Raspberry Banana Trifle
Instructions:
This beautiful dessert is easier to make than you think—store-bought pound cake and jam are the secret ingredients.
Makes 24 servings. Prep: 1 hour plus chilling Cook: 15 minutes
- Cake
- 1 frozen pound cake (1 pound), thawed
- 6 tablespoons seedless red-raspberry jam
- Custard
- 6 large eggs
- 3â„4 cup sugar
- 1â„3 cup cornstarch
- 4 cups milk
- 4 tablespoons margarine or butter
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 3 large ripe bananas (11â„2 pounds), sliced
- Topping
- 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Fresh raspberries and fresh mint leaves for garnish
- Prepare cake: With serrated knife, cut crust from pound cake. Place cake on 1 long side; cut lengthwise into 4 equal slices. With small spatula, spread 2 tablespoons jam on top of 1 cake slice; top with another cake slice. Repeat with remaining jam and cake, ending with cake. Slice jam-layered cake crosswise into 1â„4-inch slices, keeping slices together, then cut cake lengthwise in half down center. (You should have about 26 slices jam-layered cake cut in half to make 52 half slices.)
- Prepare custard: In medium bowl, with wire whisk, beat eggs, sugar, and cornstarch; set aside. In 4- quart saucepan, heat milk just to boiling. While constantly beating with whisk, gradually pour about half of hot milk into egg mixture. Pour egg mixture back into milk in saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble around edge of pan; mixture will not boil vigorously. Simmer custard 1 minute, whisking constantly; it must reach at least 160°F. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in margarine or butter with vanilla.
- Assemble trifle: In 4-quart glass trifle dish or deep glass bowl, place 2 rows of cake slices around side of bowl, alternating horizontal and vertical placement of cake slices to make a checkerboard design. Place some cake slices in a layer to cover bottom of bowl; top with one-third of sliced bananas. Spoon one-third of warm custard on top of bananas. Top with half of remaining bananas and half of remaining custard. Top with remaining cake, then bananas and custard. Cover surface of custard with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate trifle 6 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, prepare topping: In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream with sugar until stiff peaks form. Remove plastic wrap from trifle; top trifle with whipped cream and garnish with raspberries and mint.