Lemon Berry Trifle

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients-

Berries (can be cooked up to a day in advance and refrigerated): 

4 cups berries (a combination of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries), you can use fresh or frozen - if using frozen, they need to be thawed and drained

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Lemon Cream (the lemon curd can be made up to 3 days in advance):

3 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 recipe lemon curd (see below) or an 11-ounce jar lemon curd

Pound Cake (can be made a day in advance or longer, if it is frozen):

1 9-inch round or loaf lemon (or plain) pound cake, homemade or store-bought, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

Directions

Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries begin to break down, about 3-4 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let the mixture cool. This can be done a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate the berry syrup until ready to use.

In a clean bowl, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and the vanilla until soft peaks form. Put the lemon curd into a second bowl and whisk in about 1/4 cup of the whipped cream to loosen it up a bit. Then gently fold in the rest of the cream. Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.

To assemble the trifle, spoon a layer of the cream into a large glass or trifle bowl. Add a layer of pound cake. You may need to break the pound cake slices into smaller pieces and jigsaw them together to fit. Then drizzle on about 1/3 of the berry syrup. Don't worry if it doesn't completely coat the pound cake - just drizzle it across and let the berries fall where they may. Spoon a layer of lemon cream over the top, smoothing to the sides. Repeat all the layers, 2 or 3 more times, depending on the size of the bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. It is best to make this several hours before serving and refrigerate it.

*Note: the trifle should be assembled about 5-8 hours before serving so all the flavors can blend together. All of the components can be made from 1-3 days ahead. Look through the recipe for more specific details.