If you are looking for an elegant yet easy dessert, you might consider making a trifle. This dish originated in England, in a simpler form than now, in the late 16th century. There are many variations of it today, including versions by other countries such as France and Italy. Trifle is typically presented in a large clear glass bowl to show off the several layers of which it is composed.
If you have a knife block set, you probably already have one of the utensils you will need, which is a sharp bread knife. Other types of knives may be used also, as long as they are suitable for slicing soft cake into pieces. Of course, you will also need a large cutting board on which to do the slicing.
Both the ingredients and the amounts of them in a trifle are not critical, and may change according to your preference and what you have to work with. To begin with, you will need cake of some type, such as sponge cake, pound cake, sweet muffins, cupcakes or ladyfingers. Whatever you use, cut it into cubes of approximately 2 inches, or slice it thinly. Then coat the pieces with jam of your preference, and put a layer of them in the bottom of the dish you will be serving the trifle from.
Next you will be sprinkling the layer of cake pieces with a liquid, which can be sherry, port wine, liqueur, whiskey or fruit juice, as you prefer. The second layer to be put into the bowl is custard or pudding. Vanilla flavored custard is often used, but there are many other flavors that can be used, such as mocha, peanut butter, or chocolate. Depending on your preference and the other ingredients, you may use whatever you like.
Repeat the first two layers, of cake and custard, including the jam and liquid on the cake layer. If you like, a layer of sliced fruit may be included between the layers of custard and cake. To prepare the sliced fruit, a good sharp paring knife is ideal. A good cutlery set, such as a Wusthof knife set, should include at least one paring knife that will do the job.
The uppermost layer of a trifle is usually composed of whipped cream. Start with the cream in a well chilled bowl to ensure easy whipping. It should be beaten at high speed until it becomes thick and holds its shape. The ideal appliance for this is a lightweight yet powerful one, such as a Kitchen Aid hand mixer. You may sweeten and flavor the cream during the whipping process. Be sure not to beat the cream too long, as it may turn into butter if you do.
Use the whipped cream to top the cake and custard layers, spreading it all over and sealing the edges to the bowl. You may garnish the whipped cream if you like, with sliced fruit, nuts, chocolate shavings, coconut, or whatever other topping you prefer. Trifles are usually best after being refrigerated for several hours or overnight, giving the flavors and textures a chance to blend together. The only other thing you need to do is to serve, and enjoy.