This luxurious Christmas trifle was born from my love of Jefferson’s chocolate rum—a spirit with a deep, velvety aroma that blends chocolate, warmth and just a hint of mystery. Its richness infuses both the custard and the syrup, turning a classic dessert into something far more decadent and grown-up. Every layer offers contrast: soft sponge soaked in coffee and rum, silky custard enriched with espresso, and clouds of gently whipped cream to lighten each spoonful. It’s indulgent, joyful and wonderfully theatrical on the table.
You can simplify things with a shop-bought sponge or ready-made custard, but making it from scratch fills the kitchen with the most irresistible holiday scent—and the end result feels truly special. You may need to trim the cake to fit your dish, but those offcuts never go to waste (they make excellent truffles). I also like to slip a few Savoiardi into the layers for a pretty look and a little textural play, though they’re entirely optional.
This is the kind of dessert that makes people quietly delighted before they’ve even tasted it, and blissfully happy once they have.
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 150g caster sugar
- 150g unsalted butter and extra for greasing
- 150g self-raising flour and extra for dusting
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp milk
For the coffee custard
- 8 egg yolks
- 250g caster sugar
- 150g corn four
- 1 ltr full cream milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 3 shots espresso coffee
- 1 shot chocolate rum
- 600ml double cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the coffee syrup
- 100ml water
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 shot espresso
- 1 shot chocolate rum
For the topping
Chocolate coffee beans, Biscoff creams or coffee flavoured biscuits (optional)
Method
Start with the sponge cake, if you are making your own. Preheat oven to 160°C.
Grease two 20cm round cake pans and dust with flour. In a bowl, whisk the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at a time whisking in between and last the milk and the vanilla. Add the flour and baking powder and use a spatula to fold in until fully incorporated. Divide the cake mix between the prepared tins and smooth the surface. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool.
For the custard, in a bowl combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk until well combined. Add the corn flour and whisk again until all the ingredients are incorporated. Set aside. In a saucepan, warm the milk but do not let it boil. Stir in the vanilla bean paste, espresso and rum. Pour half of the milk mixture carefully into the bowl and whisk quickly to avoid scrambling. Pour the custard liquid in the bowl back into the saucepan with the remaining milk over medium heat. Continuously whisk until the custard forms and thickens. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the custard to avoid a skin forming and cool.
While the custard is cooling, make the coffee syrup. Combine the caster sugar, vanilla and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high. Bring to the boil. Boil for 3 minutes or until thickened slightly. Add the espresso, stir and set aside to cool completely.
To make the rum sauce, in a pan add the butter and bring to a low to medium heat. Stir in the caster and brown sugar whisking all the time while the sugar melts. Add the water slowly while stirring all the time and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and stir to dissolve and last add the chocolate rum in stages while whisking.
When ready to assemble the trifle, whisk the double cream in a bowl with the icing sugar and the vanilla extract to soft peaks. Transfer some of the whipped cream to a piping bag or a clean bowl to use as the top layer.
Use an electric mixer to loosen up the coffee custard.
To assemble, place one of the cake rounds in the bottom of a trifle dish. Drizzle the cake with half the coffee syrup and spoon two thirds of the coffee custard on top. Top with the second cake round and drizzle with the remaining coffee syrup. Use a spatula to fold the double cream into the remaining coffee custard and spoon that over the cake. Finish with the whipped cream and sprinkle with the chocolate coffee beans if using.