COMFORT AND JOY

Spiced plum, cherry and coffee trifle with cardamom crumb

SERVES 10-12 //PREP TIME 1 HR //COOK 30 MINS (PLUS CHILLING, COOLING)

Heady with spice, coffee and fruit, this cheerful trifle is delightfully easy to make.

900 gm store-bought cakes (see note)

SPICED PLUM AND CHERRY COMPOTE

6 cardamom pods, bruised
6 black peppercorns
1 cinnamon quill
4 cm piece ginger, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
220 gm (1 cup) caster sugar
6 blood plums, stones removed and quartered
300 gm cherries, pitted and halved, plus extra whole cherries to serve

CARDAMOM CRUMB

150 gm (1 cup) plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
75 gm (⅓ cup) demerara sugar
110 gm unsalted butter, cut into 1cm pieces
2 tbsp milk

COFFEE SYRUP

1 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 tbsp caster sugar
125 ml (½ cup) coffee liqueur, such as Mr Black

MASCARPONE CREAM

500 gm mascarpone
600 ml thickened cream
2 tsp vanilla bean extract
80 gm (½ cup) icing sugar, sifted

1 For spiced plum and cherry compote, place spices, ginger and bay in the centre of a piece of muslin cloth, then secure with kitchen string. Place 500ml water and sugar in a large saucepan and stir over low-medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add plums and cherries and cook, stirring occasionally, until plums are tender but still hold their shape (30 minutes). Set aside and cool to room temperature; remove and discard spice bundle. Transfer plums and cooking liquid to an airtight container and refrigerate until required.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a large oven tray with baking paper. For cardamom crumb, sift flour, baking powder, cardamom and ¼ tsp fine salt into a large bowl. Stir in demerara sugar, then rub in butter and milk with fingertips until clumps