...easy fresh fruit trifle with a twist....

As anyone knows, it is so easy to make a beautiful trifle in as many ways as there are fruits of the season. Here is one I made this evening in a quick hurry for a party tomorrow. Most ingredients or easy substitutes are in your kitchen. The 'twist'? Instead of just a custard....have a layer of cream cheese, mascarpone and cream all whipped together for a rich bonus.

Ingredients (by layers)

Pound cake, angle food cake, sponge cake, Italian biscuits or similar white cake

Some jam (a great way to use up old jam) (blueberry, strawberry, raspberry)

A wee bit of liquor or orange juice

Custard - you can make your own, use vanilla pudding (hmmm not as good) or buy Bavarian creme already made - My choice is Bavarian cream although Birds Custard is truly the best

For the Twist - Cream cheese, whipping cream, mascarpone, lemon juice, sugar & vanilla

Fresh fruit (or frozen if well drained)(only canned if peaches or similar fruit which holds its shape) I used fresh raspberries and blue berries over top of canned peaches well drained for a colorful effect.

Whipping Cream (real whipped cream is truly the best-don't let anyone tell you otherwise)




Cut cake layer into rough 1 inch cubes. (I used sponge cake I had on hand. Some prefer to soak this in liquor...it just depends on your taste buds...doesn't really need it)

Mix jam (I had leftover 1/4 cup blueberry) with liquor or orange juice ( I used port...all that I had handy so I used a few tbsp...enough to make the jam mixture JUST runny enough to drizzle)

Cream 1 brick cream cheese with 1/2 cup mascarpone, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp lemon juice. Beat well. Add 1/2 cup whipping cream. Mix till thick and creamy. When refridgerated this layer will slightly harden allowing for a more stable layer to keep the fruits and juices separated. An easier 'serve' on a hot day.

Line the bottom of a glass trifle bowl with cubed cake layer
Drizzle a bit of jam mixture over cake
Put a layer of custard over this
Next a layer of the cream cheese mixture
Place a layer of fruit next- depending on how deep your bowl is you may wish to put 2/3 of the fruit mixture in this layer
Put another layer of cake
Drizzle remaining jam mixture
Layer the custard
Next the cream cheese
Add fruit to decorate.

You may add 'dollops' of fresh whipped cream on top of this if you so wish.

Let sit in fridge for at least 4 hours and overnight is fine too. Don't add the whipped cream on top until just before you serve.

Try and experiment with trifle...there is certainly no right or wrong and each time I make it, it is different..but always yummy!