Gingerbread Trifle, a favorite Christmas recipe! ~A Kitchen Post

Sometimes I share recipes on my blog & this will be one of those times!
This Gingerbread Trifle recipe is from Kathy Farrell-Kingsley & comes from the December/January 2011 Family Fun magazine.

It is a gingerbread, custard & raspberry dessert.

I have made this recipe several times.  Almost always at Christmas, (although raspberries are in season in the summer, so I think once I made it then), and I think always for a Foster family gathering.  It makes a huge & pretty dessert and feels like a 'rich' dessert, but really is not overly sweet.

(FYI- The picture of the trifle I made tonight doesn't show the fresh whipped cream & raspberries on it, so it's not quite the finished product.  I'll have to add those parts tomorrow just before serving.)

Gingerbread:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark molasses
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Generously grease & flour a 9-inch round pan.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt.
    In a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the butter until it's soft and creamy, about 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the sugar & molasses & beat again until the mixture is well blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes more.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.  Slowly pour in the buttermilk & beat well.  Reduce the mixer's speed to low & slowly add half the flour mixture to the bowl and beat until blended.  Repeat with the rest of the flour mixture.
    Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  Let the cake completely on a wire rack, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap until ready to use.  It can be stored in the pan at room temperature for up to two days.

Vanilla Custard:
9 large eggs, (just using the yolks)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 cups whole milk
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

I love these bright yellow farm fresh eggs of mine!

    Divide the egg yolks and whites.  Place the yolks in a mixing bowl and on medium-high speed beat the yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 2-3 minutes.  Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour.
    In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.  Slowly pour half the milk into the egg mixture and beat until blended, then pour the mixture into the remaining milk in the pan.  Over medium heat, bring the ingredients to a boil while whisking constantly.  Allow the custard to boil for 1 minute as you continue to whisk.  Remove the pan from the heat & stir in the vanilla.

'homemade' vanilla extract!

We just LOVE custard!

Raspberry Filling & Garnish:
3 (12 ounce) packages frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and drained
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup chilled heavy cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1/2 pint fresh raspberries

Assemble the trifle:

   In a medium bowl toss the raspberries and the sugar.  Remove the gingerbread from the pan and use a serrated knife to slice it into four equal wedges.  Turn each wedge on its side and slice it into three equal pieces, (for three layers).  (Then the recipe says something I don't do, but it may depend on your size dish.  I don't own a trifle dish, so I use a wider, shorter dish.  It says:  Stack them, slice the pile in half, and cut off 1 1/2 inches from the tips, reserving the pieces.  The part of this that I do 'do' is to 'slice the pile in half', therefore making 8 wedges per circle instead of 4.)
    Arrange a layer of six cake wedges over the bottom of a 2 1/2 quart bowl or a trifle dish.  Fill the center with a few of the trimmings.  Spoon and spread 3/4 cup of the raspberry mixture over the cake, then top the fruit with 1 cup of custard.  Repeat the layering.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours to let the flavors meld, (the dessert can be stored overnight.)
   Before serving, make the whipped cream.  In a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip the cream with the powdered sugar until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.   Use a spatula to spread the whipped cream on top of the trifle, and garnish is with the fresh raspberries.

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Before having this dessert I don't believe I had ever had gingerbread & raspberry together.  I now know that those flavors go very well together.  In fact, since then I have sometimes made gingerbread cookies & a homemade raspberry frosting, (a basic frosting & adding raspberry jam, fresh raspberries & imitation raspberry extract).

Enjoy & Merry Christmas!