slices in the centre and fill any gaps.
- Make the jelly by adding the jelly cubes to a jug, then adding the boiling water. Stir until dissolved, then add the cold water and 50ml juice from the mandarin tin. Strain any extra juice out of the tin then add the mandarin slices to the jelly.
- Carefully pour the jelly mixture over the Swiss roll slices then place in the fridge to set - it will need at least 3-4 hours so I find it best to do everything up until this stage the night before serving.
Constructing the trifle
- Once the jelly has set, pour over the custard and smooth out. Then cover with a layer of the amaretti biscuits.
- Pour the cream into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until it forms soft peaks - don’t over whip it! Spoon this onto the trifle and spread it out.
- Decorate with shards of the chocolate bark and crumbled leftover amaretti biscuits and tuck in!
Notes
- This recipe has been adapted from Jemma Melvin's Lemon and Amaretti Trifle recipe in honour of Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee, which can be found here.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 643Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 247mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 3gSugar: 63gProtein: 11g
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Thank you so much for g/f platinum jubilee trifle recipe. Fantastic, simple but beautiful. Many thanks. xx