In the midst of baby’s impending arrival and the drama of trying-to-find-an-apartment-in-Chicago-from-far-away, I’m having a hard time focusing on writing about this recipe. But I wanted to share it with you anyway. Just a few words should suffice. I’ll let the picture do the speaking. But I will issue a warning: This wasn’t quick or easy to make. It took what seemed like forever whipping custard over a double broiler. Then baking a pound cake. And whipping two separate batches of cream. And after hours of separate stages of chilling, finally assembling everything. I’m not trying to dissuade you from making this trifle. Quite the opposite- it was incredible. And worth every second spent! But just be prepared to dedicate the better part of a morning to its achievement. By the end I had created a masterpiece. A dessert that somehow managed to be sweet and tart and dense yet light and absolutely stunning all in one bite.

Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Strawberries

INGREDIENTS

Lemon Curd:
6 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced (to equal ~1/2 cup lemon juice)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Sour Cream Lemon Pound Cake:
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
2 lemons, zested and juiced (~1/4 cup lemon juice)
1 cup sour cream

Strawberry Filling:
3 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
1-2 Tbsp. sugar (depending on how sweet your berries are)
1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed

Topping:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
extra fresh strawberries, for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. To prepare the custard, bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch, and continue to whisk. Keep whisking (often vigorously) until the custard has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow. (It took me about 25 minutes to reach this state.) Do not let boil. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter, a couple chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until cold and firm (at least several hours or overnight).

2. To prepare the pound cake, preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 16-cup tube or bundt pan. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice and zest. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the dry ingredients. Mix in the sour cream. Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan 15 minutes until turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

3. To finish the lemon curd, with an electric mixer whip 2 cups cold heavy cream to soft peaks. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and continue whipping to stiff peaks. Fold into the lemon curd to lighten it into a mousse.

4. To prepare the strawberry filling, toss strawberries in 1-2 Tbsp. sugar and lemon juice and set aside.

5. To assemble the trifle, line the bottom of a trifle dish with slices of the lemon pound cake. Spoon a layer of lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer of strawberries. Repeat layers until the ingredients are used up. Refrigerate until cold.

6. Just before serving, whip 1/2 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and continue whipping to stiff peaks. Spread over the top of the trifle and top with extra fresh strawberries.

Makes 1 large trifle with a little pound cake left over for snacking.

(Trifle adapted from Food Network, Pound Cake adapted from Epicurious)

Ever since last year I’ve been wanting to make this trifle. Near the end of summer my friend Jenna made it for her out-of-town family and had me bake the pound cake in my oven while they were sightseeing. It smelled, it looked wonderful. I could only imagine what it tasted like layered with vanilla bean custard, sweetened whipped cream, and fresh summer berries. I had dessert envy. But I had to wait for the right season and occasion to try it out myself. (This dessert is too much work, too tempting, and much too impressive not to share.) On Father’s Day my opportunity arrived.

All I can say is that this trifle was as amazing as I’d envisioned it to be. My entire family swooned over it. The pound cake is super moist and slightly tangy from the cream cheese. The custard is smooth and luxurious. The whipped cream is light and airy. And the berries (which I picked up at the charming farmer’s market in Old Town Manassas) were bursting with flavor. It was a masterpiece.

I contemplated posting the trifle and pound cake recipes separately, but since I forgot to capture a photo of the cake alone, they appear here together. That doesn’t mean you have to make them both. The pound cake is absolutely great served alone- with a dollop of whipped cream or drizzle of fruit sauce. (I had extra anyway which we gobbled up plain.) This will be my go-to pound cake recipe from now on.

Berry Trifle

INGREDIENTS

Pastry Cream:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
pinch of kosher salt
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped out (or 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature and diced

Trifle:
3 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
pound cake (recipe below), cut into slices
mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the pastry cream, in a medium saucepan combine milk, cream, salt, and vanilla bean seeds (or extract). Bring to just under a boil. In a second bowl, whisk together cornstarch and sugar, then whisk in eggs. Add a ladle of hot liquid to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Repeat twice, then whisk egg mixture into remaining milk mixture in pot. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until bubbling and thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in butter. Place plastic wrap directly onto surface of cream and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Whisk to loosen before using.

2. Mash a third to a half of the strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of salt to macerate berries.

3. Layer pound cake in bottom of a 14-cup trifle dish or bowl. Spread a layer of macerated berries over top, then pastry cream and additional strawberry halves with whole berries. Repeat layering up to twice more. Can eat immediately, but the trifle tastes best if refrigerated several hours or overnight.

4. Whip heavy cream to medium peaks with 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and spoon over top. Garnish with fresh berries.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (Philadelphia brand recommended)
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter and flour a 12-cup bunt pan.

2. Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, at least five minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, then the flour and salt all at once. Beat just until incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 65-75 minutes.

4. Place the pan on a cake rack and cool for 20 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

Fills a 12-cup bunt pan.

(Pound Cake adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Berry Trifle adapted from Martha Stewart, both via Lahatchita Eats)

This is one of the best things I’ve tasted in a long time. It’s the first pineapple upside down cake I’ve ever had and boy have I been missing out! I knew when I decided to attempt this classic cake that I would be using fresh pineapple. Forget the limp fruit that comes in a can. Fresh is best. So after consulting two popular recipes, I took what I liked about each and combined them into one. And it was awesome. The cake base was buttery, moist, and not overly sweet. The caramel soaked into the cake and oozed over the sides. And the ripe juicy pineapple turned tender and irresistible. We devoured it warm underneath a scoop (or two) of vanilla bean ice cream.

Fresh Pineapple Upside Down Cake

INGREDIENTS

Topping:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 fresh pineapple, cored and sliced

Batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
vanilla bean ice cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

2. Melt one stick of butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, four minutes. Remove from heat and pour into the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Arrange pineapple on top of caramel, overlapping slightly.

3. To make the batter, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and set aside. In a third bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low until just blended. Beat in the pineapple juice, then add the remaining flour mixture beating until just blended. Fold in the egg whites by hand. Pour batter over the pineapple topping and spread evenly.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a cake platter. Replace any pineapple that sticks to the pan. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes a 9-inch round cake.

(Adapted from All Recipes and Smitten Kitchen)