Strawberry Holiday Trifle

I've gotten a lot of requests for this recipe since I posted a picture of it and didn't mention how to make it. Sorry about that. There's a small (very small) perfectionist part of me that didn't want to post the recipe until I had a good picture to post with it. I have no idea when I'm making this again, so I won't hold you in suspense any longer. :)

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought it would be the perfect treat to share. Actually it's good any time of the year and any time of the day. Even for breakfast. This trifle is really, really good. You might be surprised at the length of the recipe, though. It's not hard to do, but it's time consuming. The custard and sponge cake are both made from scratch. Once you get everything baked, cooked, and cooled, it comes together in about 10 minutes.

Strawberry Holiday Trifle

4 pints strawberries, rinsed, hulled and chopped
3 T. sugar
¾ c. slivered almonds
Cool whip
¾ c. strawberry wine or equivalent (jam maybe? I usually leave this out)
1 Recipe Custard
1 Recipe Sponge Cake

Combine strawberries and sugar. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until they get really juicy. Spoon one cup custard on bottom of trifle bowl. Sprinkle with ¼ c. almonds. Layer ½ of cake cubes over custard; brush cake with ½ of wine. Spoon 2 c. berries over cake layer; top with 1 c. custard. Repeat layers. Top with remaining custard. Cover and chill. Top with cool whip and sprinkle with remaining almonds. Makes 15 servings.

Custard:
2/3 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
¼ t. salt
2 c. milk
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 T. butter/marg.
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. whipping cream, whipped (or Cool Whip)

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir about ¼ of mixture into egg yolks; add egg yolk mixture back into saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 min. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla, stirring until butter melts. Cover with plastic wrap, gently pressing it onto surface; chill at least 2 hours. Fold whipped cream into custard. Makes 3 ½ cups.

Sponge Cake:
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. milk
2 T butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat eggs at high speed with electric mixer 3 min or until thick and pale. Gradually add sugar; beat 4 min. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually fold into batter. Combine milk and butter in saucepan; cook over low heat until butter melts (or zap in the microwave). Gradually stir milk mixture and vanilla into batter. Pour into 2 greased and floured 8” round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 16 min or until toothpick comes clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 min. Remove from pans; cool completely on racks. Cut into 1 in. cubes.