Orange Flavored Sweet Boondi Custard Trifle

This sweet boondi custard trifle has layers of orange flavored, eggless custard and fresh oranges topped with meethi boondi (sweet boondi), pomegranate seeds and silvered pistachios. It is an incredibly easy indian fusion dessert recipe that’s semi homemade & perfect for festive entertaining!

Sweet Boondi Custard Cups with orange slices and pistachios in glass dessert cups.

Every year on Diwali, I love to create a few fusion desserts because not only they are fun to make but also a delight to eat. It gives me a chance to explore new ways of pairing traditional flavors with exciting elements from other cuisines, or even come up with a combination that just feels perfect!

Indian custard is a smooth, mildly sweet, and comforting dessert on its own and we often serve it with a generous topping of fresh fruits. But when paired with sweet, juicy boondi, the custard gains an extra layer of texture from the boondi’s slight crunch. We loved the citrusy notes of orange and pomegranate arils that perfectly balance the boondi's cloying sweetness.

There are not many steps in the recipe. Simply prepare the custard, pour it over oranges and set it in dessert cups. Top with boondi right before serving. Every bite is a combination of juicy boondi and smooth custard- a truly delightful contrast.

Ingredients

Whole Milk - You can use 2 percent milk for making custard but for desserts I prefer full fat milk.
Heavy cream - Optional. I add a little to make the custard rich.
Custard Powder - There are many flavors of custard powder available in Indian stores these days, you can choose any. I use original custard powder from brown and polson (non-affilate link). It has a faint vanilla flavor.
Sugar - I use sugar. But if you have a can of condensed milk at hand, you can use it to sweeten the custard.
Flavorings - Orange zest and green cardamom powder. The pairing of green cardamom and orange is really wonderful.
Sweet Boondi - I use store bought boondi for convenience. You can use yellow colored boondi too, I prefer the orange one. Of course, homemade boondi will work great!
Fresh Fruits & Nuts - I use madarin orange sections and pomegranate arils. Silvered pistachios add a nice color.

Instructions

Prepare the Custard

In a small bowl, dissolve the custard powder in ¼ cup of cold milk. Stir well until smooth and lump-free. Set aside.

Custard powder & milk mixture in a gold rimmed white bowl.

Pour the whole milk into a large saucepan and place it on medium heat. Let milk come to a slow simmer. Stir occasionally to avoid burning at the bottom.
Add the sugar and stir well until the sugar dissolves completely. Stir in the fresh orange zest to give the custard a bright citrusy flavor. Mix well.

Orange zest and cardamom powder is added to milk.

Reduce heat to low and slowly pour the dissolved custard mixture into the hot milk while stirring continuously. Also mix in the heavy cream (if using). Keep stirring using a spoon with other hands to prevent lumps from forming.
Continue cooking the custard on low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. This will take about 5-7 minutes. To check the consistency, coat the back of spoon with custard and using your finger, draw a line in the middle. The line should stay intact. Once it reaches a thick, creamy consistency, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Strain the custard in a large bowl to make sure that there are no lumps. Place a cling wrap touching the surface of the custard to make sure that a skin isnt formed.
Let stand covered to cool down to room temperature. You can make custard and refrigerate it for 1-2 days.

Custard powder slurry is added to simmering milk.

Custard is simmering on low medium heat.

Checking custard consistency on back of red spatula.

Assemble Custard Cups

Place a few fresh orange slices at the bottom of each dessert cup.
Gently pour the prepared custard over the orange slices, covering them completely. Allow the custard to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Just before serving, top each custard cup with a handful of sweet boondi. Adding the boondi just before serving will ensure it stays crunchy. Also add some pomegranate arils, and a sprinkle of slivered pistachios for a burst of color. Serve!

Custard is poured on top of orange slices in a glass dessert bowl.

Pomegranate arils and silvered pistachios are added om top of boondi.

Recipe Tips

Store bought boondi often has syrup at the bottom of the box. Make sure to just use boondi else the dessert gets too sweet and syrup can thin the custard as well as make the dessert overly sweet.
If desired, you can mix in some crushed nuts like almonds or cashews with custard.
You can add a dollop of whipped heavy cream if you wish while layering the trifle.