Lemon Curd's Not Just a Trifle

Haha, so much for my attempts at clever post titles. On a more serious note, I don't quite understand why lemon curd isn't enjoyed more often. It's such a lovely thing, with a bright, cheerful flavor and a smooth, luscious texture. Plus, lemon curd is super easy and super quick to make and the homemade stuff far outweighs the storebought stuff (as is the case with most foods).

Because of its intense flavor, lemon curd can be used sparingly as a filling for cake, pie or lemon bars, a topping on shortbread cookings or scones, or do as my mom does and eat it straight with a bit of whipped cream on top. Sealed (and water bathed) in a jar, lemon curd can be stored in a cool dry place or can simply hang out in your fridge until gone. Citrus fruits are in season when the weather turns cold, so lemon curd is a beautiful taste of summery tang in the middle of winter. The recipe I used can be found here, at the Joy of Baking website.

Now, I'd had plans for my lemon curd besides sitting there, looking all sunshiny and pretty. I was going to make cupcakes with lemon curd filling and marscapone frosting. But I'm still getting used to a new oven that appears to run hot - from the bottom - and so my cupcakes came out iffy. The poor things had funky bottoms and fallen tops. :( But I'm all about turning lemon-curd-planned-baked-goods into different lemon-curd-baked-goods as the situation demands it. I let the cupcake monsters cool and broke them up to use in a trifle.

If you've never had a trifle, you must remedy that ASAP! Trifle is a dessert with layers of cake, fruit, custard/pudding/creamy something, and whipped cream. I've made all sorts of trifles with cakes ranging from angel cake to pound cake to brownies in a variety of flavors; chocolate pudding, white chocolate mousse, and vanilla custard; strawberries, blueberries, bananas and oranges; and regular and flavored whipped creams.

For this trifle I used the aforementioned cupcake pieces, lemon curd, sweetened raspberries (the last of my summer freezer stash) and plain whipped cream. This makes for a rich and tangy combination, with the lemon and the raspberries cutting the sweetness of the cream and cake.

It is imprerative that you serve the trifle in a pretty glass dish, either a large bowl (my large trifle dish is an elegant footed affair) or individual glasses, as I did here. You want the attractive layers to been seen and enjoyed even before they are tasted.

*as always, you must take my amateur photography with a very large grain of sea salt. Thanks.