Lemon-Berry Mini Trifles

For the custard:

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt and buttermilk in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Beat the egg yolks in a small heatproof bowl. Stir about ¼ of the hot mixture into the egg yolks. Then add the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, stirring until butter melts. Cover with plastic wrap, gently pressing the plastic onto the surface. Put into the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.

For the sponge cake:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Beat egg at high speed with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until thick and pale. Gradually add sugar and lemon zest; beat for 4 minutes. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually fold it into the batter. Set aside.

Combine milk and butter in saucepan; cook over low heat until butter melts (or zap it for a few seconds in the microwave). Gradually stir milk mixture and vanilla into batter.

Pour into a greased and floured 8” round cake pan. Bake at 350ºF for 16 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

For the assembly of the trifles:

When you’re ready to assemble the trifles, mix the thawed berries and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

Whip the cream with an electric mixer, adding the remaining tablespoon of sugar (or your preferred sweetener), to taste. Fold a couple of heaping spoonfuls of the cream into the custard. Set aside the rest of the whipped cream for the topping.

In trifle cups or a small serving bowl, layer custard, cake cubes, and berry mixture. Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients. If you’re using small cups, you may only be able to layer once. The top layer should be custard. Cover and chill. Top with whipped cream when you’re ready to serve.

Nat’s Notes:
1. The custard and cake can be prepared 2-3 days in advance. Just cover and chill until you’re ready to assemble the trifles.
2. You may end up with some extra custard at the end. I like my trifles really custard-y so I used the full recipe. You could half the recipe if you don’t want extra.