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Layers of moist sponge cake, fruit, jelly, creamy custard, and whipped cream. The quintessential South African holiday and celebration dessert made simple.

This Old Fashioned Trifle is one of the classics in our household. It is fairly simple to prepare & it was how my late grandmother prepared it.
Firstly, prepare the jelly. I am using the cherry flavour but you may use your favourites.

Add the jelly granules to a casserole & follow the instructions on the packaging.

Pour in 225 ml boiling water & stir until the granules dissolve. Thereafter, pour in the 225 ml cold water & stir.

Cover the casserole & allow the jelly to set in the refrigerator for ±2 hours.

Once set, it should be jiggly without any runny liquid.

The jelly can be scooped into the trifle when layering but if you want the cubes then simply use a knife & gently slice vertically & horizontally to form the cubes.

When ready to use the jelly, drag a spoon under the cubes & they should easily come off.

Now it’s time to begin preparing the trifle so bring out a deep trifle bowl.

Bring out the Sparletta Raspberry cooldrink.

Remove the cap & poke a few holes into it – this will help distribute the cooldrink evenly over the cake when pouring, Secure the lid once done.

Bring out the can of peaches.

Drain off the syrup from the can as we won’t be using it & keep the peaches in a bowl. Some use the syrup to soak the cake but I will stick to the Sparletta.

I am using this store bought sponge cake, I found that this fits perfectly into the bowl but other sponges like swiss rolls or madeira can be sliced & placed inside – if you have the time, you can even make a sponge from scratch.

This cake is quite thick so I cut it into halves.

Start layering by adding the top half of the cake into the trifle bowl (inside of the cake facing up). You can flatten it a bit by pressing on it firmly.

Now for the fun part – drizzle over the Sparletta cooldrink making sure to get it all over the cake, do not over soak it as it will turn to mush. Just use a little of the cooldrink (keep in mind, I only used about ¼ of the bottle in total for both the cakes, I had a lot left over but I use the bottle as it is easier to pour over the cake).

Pour a layer of vanilla custard over the cake.

Add ½ the can of peaches over the custard.

Pour ½ the can of dessert cream over the peaches. Fresh or whipped cream may be used as an alternative – just be sure to whisk the dessert cream in the can before pouring as it can be clumpy.

Add a layer of the jelly.

Place the other half of the cake into the bowl (inside of the cake facing up).

Once again, drizzle over the Sparletta cooldrink.

Add another layer of vanilla custard. I was almost to the top of the bowl so I didn’t add a lot of custard, I used a spoon to spread it out evenly.

Due to space, I just added the peaches on the circumference.

I added some jelly to the center of the peaches.

Pour over the remaining ½ of the dessert cream.

Finally, bring out the flake & crumble it over the cream.

Pop it into the refrigerator for about an hour so that it can set & cool throughout.

Once cooled, this Old Fashioned Trifle can be served.

It is absolutely delicious & perfect for the festive season.

This dessert can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Follow along with Denisiya's step-by-step video guide for Old Fashioned Trifle.
Expert kitchen guidance and troubleshooting for making the best Old Fashioned Trifle
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 to 2 weeks. For milk-based sweetmeats like burfee or soji, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 7 to 10 days.
Pure butter or ghee provides the authentic rich aroma and texture characteristic of traditional Indian sweetmeats and bakes. Margarine can be used in a pinch, but butter delivers superior flavor.

Hi, I'm Denisiya! Food lover, recipe developer, and founder of EatMee Recipes. I specialize in authentic South African Durban Indian cuisine, comforting curries, and modern Instant Pot adaptations. Every recipe on this site is tested in my personal kitchen to ensure you get mouth-watering, foolproof results every time.
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