Key Lime Pie Trifle

Christmas seems like ages ago now! But the heartburn continues. I have gorged myself with festive food. Including the remains of this year’s delicious trifle.

Now, what with Trifle Layer Cake and Trifle Cupcakes, I was a tad tired of the traditional variety. I knew that I wasn't going to make trad trifle for this reason, but was unsure what to make. Then somebody at work mentioned an article they had seen in a magazine about a Key Lime Trifle. Disneyboi’s favourite dessert is Key Lime Pie, so I decided to concoct my own version, using an old recipe I had for the pie. 

Key Lime Pie is nothing without the delicious buttery crust, as well as the tangy sweet citrus filling, so I made sure my crust had a big part to play. I wanted this to feature throughout the dessert, so I had it in the jelly layer, above the custard layer and sprinkled on top of the cream, when ready to serve.

The ‘custard’ would actually be the pie filling, minus lime zest, which I decide to add through the cream, and sprinkled on top of it also.

I made the trifle in my old bowl, which I always use. It’s not classy or modern, but it wouldn’t be trifle to me without it!

Adapted from BBC Good Food

Yields: A big bowl of the stuff

Ingredients:

I pint of lime jelly prepared

375 grams digestive biscuits, crushed

150 grams unsalted butter, melted

Zest and juice of 4 limes

570 ml double cream

200 grams sweetened condensed milk

Method:

Line an 8” cake tin with Clingfilm. In a bowl, mix together the crushed digestives and butter and place this into the lined cake tin. Press down hard, into a smooth flat disk. Pop into the fridge to set, at least two hours, but preferably overnight.

When set, remove the film from the piecrust and chop this into bite size pieces. Sprinkle two thirds of the chopped crust into the base of your trifle bowl. Pour your prepared jelly over the top, until it just covers the crust. Place back into the fridge and allow to set.

When the jelly has set, prepare the pie filling. In a bowl, place 285 ml of the double cream, all of the condensed milk and limejuice. Whisk for two minutes, or until the mixture is whipped and stiff. Place this on top of the jelly and smooth with an off set spatula. 

Sprinkle on half of the remaining piecrust pieces. Then in another bowl whisk the remaining double cream until stiff, and fold through three quarters or so of the lime zest. 

Spread this on top of the pie filling and smooth over, with an off set spatula. Sprinkle the remaining lime zest on top. If you are not going to be eating this immediately, cover tightly with Clingfilm and place back in the fridge.

When ready to serve, scoop into bowls and on top of each serving, sprinkle over more of the remaining piecrust. This will ensure that it stays crunchy and not turn soft.

I made the mistake of cutting the piecrust into wedges and placing them in the bottom of the bowl (see below), but this made it near impossible to get a spoon through! So, chop the base into chunks.

My mum and Disneyboi loved it - although we had to wait a while after our main course to eat it! It tastes deceptively like Key Lime Pie, what with the buttery crunch of the base and sweet citrus flavours going on. The jelly adds another layer of freshness. Christmas may be over, but this would a lovely dessert anytime of the year. Enjoy!