Cake Corner

Ingredients
200 g ready-made madeira sponge
100 ml sweet sherry
100 g amaretti biscuits
300 g brambles
300 ml double cream
CUSTARD
500 ml milk
150 ml double cream
8 large free-range egg yolks
75 g sugar
1 heaped tablespoon cornflour

Method
For the custard, pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and place over a medium heat.
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together until smooth.
As soon as the milk mixture starts to bubble at the edges, pour it into the egg yolk mix, whisking all the time.
Return the mix to the saucepan and place it back over the heat. Using a spatula, stir the custard until it thickens, then remove from the heat and pour into a clean bowl.
Cover with greaseproof paper and set aside to cool completely.
Break the sponge into chunks and layer over the base of a glass trifle dish. Splash on the sherry and let the cake soak it up.
Crumble three-quarters of the amaretti biscuits over the sponge, then cover with the brambles, saving the best-looking ones (about a third) for the top. Spoon the cooled custard over the top and smooth out as best you can.
Whip the double cream to soft peaks, then spoon it over the custard and smooth out. Decorate the trifle with the rest of the brambles, then put in the fridge for 3 hours to set.
Just before serving, crumble the rest of the amaretti over the trifle.
To serve, scoop big spoonfuls into bowls, making sure you reach the bottom, so every serving has a mix of all the layers.

Ingredients
unsalted butter , for greasing
6 eating apples
100 g sugar
2 large free-range eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
60 g self-raising flour
½ teaspoon mixed spice
icing sugar , for dusting

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and grease a 1.5-litre baking dish with butter.
Peel, core and chop the apples, then place in a pan with 50g of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water.
Cover and cook, stirring now and then, for 8 minutes, or until the apple breaks down. Spoon into your dish, leaving the excess liquid in the pan.
Beat the eggs with the remaining 50g of sugar until fluffy, then stir in the vanilla extract, sift in the flour and spice and fold together.
Pour the batter over the apples and bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean from the sponge.
Dust with icing sugar before serving. Delicious served hot with ice cream or custard.