Panettone Trifle with Orange Curd and Raspberries

A make-ahead, no-bake dessert for the holidays with a ‘wow’ factor!

I have a dessert recipe for the holidays with a ‘wow’ factor, Panettone Trifle with Orange Curd and Raspberries!

Are you familiar with panettone? It’s a sweet Italian bread made with dried fruit and candied citrus peel. You can find it at specialty food or most grocery stores in December.

I look forward indulging in panettone every year and pick up a couple of boxes for gifts and one to enjoy with coffee or tea during the holidays. The flavor and texture of panettone also makes it ideal for French toast or bread pudding. The size and price of panettone varies a good bit. I found mine at World Market for $8.99 for 1 lb 10 oz. loaf.

I made this trifle to send to my husband’s office for a party and it was a hit! I like to make a trifle for a group dessert since it serves 10 – 12, is a crowd-pleaser and easy to assemble. You can vary the ingredients, using the cake of your choice, fruit in season, and customizing it adding your layers of pudding, custard or lemon curd, and/or whipped cream.

To complement the flavors in the panettone, I used an orange curd, adjusting my easy microwave recipe for lemon curd. You can make the orange curd in advance and store in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks. I mixed the orange curd with cream cheese since we’re fans of the combination. I used Neufchatel cheese buy but use regular cream cheese if that’s what you prefer.

Panettone Trifle with Orange Curd and Raspberries, Serves 10

Ingredients

Panettone, 1 ½ lb to 2 lb loaf (I used a 1 lb 10 oz. loaf)

10 oz. jar of raspberry jam

10 oz. bag frozen raspberries, thawed

*12 oz. (1 ½ cups or use the entire 2 cups) orange curd, recipe to follow

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. whipped cream or whipped topping

2 – 3 pints fresh raspberries

Orange rind for garnish if desired

Directions

In medium pan combine raspberry jam and thawed raspberries, including liquid. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer over medium heat until raspberry filling begins to thicken and has reduced, about 20 – 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then refrigerate. Mixture will continue to thicken as is cools.

Easy Microwave Orange Curd, Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 orange, zested*

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions

In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in orange juice, lemon juice, zest and butter. Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. (Microwaves vary, so this could take anywhere from 4 to 8 minutes.)

Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any white egg bits and for a smooth texture. For an even smoother curd, combine the zest with the sugar in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

Pour into sterile jar and place plastic wrap directly on warm curd (to prevent a film from forming), and chill 4 hours or until firm.

Store for up to three weeks in the refrigerator.

*When zesting any citrus, only used the colored part of the peel, not the pith (white part) underneath the peel which is bitter.

In mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese with orange curd. Beat until smooth. Curd/cream cheese mixture may be made several days in advance and stored covered in refrigerator until ready to use.

When ready to assemble trifle, remove panettone from wrapper and trim to remove hard outer crusts. Cut bread into 2 inch cubes.

Place a layer of bread in trifle or 4-quart glass bowl. Top with alternating layers of orange curd/cream cheese mixture, raspberry filling and raspberries. Repeat layers until trifle bowl is full. Top with whipped cream, fresh raspberries and garnish with orange rind strips if desired.

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