Recipe for the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II Lemon Biscuit Roll and Amaretti Trifle

Celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee with this stunning trifle, the BBC Platinum Pudding Competition winner. For this recipe, you’ll need 2 Bisquitrolle cake mats measuring 24cm x 34cm and a baking dish with a capacity of about 3.5 liters. You can also halve the recipe to serve 10 people. For shortcuts to this recipe, see our handy tips below.

Ingredients

For the biscuit rolls

4 large free-range eggs
100 g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
100 g sifted, self-swelling flour
Butter, for greasing

For the lemon curd

4 large free-range eggs, egg yolk
135 g granulated sugar
85 g salted butter, softened
1 lemon, peel only
80 ml fresh lemon juice

For the St. Clement’s jelly

6 gelatine leaves
4 unwaxed lemons
3 oranges
150 g brown sugar (caster sugar)

For the pudding

425ml heavy cream
3 large free-range egg yolks
25g brown caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon extract

For the amaretti cookies

2 free-range egg whites
170 g caster sugar
170 g ground almonds
1 tablespoon of amaretto
butter or oil for greasing

For the chunky tangerine puree

4x cans of tangerines, approx. 300 g each
45 g caster sugar
16 g arrowroot (2 packets)
½ lemon, juice only

For the chocolate chips

50 g mixed candied orange peel/lemon peel
1 tablespoon of caster sugar (optional)
200 g white chocolate broken into pieces

For the dressing

600ml heavy cream

Instructions

For the biscuit rolls, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease the 2 biscuit roll pans (baking mat) and line them with baking paper. Beat the eggs and sugar with a handheld electric mixer in a large bowl for 5 minutes until pale and light. Using a metal spoon, carefully fold in the flour. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden and cooked.

Sprinkle some additional powdered sugar on two sheets of baking paper and invert the sponges onto the sugared paper. Pull the paper off the bottom and, while they are still warm, roll them up into a tight spiral from the short side, using the paper to help you. Let them cool.

To make the lemon curd, place the egg yolks, granulated sugar, butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk everything together while the curd cooks until it thickens. This should take about 15 minutes. Pour into a clean bowl and set aside to cool.

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes to soften the St. Clements jelly. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 6 strips from a lemon and 6 strips from orange and place them in a saucepan with the sugar and 400 ml of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Take the saucepan off the heat and discard the bowl. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin and stir it into the pot until dissolved. Squeeze out the lemons and oranges to have 150 ml of lemon and orange juice. Stir the juice into the pan, strain the jelly through a fine sieve into a container, and refrigerate until cool but not yet solid.

To make the pudding, place the cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon extract in a bowl, then gradually pour the hot cream into the bowl, stirring constantly. Immediately return it to the saucepan and continue stirring over low heat until the pudding is thick and smooth. Pour the pudding into a container or bowl, cover the surface with parchment paper, and let cool.

For the Amaretti cookies, preheat the oven to 180C/160C convection/gas 4. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until firm. Gently stir in the sugar and almonds. Add the amaretto and gently fold in until you have a smooth mixture.

Place some baking paper on a baking sheet and brush it lightly with butter or oil. Using a teaspoon, place small mounds of the mixture about 2 inches apart, as they will expand during baking. Bake them for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

To make the chunky mandarin compote, drain two cans of mandarin. Drain the juice, place the fruit in a saucepan with the sugar, and heat gently until they break down. Remove from the heat. Mix the arrowroot in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water and add it to the warm tangerines. Add the lemon juice and mix well before pouring into a large bowl. Drain the remaining two cans of tangerines, add the fruit to the bowl, and let cool completely.

To make the chocolate chips (shavings): If the orgeat/citrate feels soggy or sticky, roll it in caster sugar to soak the moisture. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water. Pour the white chocolate onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and sprinkle over the mixed candied orange/lemon peel. Let harden and then break into shards.

To assemble, roll out the cooled biscuit rolls and brush them with the lemon curd. Roll them up again, cut one into 2.5-inch-thick slices, and place it upright around the bottom of the baking dish to make the swirl visible. Cut the other biscuit roll into thicker pieces and use them to fill the bottom of the baking dish so that the top is about the same height as the slices lining the rim. Fill in any gaps with leftover sponge cake.

Pour the St. Clement’s jelly over the sponge roll layer and place it in the refrigerator to set completely. This will take about 3 hours. Once set, pour in the custard and top with a layer of amaretti cookies, reserving a few cookies for the top. Pour the mandarin orange mixture on top. Whip the heavy cream in a large bowl until lacy and spoon it over the tangerine cream. Sprinkle the reserved amaretti cookies on top and decorate with the chocolate chips.

Recipe Tips
You can use ready-made versions for most of the ingredients as an alternative to this recipe and only make the biscuit rolls and tangerine cream yourself. You can use 300 g of ready-made lemon curd for the lemon curd. Instead of St. Clement’s jelly, take a packet of lemon jelly and follow the instructions on the packet to make 568 ml. For the pudding, use 500 ml of ready-made pudding. For the cookies, use 100 g of ready-made Amaretti cookies. Instead of chocolate chips, you can decorate the trifle with the remaining amaretti cookies, mixed candied orange and lemon peel, and 50 g of white chocolate chips.