Lemon Curd & Berry Trifle

There isn't anything that says summer like season ripe berries and easy entertaining. This dessert is easy to make and only gets better as it sits! And talk about a stunner....it will be one that everyone is impressed by.

Most trifles you see are in what looks like a clear bowl set on a cake stand. You can actually find a specific trifle dish! However, I recently went to a party and needed to put together a larger dessert to feed a very big group of people. This dish is actually a summer champagne bucket - now turned my trifle dish! Let's just say everyone at the party was talking about the size of this monster.

Make it as big or small as you'd like. The recipe below is for a small clear dish or trifle bowl. You may want to double the curd recipe below. Heck even triple it. Lemon Curd is awesome on just about anything or even by itself!

Berries (take your favorite berries and macerate them in this mixture):

berries - cleaned and prepped

2 tbs sugar

2 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp vanilla

Let the berries macerate (fancy word for letting the sugar and lemon zest create juice by pulling liquid out of the fruit) for about 24 hours before assembling the dessert.

Lemon Curd:

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla

Use a double boiler. (If you don't have one, don't run out and by one. Boil water in a pot and place either a metal or glass bowl above so the steam of the water slowly heats the mixture in the bowl. The water shouldn't touch the bowl just the steam. The picture above is the recipe doubled.)

Whisk the eggs, sugar, zest, juice and vanilla together. Set above the water and stir. Add the butter and keep stirring. The butter will slowly begin to melt. Keep stirring. Keep stirring. Your water should be just below boiling, shouldn't touch the bowl, and the steam will slowly cook the mixture. It usually takes about 10 minutes but everything will thicken. Once you can stick a spoon in the mixture and run your finger on the back side with the line you just made staying, the curd is now thick and done.

Place into a separate bowl with plastic wrap directly on top to prevent a film from forming and place in the fridge until chilled.

To assemble the trifle, make layers of pound cake, berries, lemon curd and whip cream over and over until your dish is filled. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight depending on if you like the cake a bit moist from the berries and curd or serve sooner if you want the cake to be more dry.

Tip 1: use a clear dish so you can see the layers. This is the wow factor people!

Tip 2: if you are in a rush buy the pound cake. Everything else is easy and not too time consuming to make. Well neither is the pound cake but I try not to turn that oven on in the summer at all cost.

Enjoy!