Downton Abbey Trifle

Custard:

2 ½ cup vanilla soy milk (or regular milk)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch of ground vanilla beans (optional)
4 eggs

Cake:

1 box of vanilla cake mix (and all necessary ingredients)
chocolate chips (optional)

Fruit:

3 cups of strawberries, diced
1 banana, sliced

Whipped Cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream
5 strawberries

First you will need to bake your cakes. Select two 8" pans. Follow the directions on the box of your favorite cake mix. Divide the batter into the two round cake pans. If you chose, sprinkle chocolate chips into one of the two cakes. Bake following the specific directions on the box and allow the cakes to cool.

The next step is to prepare the custard. Bring two cups of soy milk to a simmer on the cooktop. In a separate large pot (off of the stove for now), crack the eggs and then add the sugar, the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, the cornstarch, and the ground vanilla. Whisk this mixture until all of the ingredients are incorporated. As soon as the soymilk simmers, remove it from the stove and slowly add it to the cold egg mixture. Now it's time to transfer the large pot to the stove. Turn the burner on to a medium flame and slowly whisk until the warm milk is incorporated into the egg mixture. Continue to whisk on a medium heat until the custard thickens, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Now it's time to assemble your trifle! Start by popping your cooled cakes out of their pans. Using the rim of your trifle dish as a guide, cut the cakes into 2 circles slightly smaller than your dish (if the cakes start to fall apart, feel free to cut one into small squares. The end result will still be beautiful!). Set the prepared cakes aside.

Spoon a layer of cooled custard into the bottom of your trifle dish. Next, place one of your cake layers on top of the layer of custard. On top of the cake add a layer of fruit, then another layer of custard, another layer of cake, another of fruit, and another of custard.

The final key ingredient of this trifle is homemade strawberry whipped cream. Using an electric mixer, pour the pint of heavy cream into a cold bowl along with 5 fresh strawberries. Beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Top the trifle off with your fresh homemade whipped cream and enjoy!

Serves 6