Enjoy this recipe for Hungry Monkey’s Apple Streusel Trifle with Monsalvat Farm Sea Salt Maple Caramel and a Crème Fraîche Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream! We'll be premiering this delicious recipe on our #foodweekfinale collaboration show with Mark Addison on Sunday (January 31st)
What You Will need:
Apple Cake
- 3 Hungry Monkey Cinnamon Apple Streusel Cakes/loaves (14 oz each). You can substitute with your own cakes.
Crème Fraîche Whipped Cream
- 3 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream, chilled
- 1/3 Cup Crème fraîche, room temperature
- 1/4 - 1/3 Cup Confectioners’ Sugar
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla Bean Paste (you can find this at Trader Joe’s in a bottle and most grocery stores in a box near the extracts)
Caramelized Pecan Decoration
- 1/2 Cup Whole Pecan Halves
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 2 Dashes Sea Salt, coarse
- Pam
Caramel Sauce
- 1 Jar Monsalvat Farm Salted Maple Caramel (you can substitute for homemade salted caramel or store-bought but you have to try this divine caramel from Mark Addison!)
Equipment
- Trifle bowl (you can use a large clear glass bowl, but nothing replaces the wow factor of a traditional, footed, trifle bowl).
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment (you can use a hand mixer)
- Inverted knife
- Large spoon
- Small spoon
- Very sharp, large, chef’s knife
Caramelized Pecans
Heat the sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Toss whole pecan halves and sprinkle with sea salt. Stir CONSTANTLY as the sugar will burn easily. As soon as you see the sugar turn a caramel brown, toss well and turn them out onto non-stick tinfoil or tinfoil lightly sprayed with Pam. Spread them out as they will harden very quickly and be difficult to tear apart. Set aside.
Prepare whipped cream by placing the whisk attachment and bowl in freezer until you are ready to begin. Place the heavy whipping cream and vanilla bean paste in the bowl, and on stir setting, begin mixing the cream. Once it sets a bit and won’t spill out of the bowl, increase speed to high and whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and continue to whip until incorporated. Taste. You may add more confectioners’ sugar to taste, but the caramel and cake are very sweet, so keep that in mind when adding more. Whip until the peaks are firmer, but do not over whip.
Construction
Remove cakes from the parchment “pan” and slice into eight even slices, putting aside the ends for filling holes in the trifle.
Begin by layering the slices along the outside rim, STREUSEL side out so you can see it from the glass. Fill in any holes with cake. You may have to cut some slices in pieces to achieve this.
Drizzle Monsalvat Farm Sea Salted Maple Caramel carefully along the outer rim, trying to get it at the very edge, but not on the sides of the bowl. You will have to warm the caramel in the microwave so it is thinner consistency for drizzling.
Place ¼ of the whipped cream on top, and using the inverted knife, carefully spread it across the top, gently touching the sides, as even as you can.
Place another layer of the cake, then the caramel, whipped cream, repeat so you end up with four layers of cake and four layers of whipped cream, ending with whipped cream of top.
Using a small spoon, drizzle the caramel across the top along one side, then the reverse side so it’s a checkerboard pattern.
Top with caramelized pecans. We prefer to put a few, whole, pecans in the center, but you could also lightly crush them and sprinkle on top!
Chill two or more hours before serving.
Enjoy!
