Watermelon-Rose Trifle

That’s a LOT of rosewater - and I am a person who really likes rosewater. I would cut it back to a teaspoon or less at each stage for the uninitiated. Then taste and add more if you think it necessary.

For people asking about this being too watery: I assembled this per the instructions and immediately served it and the texture was absolutely perfect (though my cake was on the softer side). Popped it in the fridge and an hour later served some more and it was a teeeeensy bit watery; the next day, however, it was fairly soggy. I would not recommend trying to keep this is the fridge in advance of serving, just try to serve immediately. Re: the rose water being overpowering--not at all.

This was just OK. I pulled the dacquoise from the oven when it was light golden, per the instructions, but it was still VERY soft and gummy. It was very messy to work with and the final trifle was extremely mushy around a firm layer of watermelon. Also, the dacquoise didn't quite make 2 layers, I would think 1.5x the recipe is needed. I eased back a little on the rosewater in all elements and was glad I did, and I subbed raspberries for strawberries, which are out of season.

This was delicious. I used a rose water from an Indian store so not weirdly perfumed or too strong. Delicious. My son said it was like flavor bomb had gone off in his mouth

This was a hit! That dacquoise was excellent. Was an easy GF dessert. The rose adds a lightness to the cream and with the watermelon makes for a lovely summer dessert. Note: I assembled 3 hours before brunch guests came taking the comments about sogginess into consideration. However, that was a non-issue when we ate it again after dinner - it was still fantastic!

Yeah this is awesome. I decided to not use any rose flavor because my family doesn’t really love floral flavors and minimized some of the sugar. However, it turned out amazing. Very light and sweet. The perfect summer dessert and my new favorite :)

The people wanting to use orange flower water instead: I have not tried it in this recipe but can say, it’s EXTREMELY strong. Add it by the drop, tasting as you go. Unless you want an inedible soap brick.

I made this recipe. I made it three years ago for a birthday party and loved. Beautiful plating. Surprised to see it listed as a recipe for potlucks. I kept it in the fridge. Items to consider: 1) Do let the watermelon drain. Tricky, but prevents "soupy mess" mentioned by someone who did not make (read?) the recipe. 2) Not everyone likes the flavor of rosewater. I found it intriguing. 3) GF. Not for me, but happy coincidence. 4) Lotta work. Gathering ingreds+bake+build. Enjoy!

I made the recipe. Wonderful!! The texture is not too soupy ( I was concerned about it, too), similar to Tiramisu; but with more floating "building blocks" . It needs to be served fresh. My tweaks for improved outcome: 1. TWO Dacquoise layers (double recipe). 2. Less rose water on melons, but a bit of sugar 3. Adding 1 TBS sieved starch to whipped cream, makes it more stiff. 4. Building Trifle with that extra Dacquoise layer in middle. 5. Essential to cut dough layer before assembling

I feel that this isn’t the way to make almond dacquoise. I hadn’t made it before this recipe, but I have made pavlova and angel food cake successfully several times. I subbed the sugar with superfine sugar and sifted the almond flour and powdered sugar together before adding. But I feel like this cake needs to be cooked for longer at a lower temperature and might be better piped on the pan. I like the flavors of this dish, but the dacquoise was a disaster. I might use another recipe for that.

I was a little nervous about this recipe because I've never made a dacquoise before and the comments seemed ambivalent wrt the rose water. However, all the components came together wonderfully and the rose whipped cream was to DIE for. The watermelon and the strawberries worked really nicely too! I made it in the morning for my grandfather's birthday but we had some surprise guests in the afternoon for tea and they also praised it to high heaven. :)

We love Black Star and really enjoyed this. Tip: add 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar in during the meringue step for a more stable dacquoise. Serve soon after assembly or the cream may start to lose its form due to the weight of the layers on top of it. Some gelatin to stabilize should help with that. If you make it the night before, keep the components separate (cream in the fridge, dacquoise in the freezer), then assemble the next day. A multisize square cake tin can be helpful for assembly

Fabulous - and guests called afterwards asking for the recipe, which I had changed a bit. I used exactly the rosewater amount; found it delicious & subtle, perfect - but the daquoise is a bit too sweet. I left out the watermelon’s sugar and halved the cream’s sugar and it was borderline. Next time I’ll put less sugar in the daquoise

I made it when it first appeared, and , referring to previous comments, the watermelon was delicious in this. I let it drain a bit before adding. And the rose water was a fragrant addition, but perhaps unnecessary. Fun to try, anyway.

Just made this, with everything halved to accommodate an 8x8 pan and only three mouths. Absolutely delicious. Was worried the dacquoise would be too dry, but as the watermelon releases its liquid while it chills, the dacquoise appears to have hydrated––fantastic! The rose flavor was not too pronounced; the pistachios are necessary. The only shortcoming of the recipe to my eye is the lack of salt; I salted to taste at every stage, which I think was necessary.