All American Trifle
prepared pound cake, sliced in ½-inch thick slices
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1 quart strawberries, rinsed, drained, stemmed and sliced
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and drained
2 pints raspberries, rinsed and drained
2 pints blackberries, rinsed and drained, cut in half
splash of Grand Marnier
1 tablespoon sugar (add more to taste if your berries aren’t very sweet)
juice from 1 ½ lemons
6-8 cups prepared vanilla pudding (see recipe below)
6-8 cups lightly sweetened whipped cream
Macerate your berries: Toss the berries with a splash of Grand Marnier, the sugar and lemon juice. Let sit for a few minutes.
To layer the trifle, place a layer of pound cake down first into your dish. Top with macerated berries, then a layer of vanilla pudding. Top the vanilla pudding with a layer of whipped cream. Continue layering the trifle, gently pushing down on each new layer of pound cake, until you reach the top of your dish. Finish with a layer of whipped cream and a spoonful of berries. Keep cold until ready to serve. The trifle is best if it has a few hours to sit in the refrigerator before serving.
My Favorite Vanilla Pudding:
Recipe credit Joyofbaking.com
1/3 cup (65 grams) plus 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs (100 grams), at room temperature
1 large egg yolk (18 grams), at room temperature
3½ cups (840 ml/grams) whole (full fat) milk, divided
2 teaspoons (8 grams) pure vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (13 grams) unsalted butter
In a large heatproof bowl, whisk 1/3 cup (65 grams) of the granulated white sugar with the cornstarch, salt, eggs, and egg yolk. Whisk in ½ cup (120 ml/grams) of the milk. Set aside while you heat the rest of the milk and sugar.
Have ready a fine medium-sized strainer and bowl as you might need to strain the pudding after it is cooked.
Pour the remaining 3 cups (720 ml/grams) of milk, along with the remaining ¼ cup (50 grams) of sugar, into a medium heavy bottomed saucepan and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the pudding mixture to a heavy bottomed saucepan and place over medium heat and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and butter. If necessary, pour through the strainer to remove any lumps that may have formed during cooking.
Pour the pudding a shallow dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled, about two hours.