Nothing says, It’s summertime in South Africa quite like a bright and cheerful trifle. Using the finest Rhodes Quality ingredients, from Rhodes Quality Peach Slices and Hinds Custard to Trotters Jelly, Zola Nene shows us how it’s done with her take on this festive holiday essential.

Ingredients

 For the chocolate Malva:

• 250 ml (1 cup) caramel sugar
• 2 eggs
• 30 ml (2 Tbsp.) Rhodes Quality Apricot Jam
• 190 ml (3-4 cup) cake flour
• 65 ml (1Ú4 cup) cocoa powder
• 5 ml (1 tsp.) baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 250 ml (1 cup) milk
• 5 ml (1 tsp.) bicarbonate of soda
• 5 ml (1 tsp.) white vinegar

For the butterscotch sauce:

• 50 ml (4 Tbsp.) unsalted butter
• 250 ml (1 cup) treacle sugar
• 250 ml (1 cup) cream
• 5 ml (1 tsp.) vanilla extract

For the pear & jelly layer:

• 2 x 410 g cans Rhodes Quality Pear Halves in Syrup
• 225ml Rhodes Quality 100% Apple Juice
• 1 x 40 g Trotters Greengage Jelly

Custard layer:

• 1 x 125 g Hinds Custard

Whipped chocolate cream layer:

• 250 ml (1 cup) cream
• 50 ml (4 Tbsp.) icing sugar
• 5 ml (1 tsp.) vanilla extract
• 100 g dark chocolate (50 g melted, 50 g chopped)

Method

1. Beat together caramel sugar, eggs and Rhodes Quality Apricot Jam.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
3. Fold dry ingredients into egg mixture, alternating with milk.
4. Mix together bicarb and vinegar, mix into batter and pour into baking dish.
5. Bake 20 – 30 mins at 180°C or until golden brown.
6. While pudding bakes, make butterscotch sauce by combining butter, treacle sugar and cream in saucepan. Heat mixture gently, stirring until sugar dissolves.
7. Bring to boil, and simmer for 3 minutes then add vanilla.
8. Make the custard by following instructions on packet and leave to cool.
9. Pour butterscotch sauce over malva and leave to cool, then scoop into trifle dish to form first layer.
10. Drain Rhodes Quality Pear Halves, keeping syrup, and arrange pear halves on top of the malva.
11. Heat 225ml pear syrup, until just before boiling, remove from heat and add jelly and apple juice.
12. Refrigerate for 10 minutes until jelly starts to set, but is still pourable. Pour onto pear layer and place in fridge to set.
13. Spoon cooled custard over pears and jelly layer.
14. Whip together cream, icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks, then drizzle over melted chocolate, stirring to ripple chocolate through the cream.
15. Spoon over custard layer, sprinkle with chopped chocolate and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.