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Nectarine, muscat and yoghurt trifle

This bright and summery trifle that's made for an Australian Christmas.

By Emma Knowles & Lisa Featherby
  • 35 mins preparation
  • 1 hr 45 mins cooking plus chilling, setting
  • Serves 8 - 10
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Nectarine, muscat and yoghurt trifle
This summery trifle is nice and light, with seasonal nectarines and a bavarois made with yoghurt. If you can't lay hands on Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, use a late-harvest riesling or another light dessert wine. Don't rush the layering here; if the layers are too runny, they'll blur. You want the jelly to be a little thick when spooning it over and the yoghurt to feel set.

Ingredients

  • 750 ml Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, plus 150ml extra for sponge
  • 600 gm caster sugar
  • 6-8 yellow nectarines, scored, plus extra cut into wedges, to serve
  • 4 titanium-strength gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
  • To serve: chopped pistachio nuts
Lemon butter cake
  • 250 gm butter, at room temperature
  • 250 gm caster sugar
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 60 ml (¼ cup) milk
  • Finely grated rind of 1 lemon, juice reserved
  • 250 gm (1 cups) self-raising flour
Yoghurt bavarois
  • 800 gm plain yoghurt
  • 150 gm caster sugar
  • 400 ml pouring cream
  • Scraped seeds of ½ vanilla bean
  • 3 titanium-strength gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes

Method

Main
  • 1
    Bring muscat, sugar and 800ml water to the boil in a large saucepan, add nectarines, weight with a plate to keep the fruit submerged, then reduce heat to low and simmer until nectarines are tender (12-15 minutes). Remove nectarines with a slotted spoon and allow both syrup and fruit to cool. Peel nectarines, cut into wedges and return to bowl. Strain syrup, then return 1 litre of it to pan and bring to a simmer. Squeeze excess water from gelatine, add to pan and stir to dissolve. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate (stir occasionally to prevent jelly from setting completely). Pour remaining syrup over poached nectarines and refrigerate until chilled (2 hours). Drain well before serving.
  • 2
    Meanwhile, for lemon butter cake, preheat oven to 175C, and butter and line a 21cm brownie tin. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions, then add milk and lemon rind, and beat to combine. Sift in flour and beat until combined, then pour into tin and bake until a skewer inserted withdraws clean (40-45 minutes). Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.
  • 3
    For yoghurt bavarois, place yoghurt in a bowl and bring to room temperature. Stir sugar, 150ml cream and vanilla seeds in a saucepan over medium heat to dissolve sugar (3-5 minutes), then squeeze excess water from gelatine, add to pan and whisk to dissolve. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until cooled (20 minutes), then whisk into yoghurt. Whisk remaining cream to soft peaks and fold through yoghurt mixture.
  • 4
    To assemble, trim brown edges off cake, break into bite-sized pieces, spread half in the base of a 2-litre glass trifle bowl, and drizzle with muscat. Spoon half the bavarois on top (refrigerate remaining bavarois) and freeze until just set (1 hour). Carefully pour half the muscat jelly on trifle, scatter with half the poached nectarines, and freeze until firm (1 hour). Repeat, layering remaining cake, bavarois, jelly and nectarines, then refrigerate overnight. To serve, top with fresh nectarine wedges tossed in reserved lemon juice and scatter with pistachios.