Back to basics. Parfaits and jar deserts.

This is a truly basic post about one of the oldest tricks in the book.  It is a combination of making something simple seem fancy, using up bits and pieces and re using left over (or not so fresh or good) cake! 

Now,  pretty much everyone is feeling the pinch from grocery prices and it is especially nice to feel as though we are getting a treat, something a bit special... and we can do it very cheaply.  Kids and adults both fall for the trick of beautiful presentation, gorgeous parfait glasses (which I find in thrift stores) and it just seems special!   

In this instance I was making deserts in a jar which is the same thing but transports better.

You can do something that is a trifle style which usually has sponge or plain cake at the bottom then is covered in jelly.   You let that layer set before you add fruit, custard and cream.   I usually would do cake then  peaches or cherries, cover that with jelly....  

In this instance I had lemon butter so I used that then cream.   

You can layer with ice cream,  pavlova,  meringue,  basically any fruit,  you can add a chocolate top of some kind.   You can make adult style with ice cream, Bailies Irish cream and chocolate.   It can be like an ice cream sundae or a breakfast version with fruit, yoghurt, nuts, dried fruit, muesli.   It just looks so good!

For unwell children I often did just jelly and fruit.  Jelly seemed appealing to them and helped their fluid levels.

Of course you can do one massive version instead of little ones.  Once for a party I bought a huge vase... it was like the size of an astronauts helmet.  You could literally put your head in it.   I used a huge sponge cake sliced and placed neatly in the bottom and made it over a couple of days.  It was epic.   I remember I had to carry it on my lap in the car and it was heavy.  But it was a spectacular success!  

When the girls are staying I have served dersetks like this and their eyes just about pop out of their head.  

So this is my old fashioned and sweet way to make something seem special but also maybe rescue a less than great cake... even a broken cake which happens to us all sometimes.    Also a pavlova that falls apart or there is not enough left to serve on its own... now you have ingredients to layer!  

There are no limits to the combinations you can make and how lovely they will look! xxx