Gingerbread!!!!

Actually, Gingerbread & Lemon Curd Trifle with Blackberry Sauce to be exact. My first attempt at home made gingerbread & my first trifle & it was a hit today. Tangy, lemony & creamy all at once. Great flavor combinations and a thumbs up from everyone at the table. This was a creation of Bobby Flay shown earlier this month on Food Network & one I will make again. The only changes I made from the original were to use pomegranite liquer instead of framboise & egg substutue & it didn't hurt the outcome at all. I assembled the trifle yesterday & refrigerated until it's unveiling at the table today.

Gingerbread Cake:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

3 cups ap flour

2 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp minced crystalized ginger

10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup molasses

1 cup boiling water

2 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

Lemon Curd Filling, recipe follows

Blackberry Sauce, recipe follows

Position rack in center of oven & preheat to 350 degrees F.

Spray 1 half-sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; spray paper. Sift flour & next 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Mix in crystalized ginger. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in brown sugar. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Gradually beat in molasses, followed by 1 cup boiling water. Mix in grated lemon peel. Gradually mix in dry ingredients. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan sides. Turn out onto a rack & peel off paper. Cool & cut into 1-inch cubes.

To assemble:

Using a trifle bowl, start with an even layer of gingerbread cubes, top with 1/3 of the lemon curd mixture, and 1/3 of the blackberry sauce. Repeat 2 more times. Top with remaining whipped cream. Cover & refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Lemon Curd Filling:

2 (11-ounce) jars prepared lemon curd

2 cups heavy cream, sweetened with sugar & vanilla, beaten to soft peaks

Place lemon curd in a large bowl. Fold in half of the whipped cream until combined. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Reserve remaining whipped cream for the top of the trifle.

Blackberry Sauce:

2 pints fresh blackberries, or 1 bag frozen blackberries, thawed

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch salt

2 tbsp framboise (raspberry liquer)

1 tablesponn fresh squeezed lemon juice

Place blackberries, sugar & salt in a medium saucepan & cook until the berries are soft & the sugar has melted. Transfer to a blender & blend until smooth. Poor through a strainer into a bowl. Stir in the framboise & lemon juice. Set aside until ready to use.

Next time I will make half the gingerbread recipe as I had plenty left over after assembly -- which is not a bad thing! If you make the original cake recipe, you will need a VERY large bowl.