Tailor this make-ahead dessert to your tastes and the seasons by substituting different types of fruit. You can’t go wrong!
Buttermilk Cake
(Make the cake two days before the day it is to be served, or even earlier and freeze.)
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and baking soda
- 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- ½ cup buttermilk or kefir
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour an 8 inch square cake pan, or grease pan and line bottom with parchment.
Whisk dry ingredients and set aside.
In mixing bowl, whisk melted butter with sugar, then add buttermilk and almond extract.
Whisk in eggs one at a time, blending well.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and blend with spatula just until combined; okay if a few lumps remain; pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until inserted tester comes out dry and cake has started to pull away from the sides.
Cool thoroughly; cut into one inch squares.
Cream and Fruit Components
- 2 C sliced fresh strawberries
- one pint fresh raspberries (reserve and refrigerate a few fresh berries for garnish)
- one pint fresh blueberries (reserve and refrigerate a few fresh berries for garnish)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 32 ounces Greek yogurt
- ½ cup honey, preferably local
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, well chilled
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Combine strawberries and 1/4 sugar and refrigerate one hour. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt and honey, mixing well. Using electric mixer, in a separate bowl, whip cream and powdered sugar just until stiff peaks begin to form.
Assemble the Trifle
In three quart glass trifle bowl, begin layering in the following order:
- half of the honeyed yogurt
- half the cake squares
- half the strawberry mash
- all of the raspberries
- half the blueberries and
- half the whipped cream.
Finish the layering with:
- the rest of the yogurt
- the rest of the cake
- the rest of the strawberry mash
- the rest of the blueberries and
- then rest of the whipped cream.
Cover with plastic srap and let chill in fridge at least six hours and up to 24 hours. To serve, remove from the fridge and spoon onto serving plates, garnishing with reserved fruit and a sprig of fresh mint.
Serves 10-12
Recipe adapted from Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company
