Easter Trifle

The eternal question of what to do with leftover cake -- be it sponge, angel food, old-fashioned white, yellow or chocolate -- can be answered with a simple Anglophile nod: make a trifle with the best of spring's arrival of beautiful berries!

Crumble your choice of cake in a 1 ½ inch layer along the bottom of a trifle bowl (alternately, any deep glass bowl can be utilized, or even a martini glass for an individual parfait-style trifle), then layer sliced berries around the inner lower ridge created by the cake. Much like lasagna, you then layer your remaining components – sweetened whipped cream, raspberry jam, crème anglaise (recipe below – though an easy cheat is to substitute with a pudding mix!), more berries, more crumbled cake -- to create as many layers as your ingredients will allow. There is no perfect or formal way to do this, let your artistry take control as you craft a lovely presentation based on your aesthetic whim.

I drizzled a bit of crème de cassis over one layer to make it a bit “boozy,” but that’s by no means a necessity, and then I finished the top of the trifle with a mound of whipped cream and crumbled amaretti cookies to complete the presentation. The serving bowl full of trifle keeps for several days and is actually tremendous on the second day, having had a chance to meld together in consistency and flavors -- known in England as a favorite "pud").

Crème Anglaise

4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

In a medium mixing bowl, using a whip, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they are very pale yellow and smooth.

In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the heavy cream, sour cream, and vanilla bean with its scrapings. Whisk about half into the egg yolk mixture until well combined, then pour back into the saucepan. Over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until the mixture heavily coats the back of the spoon. Don't scramble the eggs.

Strain into a clean bowl and set the bowl over ice cubes and cold water until chilled, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate, covered, until needed.

Dress: Pinup Couture Erin Dress in Mint
Lips: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Weekend Barbie
Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW® Pomade in Soft Brown