Recipe: Lemon trifle crowned official dessert for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Preparations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee are underway and citizens in the UK are gearing up for the celebrations set to take during the four-day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June.

Amid all the preparations, an announcement was recently made that the lemon and swiss amaretti trifle created by Jemma Melvin is the official dessert for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The competition for this prestigious title was run by Fortnum and Mason in partnership with the Big Jubilee Lunch Charity, and applicants were required to create a pudding that was delicious, had a memorable story, and would be loved by the monarch.

Melvin’s winner pudding was inspired by the lemon posset which was served at the Queen’s wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.

Here is a delicious and detailed lemon trifle recipe to recreate to celebrate the Queen’s 70th year of reign ahead of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Lemon trifle

Ingredients

For the custard

• 425ml double cream
• 3 large free-range egg yolks
• 25g golden caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn flour
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract

For the amaretti biscuits

• 2 free-range egg whites
• 170g caster sugar
• 170g ground almonds
• 1 tablespoon amaretto
• Butter or oil, for greasing

For the swiss rolls

• 4 large free-range eggs
• 100g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 100g self-raising flour, sieved
• Butter, for greasing

For the lemon curd

• 4 large free-range egg yolks
• 135g granulated sugar
• 85g salted butter, softened
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 80ml fresh lemon juice

For St Clement’s jelly

• 6 gelatine leaves
• 4 unwaxed lemons
• 3 oranges
• 150g golden caster sugar

For the chunky mandarin coulis

• 4 x 397g tinned mandarins
• 45g caster sugar

For the jewelled chocolate bark

• 50g mixed peel
• 1 tablespoons caster sugar (optional)
• 200g white chocolate, broken into pieces

To assemle

• 600ml double cream

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Instructions

1. To make the Swiss rolls, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line two Swiss roll tins with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric hand whisk for approximately five minutes.
3. Using a metal spoon, gently fold in the flour. Divide between the two tins and bake for 10–12 minutes.
4. Sprinkle some extra caster sugar on two sheets of baking paper then turn the sponges out onto the sugared paper.
5. Peel off the paper from the underside and, while still warm, roll them both up from the short end into a tight spiral using the paper to help. Leave to cool.
6. To make the lemon curd, place the egg yolks, granulated sugar, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
7. Whisk until combined and whisk continuously as the curd cooks until thickened. This should take about 15 minutes. Pour into a clean bowl and set aside to cool.
8. To make St Clement’s jelly, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes to soften.
9. Using a vegetable peeler, peel six strips from a lemon and six strips from an orange and put these into a saucepan with the sugar and 400ml water.
10. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and discard the peel.
11. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine and stir into the pan until dissolved then leave to cool. Squeeze the lemons and oranges, so you have 150ml of both lemon and orange juice.
12. Stir into the pan then strain the jelly through a fine sieve into a jug and chill until cool but not set.
13. To make the amaretti biscuits, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until firm.
14. Mix the sugar and almonds gently into it. Add the amaretto and fold in gently until you have a smooth paste.
15. Place some baking paper on a baking tray and lightly brush with butter or oil. Using a teaspoon, place small heaps of the mixture approximately two cm apart, as they will expand during cooking.
16. Bake for approximately 15–20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
17. To make the chunky mandarin coulis, strain two tins of mandarins. Discard the juice and put the fruit into a saucepan with the sugar and heat gently until broken down.
18. Remove from the heat. In a small bowl, stir the arrowroot with two tablespoons of cold water to make a paste, then add to the warm mandarins.
19. Add the lemon juice and mix well before pouring into a large bowl. Strain the remaining two tins of mandarins and add the fruit to the bowl then leave to cool completely.
20. To make the jewelled chocolate bark, if the peel feels wet or sticky, roll in the caster sugar to absorb any moisture. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Pour the melted chocolate onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and scatter over the mixed peel. Leave to set then break into shards.
21. To assemble, unroll the cooled Swiss rolls and spread with the lemon curd. Roll back up again and slice one into 2.5cm slices and place upright around the bottom edge of the trifle dish so the swirl is visible.
22. Slice the other Swiss roll into thicker pieces and use these to fill the bottom of the dish, ensuring the top is roughly the same level as the slices that line the edge. Use off-cuts of sponge to fill any gaps.
23. Pour St Clement’s jelly over the Swiss roll layer and set aside in the fridge to completely set. This will take approximately three hours
24. .Once set, pour over the custard, then arrange a single layer of amaretti biscuits, keeping a few back for the top. Pour over the mandarin coulis. In a large bowl, whip the double cream until soft peaks form then spoon this over the coulis. Crumble over the reserved amaretti biscuits and decorate with the chocolate bark shards.

This recipe was found on independent.co.uk