Raspberry Lemon Trifle (with Tangy Gluten Free Drizzle Cake)
Tangy gluten free Raspberry Lemon Trifle made with leftover drizzle cake. Fresh, vibrant and delicious, it will turn heads and win hearts. Optional dairy free.
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Making Raspberry Lemon Trifle with leftover drizzle cake
This tangy Raspberry Lemon Trifle is fresh, vibrant and beautifully tantalising. Although it’s made with leftover gluten free Lemon Raspberry Sheet Cake (or Drizzle Loaf Cake), it’s that good, I’ll sometimes make the cake especially for the trifle. The lemon and raspberry in the sponge and drizzle give it a divinely zingy base… Add fresh raspberries and it’s berry heaven… All perfectly matched against the sweet softness of the custard and pillowy lightness of whipped cream…
It can be made as one larger trifle, but I just love how pretty it looks in individual glass serving dishes… Romantic too for a cosy meal or Valentine’s treat.
What do I need to make Raspberry Lemon Trifle?
The recipe for Raspberry Lemon Trifle shared at the bottom of this post details the specific ingredients I used to make my version. However, as with all trifles, there’s plenty of scope for variation. So, if you don’t have the exact ingredients, don’t worry. Read on and I’ll take you through both the ingredients and a few alternative options to make a perfect Raspberry Lemon Trifle your way…
The Trifle Sponge…
If you have the time and energy to make my gluten free Lemon Raspberry Sheet Cake (with the Raspberry Lemon Drizzle) then it’s definitely worth it. It has the ideal density and absorbency to soak up the drizzles and toppings that make any trifle perfect. However… These are some alternative suggestions to achieve the tanginess required.
- Use a basic Lemon Cake or Lemon Drizzle Cake. Then add plenty of raspberries and even a little raspberry puree for comparable flavours.
- Make some Gluten Free Trifle Sponges or use a plain Vanilla Cake (bought or homemade) and be sure to soak in plenty of lemon drizzle (made with lemon juice, a drop of water and a little icing sugar). Then add the raspberries and other toppings to the bowl.
- Try my Gluten Free, Dairy Free Swiss Roll base and fill it with a little lemon curd to get the tartness right in there.
- Use leftover Gluten Free Victoria Sponge Cake and soak with lemon drizzle syrup.
Raspberries
It is best to use fresh raspberries when making Raspberry Lemon Trifle, both for texture and appearance.
Booze (and alternatives) to soak into the sponge
Trifles are, by tradition, moistened with a dousing of booze. However, they are equally delicious soaked with a carefully chosen fruit juice or sauce. Indeed, the question of alcohol or not, is an important consideration, especially if children are eating it.
My original Raspberry Lemon Trifle used Blackberry and Elderflower Pimms as a drizzle. But I think this was a special edition and is probably quite hard to find now. So… Here are a few alternative suggestions…
- Alcohol suggestions : Limoncello; Amaretto; fruity gins; Cassis; Chambord.
- Non-alcohol suggestions : Watered-down berry coulis or berry sauce; fruit juice; a mixture of commercial drink syrup and juice.
Custard and Cream
When making a Raspberry Lemon trifle, it’s fine to use a ready-made custard from the supermarket. I usually use a bought fresh custard from the chiller cabinet. But if you prefer to use homemade custard, then go ahead.
It’s equally okay to use dairy-free custard if that’s needed.
The cream can be dairy or non-dairy as long as it can be whipped into soft peaks. Coconut Whipped Cream is great for a dairy-free trifle. Although the Coconut Collaborative also now offer a lovely plant-based whipping cream as well.
Icing sugar, vanilla, chopped hazelnuts…
All optional, but added for extra flavour and decoration alongside more fresh raspberries and a sprinkling of freeze-dried raspberry powder for extra zing.
Is this Raspberry Lemon Trifle safe for Coeliacs?
Providing that my Raspberry Lemon Trifle is made with gluten free cake and that other ingredients have been checked for any ‘hidden gluten’ or ‘may contain’ warnings, then yes… It’s safe for people with Coeliac Disease (Celiac). To find out more about cross contamination and label-checking, take a look at my page Coeliac Disease + Food.
Can this recipe be made dairy free as well as gluten free?
If the cake is dairy free as well as gluten free, then it is also possible to make the trifle dairy free. As mentioned above, this can be done by using dairy free custard and a plant-based whipping cream (or whipped coconut cream).
As with gluten ingredients, check all labels to make sure there is no hidden dairy or cross-contamination risk.
Ready to make Raspberry Lemon Trifle?
The recipe for my Raspberry Lemon Trifle is below (just scroll a little further). The recipe for the Lemon Raspberry Drizzle Cake that I used to make the trifle can be found in this linked post. If you make either recipe, I’d love to hear from you. Let me know how you got on with a comment, or by tagging me on social media. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
For all our other recipes, both sweet and savoury, you can use our Gluten Free Recipe Index (which is categorised in dedicated sections for the type of recipe you might be searching for). It’s HUGE and all free! No need to purchase any books or pay for any subscriptions. Everything is shared with my love… Because I want the gluten free community to enjoy food as much as we do.
Raspberry Lemon Trifle (made with leftover drizzle cake)
Key equipment
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- serving dishes/bowl (dependent on choice and whether making individual servings or one large trifle).
Ingredients
- 1 small Lemon Drizzle Cake I used about half quantity of this cake recipe
- 180 g fresh raspberries (reserve a few for decoration)
- 200 ml/g alcohol of choice (approx amount) eg: Limoncello; Amaretto; fruity gins; Cassis; Chambord. OR fruit juice/sauce of choice.
- 500 g fresh vanilla custard (good quality) (approx) – shop bought is fine
- 450 ml/g double cream (heavy cream)
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (confectioners/powdered sugar)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
To decorate (optional)
- freeze-dried raspberry powder
- chopped hazelnuts (roasted)
- fresh raspberries (taken from the above)
Instructions
- Cut the cake into small pieces and arrange in the serving bowl(s) with a scattering of raspberries.
- Drizzle alcohol/coulis/syrup over the sponge so that it is able to soak in.
- Spoon a layer of fresh custard over the top.
- Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks and spoon on top of the custard.
- Add a sprinkle of raspberry powder and walnuts (optional) and top with fresh raspberries to decorate.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
This sounds absolutely heavenly! A great way to use up leftovers! Thank you for sharing with the #nowastefoodchallenge and I'm so sorry it's taken so long to visit!
Heavenly indeed Elizabeth…… I think Trifle is my favourite way to use up leftovers!
No need to apologise…. we are all busy!
Turning leftovers from more than one cake into a dessert is a great idea! Thanks for sharing with Alphabakes.
Trifle is definitely my favourite for left-over cake!
Mmm individual trifles are wonderful! I would try this without the custard – I presume it is super flavoursome! Thanks so much for joining in with #FoodieFriday New linky open tomorrow x
Thanks Helen. They would still be lovely without the custard and would be lush with whipped coconut cream too!
What a fresh and moreish looking dessert Kate, I'd love to sink my spoon in it. Looks great too!
Thank you Alida!
I adore trifle but its often tricky to serve prettily, so serving individual portions is a fab idea! They look delicious and so fresh.
Thanks Katie. Individual portions definitely make it look that little bit extra special.
This is such a great idea for leftover cake! Beautifully presented as always Kate, they look stunning. Thank you for entering into Treat Petite!
Thanks Kat. You're welcome! Always good to share x
This sound (and look) gorgeous. I love lemon drizzle but I've never had it in a trifle – I bet it tastes amazing.
Thanks for joining in with #FoodYearLinkup
Thanks Charlotte. You're welcome….. The tangy drizzle is a great twist on the old favourites and is a great contrast to the sweetness of the custard!
oooh, Individual trifles… such a lovely idea and they look so pretty. I do love a good trifle!. Also such a lovely zingy combination of lemon and raspberry!
Thanks Dom. Me too!!
Such a clever and delicious way to use up your leftovers. I love raspberry and lemon and would happily eat one of two of these! Your serving glasses are really beautiful – where did you get them from? Thanks for entering AlphaBakes.
Thank you Ros. The serving glasses came from Ikea. It's amazing what I pick up from there…… always end up spending loads despite it being such good value!