Low Gluten 
Fruit
Apples (Pommes)
Recipe for Gingerbread Trifle with apple and caramel – a perfect Autumnal or winter dessert. Serve with salted caramel macarons for a special occasion. Layers of gingerbread cake and apple jelly trifle, spiced buttery apples, salted caramel sauce then topped with a cloud of lightly whipped Baileys cream.
Apple Layered Dessert with Caramel
As I adore the combination of warming spices with acidic apples, I couldn’t resist creating these Gingerbread trifles. They’re great for the holiday season – and for something a bit different for a festive dessert.
Each trifle layer is divine. As trifles normally have jelly, I made my own homemade version with apple juice.
So, imagine a trifle base of gingerbread cake in apple jelly topped with buttery, spiced apples dribbled over with a generous amount of salted caramel?
What Alcohol is Good in Trifle?
Normally, the tradition is to add Sherry to a classic trifle – and I adore sherry in this Berry Trifle with macarons to make it gluten free.
For this gingerbread trifle, the final flourish is a cloud of lightly whipped Chantilly cream with an optional hint of Baileys. Somehow with the spiced apples, this is such a good pairing with the Baileys.
For special occasions, serve with salted caramel macarons. The recipe is an extract from my 2nd book, Teatime in Paris.
How to Make Gingerbread Trifle
- First follow my recipe to make Pain d’épices or French gingerbread;
- Then make a batch of salted caramel sauce. From there, it’s so easy following the instructions below in the recipe card.
It’s all in the layers …
Should Trifle be made the Night Before?
It’s not necessary but the flavours will mature overnight with the gingerbread and the resulting taste will be fabulous.
More Festive Trifles
- Replace the apples with clementine or mandarine oranges and use the juice for the jelly to make clementine, gingerbread and caramel trifles;
- Gluten Free Strawberry Sherry Trifle with Macarons;
- Parisian Ispahan inspired gluten free: Raspberry, Rose & Lychee Mini Macaron Jelly Trifles;
- Like a trifle with layers, another gluten free dessert using macarons: Macaron Black Forest Creams.
What’s more, make these trifles extra fun by decorating with gingerbread men.
Gingerbread Trifle with Apple and Salted Caramel
Servings : 4 people
Description
Layers of gingerbread and apple trifle, spiced buttery tart apples and salted caramel sauce then topped with a cloud of lightly whipped Baileys cream
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.5oz) gingerbread (see recipe link below)
- 200 ml (7fl oz) apple juice
- 2 @2g gelatine leaves
- 3 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, cut into rough cubes
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp gingerbread spice (pain d'épices)
- 1/2 portion salted caramel sauce see recipe link in NOTES*
- 250 ml (9fl oz) Whipping / heavy cream (30% fat) chilled
- 1 tbsp Baileys liqueur (optional)
Instructions
- Make the Apple Jelly: Soak the gelatine in cold water for 15 minutes. Heat the apple juice in a pan and add the gelatine (squeezed of any excess water) and stir to blend.
- Break the gingerbread up into small pieces and place at the bottom of each glass. Pour over the warm apple jelly with just enough to cover and set aside to cool in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Prepare the apples: sauté them with the butter, spices and sugar gently over a medium heat in a frying pan for about 10 minutes or until they're cooked through but not mushy. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Spoon the spiced apples on top of the sponge in each glass. Gently heat the caramel sauce* and dribble on top of the apples.
- When ready to serve, whip the cream with the icing sugar until quite firm but still soft, adding the Baileys if using, and top each glass.
Notes
See both separate recipes for French gingerbread (pain d'épices) and salted caramel sauce. Only a half quantity of salted caramel sauce is needed for the trifles but the rest can keep in the fridge for a month!
Gingerbread is great! My favorite when I was a child, and still really like it. These look wonderful. Thanks. And Happy New Year!
And thank you to many of you who commented on this on Facebook – I’m so happy you’ll try this, either over the festive season or later. Really appreciate all of your comments and likes. Off to Scotland now where I won’t be on internet again so will catch up with you all in the New Year! Have a happy and deliciously healthy 2017, my friends xx
This sounds (and looks) wonderful, Jill! You are such a whiz with desserts! That cream is making me drool! Our cream is like milk here in the US 🙁
Have a fabulous Christmas with your family, Jill! Looking forward to following along on IG! 🙂
Thanks so much for your sweet words, as always, Christina. You of all people will understand just how much it’s motivating! Cheers to lots of whipped cream and will raise a glass to your good health and for all the family in 2017!