Apple Cornflake Crunch Trifle
A trifle version of a classic apple cornflake crunch! This twist on a retro school dinner dessert has layers of vanilla custard, stewed apples, golden syrup cake, whipped cream and a towering pile of syrupy cornflakes.
I’ve been wanting to make a trifle version of a classic apple cornflake crunch for a while now and I’ve finally got round to making it. And let me tell you, it’s really rather good! If you’ve not had apple cornflake crunch before, head over to my retro style recipe to see what it’s all about. This trifle is essentially a large, sharing style version of the classic British dessert.
Anyway, back to the trifle. There’s layers of rum soaked golden syrup cake, the creamiest vanilla custard, tender stewed apples, fluffy vanilla whipped cream and a generous amount of crunchy syrupy cornflakes. The topping is pretty much the same thing as a golden syrup cornflake cake but piled high on top and finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Like with most trifles, you can swap the cake out for something else, if you don’t feel like making your own. And don’t worry if you’re not a fan of rum, you can leave the alcohol out completely or swap it for a simple sugar syrup or another liqueur like brandy or Calvados.
For more homemade puddings, take a look at our ever growing collection of dessert recipes! There’s lots to choose from here, including sticky toffee pudding, panna cottas, tiramisu, homemade ice creams & loads more…
What Is Apple Cornflake Crunch?
If you’re not in the UK, chances are you’ve never had apple cornflake crunch! This is a classic school dinner dessert that features layers of vanilla custard, stewed apples (or apple sauce) and a crunchy mix of cornflakes and golden syrup that is similar to a cornflake cake. Sometimes there’s whipped cream in there too.
If you’d like to make the classic version, I’ve got a recipe for it on my blog and it’s a great way to use up leftover apple sauce from a roast dinner!
Components Of This Trifle
Here’s what it’s in this apple cornflake crunch trifle, starting from the top, working our way down through the layers.
Syrupy Cornflakes
The towering pile of cornflakes on top is a mix of cornflakes, golden syrup, butter and a pinch of sea salt. It’s essentially the same mix as a golden syrup cornflake cake! Once set, it’s crisp, sticky and crunchy. The perfect contrast to the creamy custard, fluffy whipped cream, tender apples and soft sponge.
Vanilla Whipped Cream
Whipped cream is a classic trifle component, so I’ve added a layer between the cornflake topping and the apples & custard. As the rest of the trifle layers are sweet already, I’ve left the whipped cream unsweetened and just flavoured it with some vanilla. The key when making whipped cream for trifle is to whip it just to soft peaks, I like to do this by hand.
Stewed Apples
I wanted my apples to have some texture, to contrast the custard so I chose to stew chunks of apple with sugar and a splash of lemon juice, until tender but most of the pieces are still holding their shape. These are very similar to an apple crumble or pie filling.
Vanilla Custard
I went with classic vanilla trifle custard, as it has that perfectly smooth, creamy texture and is flavoured with some really good vanilla. This is an egg custard that’s thickened with cornflour (cornstarch) and enriched with butter, to give it a richer, creamier flavour, a smooth texture and glossy finish. You’ll need to make the custard (and apples) ahead of time, so that they’re both completely cold before you use them.
Golden Syrup Cake
There’s golden syrup in the topping, so it seemed like the right move to use golden syrup cake in the trifle as well. I’ve recently published a brown butter golden syrup cake recipe, so it’s what I used for my trifle but a shop bought cake will work too. You can swap the golden syrup cake out for Madeira cake, pound cake or sponge fingers if you’d prefer.
I soaked my cake layers with a splash of rum but feel free to leave this out if you want your trifle to be alcohol free. You could also use brandy, Calvados, whiskey or a simple sugar syrup instead.
How To Assemble Apple Cornflake Trifle
This trifle is assembled like a regular trifle. There’s chunks of rum soaked sponge on the bottom, vanilla custard on top then the apples. I did 2 layers of each, to fill the trifle bowl then piped a thin layer of whipped cream on top. To finish, the sticky golden syrup cornflakes are piled high on top of the trifle then finished with a pinch of sea salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cornflake topping on this trifle will start to soften over time, so is best eaten straight away but will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge.
The custard, stewed apples and cake (if making your own) can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. As the cornflakes will start to soften as the trifle sits in the fridge, it’s best served straight away but will keep for up to 2 days.
There’s not really a neat way to serve trifle but that’s part of its charm! The best way that I’ve found to scoop trifle is to use a large serving spoon to scoop out portions, going through all the layers.
If you’d rather your apple layers be smooth instead of chunky, you can absolutely use apple sauce instead of stewed apples. Homemade apple sauce or puree is best but it will need to be made quite thick, to keep it from mixing into the custard.
More Dessert Recipes To Try
- Apple Cornflake Crunch
- Black Forest Trifle (Chocolate & Cherry)
- Profiteroles With Chocolate Sauce
- Brown Butter & Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta With Poached Rhubarb
- Brown Butter Sticky Toffee Pudding
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Apple Cornflake Crunch Trifle
Equipment
- 3½ Litre Trifle Bowl
- Large Saucepan
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Digital Food Probe
- Stick Blender
- Piping Bag
Ingredients
Vanilla Custard
- 800 g Whole Milk
- 600 g Double Cream
- 120 g Caster Sugar
- 1 Vanilla Pod (Or 2 tsp Vanilla Paste)
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- 90 g Egg Yolks
- 50 g Cornflour (Cornstarch)
- 90 g Unsalted Butter
Stewed Apples
- 1½ kg Granny Smith Apples (Around 12 Apples)
- 50 g Unsalted Butter
- 150 g Caster Sugar
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tbsp Water
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
Cornflake Topping
- 150 g Cornflakes
- 180 g Golden Syrup
- 90 g Unsalted Butter
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
Assembly
- 1 Golden Syrup Loaf Cake (See Notes)
- 2 tbsp Rum (Optional)
- 400 g Double Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- Sea Salt
Instructions
Vanilla Custard
- Add the milk, cream, vanilla, half of the sugar & the salt into a large pan then set over a low heat and heat until steaming hot (but not boiling). This will take 3-4 minutes.If you're using a vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds then add both the pod and seeds into the pan.
- Whilst the milk is heating up, add the yolks, remaining sugar and cornflour into a mixing bowl then whisk to combine.
- Once the milk is steaming hot, pour a third of it into the yolks, whisking as you do so. Pour the now tempered yolks into the pan of milk.
- Now cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly until the custard is thick & starting to bubble. If you take the temperature of the custard with a food probe, it should be around 85°c/185°f once cooked. This step will take around 4-5 minutes.To check if the custard is ready, stop whisking every 20-30 seconds once it has thickened. If a few bubbles appear & pop, the custard is ready. Be careful not to overcook it though!
- Once cooked, take the custard off the heat then add in the chopped butter and whisk to combine.
- Give the custard a quick blitz with a stick blender then pass through a sieve, into a container. Place a piece of baking parchment (or clingfilm) onto the surface of the custard, leave to cool then chill in the fridge until completely cold. This will take at least 3 hours but overnight is best.If you've used a vanilla pod, take it out of the custard before blending.
Stewed Apples
- Peel, quarter and core the apples then chop into 2 cm pieces.
- Next, add the butter into a large saucepan, set over a medium-low heat & leave to melt.
- Once melted, add in the apples, sugar, lemon juice, water and salt then cook, stirring frequently until the apples are tender but are still mostly holding their shape. A few broken down pieces of apple are fine!The apples will take around 10 minutes to cook. Give the apples a taste once they've started to soften then add in more sugar if needed.
- As soon as the apples are cooked, transfer them to a shallow dish, leave to cool then store in the fridge until needed. Make sure that the apples are completely cold before using, I like to make them the same time as the custard.
Assembly – Part 1
- Cut your golden syrup cake into 2 cm thick slices. You should get 10-12 slices in total.
- Transfer the custard into a large mixing bowl then whisk briefly by hand, until smooth.
- Next, place half of the cake into the bottom of your trifle bowl then drizzle a tbsp of the rum over the sponge. I like to break each slice of cake in half, so that they fit in the dish more neatly.
- Spoon half of the custard on top of the cake then spoon half of the apples on top of the custard, making sure that they're spaced out evenly on top.
- Repeat the layering process with the remaining cake, rum, custard and apples then chill the trifle in the fridge whilst you make the topping.
Cornflake Topping
- Add the cornflakes into a large mixing bowl then set to one side.
- Next, add the golden syrup, butter and salt into a saucepan then set over a low heat and warm, stirring regularly until melted. This will only take a few minutes.
- Pour the melted syrup over the cornflakes, gently stir to combine then leave to cool for 10-15 minutes until no longer warm.
Assembly – Part 2
- Add the double cream & vanilla into a mixing bowl then whisk to soft peaks. You can do this by hand or with an electric hand mixer, just be careful not to over whip the cream!
- Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag then pipe on top of the trifle, before spreading out into an even layer with a palette knife. The trifle should just be reaching the top of the dish at this point.
- Next, pile the cornflakes on top of the trifle nice and high then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- To finish, sprinkle the cornflakes lightly with sea salt then use a large serving spoon to scoop out portions, to serve.
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