To make the custard begin by heating the milk, cream, and vanilla in a saucepan. You just want it to come to a simmer, you’ll see steam rising from the surface as well. (If you are using Bird’s custard, follow the preparation instructions on the canister for two pints.)
Whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch. It will be all lovely and yellow.
Next, you’ll temper the eggs (follow the instructions in the printable version) and pour everything back into the saucepan to thicken. You need to do it slowly so you don’t burn it, but custard can be finicky, so you need to make sure it heats enough to bubble for several minutes. Use a sturdy rubber spatula to stir the liquid and keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
I quicken the cooling process by using an ice bath. Fill a large bowl with ice and put the hot custard into a bowl that will fit into the larger bowl. After that’s in there, add some water to the ice to make the ‘bath”. This will chill the outside of the bowl that’s holding the custard, which will help its contents to cool faster.
Because you are brushing the cake with sherry, you want the cake pieces to be small enough to soak it up. I sliced my cake in half horizontally.
Place all those pieces cut-side up and brush them with the cream sherry. Now spread the jam on top. Cut them into small squares.
I chopped fresh strawberries and used fresh raspberries as well. It’s not uncommon for people to use frozen fruit, thaw it out and macerate it, especially in the winter months when [good] fresh fruit is not readily available. Some English cooks don’t macerate the fruit at all, they just use it as is. Unless I’m getting my berries at their peak season, I tend to macerate them or they are a bit too tart. Macerate the sliced berries with sugar and sherry and set aside.
When you’re ready to assemble the trifle, layer one-third of the cake cubes, jam side up, in the bottom of the trifle dish.
Cover with one-third of the macerated fruit.
Add one-third of the custard.
Finally, top with one-third of the whipped cream.
w repeat those layers two more times. Garnish with fresh sliced strawberries or raspberries and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
