Trifle Cups

I love individual Trifles as  I beleive everyone gets a bit of everything and enjoy the lovely boozy sauce that comes up with every spoonful.  You can freeze them and take them out on the serving day, simply by transfering them to your fridge in the morning. For genuine results please do take a bit of extra work and make your own sponge and custard!

For the sponge you will need:
4 eggs
1 cup castor surgar
few drops vanilla essence
3/4cup plain flour
 1/3 cup cornflour
1tsp baking powder

For the custard
1 litre milk
250ml fresh cream
2 tablespoons sugar
8 egg yolks (use whites for pavlova)
1 vanilla pod
2 teaspoons gelatin powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
1 heaped teaspoon cornflour
200g plain chocolate
2 tablespoons icing sugar

Extra for the Trifles,
1 can mixed fruit cocktail
1/4 cup Martini, Vermouth or sweet Sherry
3 tablespoons strawberry jam
lightly wipped fresh cream
hundreds and thousands or cocktail cherries for decoration

Make the sponge by beating eggs and sugar on high speed till stiff peaks form. Add essence.  Sift flour, cornflour and baking powder and gently fold into egg mixture with a metal spoon.  Take care not to overwork. Put mixture into non stick round 20cm pan and bake in medium oven 180c for 20mins until golden and spring back when touched in the centre. Remove and turn to wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile make the custard by heating the milk until nearly boil with the vanilla stick which you open by sliding along a small knife and scoop out the small seeds.  In a medium bowl whisk egg yolks and 2 tablespoons sugar and cornflour until pale and fluffy. Strain milk through fine sieve on top of yolk mixture stirring continuously. Put back on low heat and continue to stir until sauce thickens.  Be careful not to over hear or else the mixture will curdle.  Add the dissolved gelatin, and stir.  Reserve half the mixture in a pouring jug and leave the rest in pan.  Add chopped chocolate and icing sugar and using a whisk stir well till chocolate melts. Do not turn heat on, the custard will be hot enough to melt the chocolate.

In a small bowl mix the jam and martini as well as 2 tablespoons from the fruit cocktail syrup.

Assemble cups by first layer sponge cake, then moisten with 2 tablespoon jam mixture, top with 1 tablespoon fruit and cover with vanilla custard, repeat and top with chocolate custard, repeat if necessary leaving enough space to top with whipped fresh cream.  Decorate with cherries, or hundreds and thousands.