Lemon-Strawberry Trifle

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place the sugar in a medium bowl and add the zest of the lemon, the lemon juice, and the vanilla. Add the butter and mix everything together.

Whisk the eggs in a small bowl until they are uniformly yellow. Then pour them into the butter mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk in the milk as well.

In another medium bowl mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture and whisk to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased 9 1/2 inch rectangular loaf pan and bake until a cake tester comes out cleanly, about 50 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and let cake cool in the pan.

For the strawberries:
Place the strawberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Cook the mixture over high heat, mashing the strawberries as you go. Use a spoon or a potato masher and continue until it is the consistency of a loose jam. This takes around 30 minutes. Then remove pan from the heat and set it aside to let the mixture cool completely before you use it.

For the trifle:
Using a hand mixer, whip the cream but be careful not to over whip it. For this trifle I like the cream to be soft and not stiff, as is usually more desirable.

Slice the cake into slices about half an inch thick. Slice a few pieces at a time. I found I still had a nub of extra cake. Place a layer of cake (about a third of the total amount) in the bottom of a tall bowl or trifle dish. Sometimes it can be helpful to place a couple slices up the sides as well. Cover the slices in a layer of whipped cream (about a third of it), then a layer of the strawberries (about a third). Follow with another third of each ingredient: a layer of cake, a layer of cream and a layer of strawberries. Finish with a final layer of cake, a final layer of cream and a final layer of strawberries. Place in the fridge before serving. This dessert benefits from being made ahead of time. It is best the next day. Enjoy!