Gingerbread, Lemon Curd & Blackberry Sauce Trifle

Ingredients for gingerbread:
Non-stick vegetable oil spray
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 T ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 T minced crystallized ginger
10 T (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel


Ingredients for lemon curd filling:
2 (11-ounce) jars prepared lemon curd
3 to 4 cups heavy cream, sweetened with sugar and vanilla, beaten to soft peaks


Ingredients for blackberry sauce:
2 pints fresh blackberries, or 1 bag frozen blackberries, thawed
1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
pinch of salt
2 T Framboise (raspberry liqueur), or to taste
1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

Note: Substitute seedless blackberry jam for blackberry sauce (loosen with raspberry liqueur and lemon juice), as well as homemade lemon curd for bottled

Preparing the gingerbread:
Position rack in center of oven and 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 and next 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Mix in crystallized 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 and peel off paper. Cool and cut into 1-inch cubes.


Preparing the lemon curd filling:
Place lemon curd in a large bowl. Fold in one-half of the whipped cream, to taste, until combined. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Reserve remaining whipped cream for the top of the trifle.


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



Assembling the trifle:
In 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 and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.