Red, (Off) White and Blue Berry Trifle

Some things just photograph real pretty. Like patriotic (but not overly so) berries on the Fourth of July.

And if you're going to have the real deal in fresh berries, why not go all out and bake a pound cake from scratch and make a pastry cream the same way? Hello, butter, butter, sugar, sugar, eggs, eggs. (I taught my roommate why pound cake in all its butteriness is called pound cake while I was at it.)

 You know the only thing that was missing in the ingredient list at that point in the brainstorming? Liqueur. So I drizzled me some Amaretto on the cake pieces.

This final masterpiece made its debut following dinner on the Fourth. Throw 19 eaters in the mix, and whoosh, it was gone baby gone.

Happy berry season to ya!

Red, (Off) White and Blue Berry Trifle

1 recipe pound cake
Amaretto or other liqueur, to taste
3 recipes pastry cream
1 pound strawberries, sliced
1 pint blueberries

Cut cake into approximately 1-square-inch cubes. Arrange cake pieces in the bottom of a trifle bowl, covering most of the surface in a single layer. Drizzle liqueur over cake.

Spread about 1/3 of pastry cream on cake+liqueur and then sprinkle with half of strawberries.

Repeat cake, liqueur and pastry cream layers and sprinkle with half of blueberries.

Repeat again cake, liqueur and pastry cream layers and then sprinkle with remaining strawberries and the blueberries.

Refrigerate for several hours for flavors to meld. Serve cold.