Lemon Trifle

For the cake:
Melt the cubed butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns golden brown. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma. Pour the browned butter into a small bowl to cool. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour three 6 inch round cake pans, tapping out the excess flour. Set pans aside.

In a large bowl, sift and whisk together the flour, icing sugar, lemon zest and almond meal.

In a medium sized bowl mix the egg whites with brown butter and lemon juice. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Divide batter between the 3 pans and smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, about 25 minutes.

Remove pans from oven and set them on a rack. Let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let them cool completely.

For the lemon curd:
In a saucepan whisk eggs, eggs yolks, cornstarch, salt and sugar. Add lemon juice and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and quickly add the butter and mix until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest.

Pour the mixture into a bowl and lightly press some plastic wrap on top. It will prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool then refrigerate it a few hours (overnight if possible).

For the marshmallow frosting:
Mix egg whites, corn syrup, sugar and salt in a heatproof mixing bowl. Set bowl over 1 inch (2.5 cm) of simmering water in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk gently until mixture reaches 110°F/45°C (or until sugar has dissolved and mixture is no longer grainy when you rub it between your fingers).

Remove from heat and using an electric mixer, whisk on medium speed until egg whites are cool to the touch and foamy. Add vanilla extract . Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form. Be really careful to not over-whip it.

For the assembly of the trifle:
In a large and tall bowl , break the cake with your hands into small pieces until you have very fine crumbs.

Place a first layer of cake crumbs in the bottom of the trifle bowl. Then add a generous layer of lemon curd and then add a layer of the marshmallow frosting.

Repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients or when you reach the top of the bowl. Finish with a layer of the marshmallow frosting and use a kitchen torch to lightly brown it (optional, only if you have a kitchen torch). Refrigerate for at least one hour. Eat it. (Best part ever !)