A trifle isn't just for Christmas - try this trifle and you will want to eat more and more!

This trifle is ideal for those of us who, as a result of a good harvest, have a store of berry fruit in our freezers. When the fruit is thawed it produces a juice that soaks into the sponge too. Alternatively you could use fresh fruit and maybe moisten the sponge with fruit juice or something stronger. We have used redcurrants, raspberries, loganberries (well they may have been tayberries) and blackberries. Just shows how many times we have made this trifle over the last month!!

Ingredients

• 250g (9 oz) tub mascarpone Italian cheese
• 500g (1lb 2 oz) carton ready-made custard
• 350g (12 oz) fresh or frozen fruit (raspberries are good)
• ½ tablespoon golden caster sugar
• Small bar of white chocolate
• Sponge cake (Lemon goes well with raspberries)

Method

1. Place half of the fruit into the bottom of a 2 pint serving bowl.
2. Sprinkle with cater sugar to sweeten as desired (or if you like your fruit to have a bit of a tang - as we do -  leave out the sugar entirely)
3. Cut the sponge cake into slices and place in a layer to cover the fruit.
4. Cover the layer of sponge with the remaining fruit.
5. Sprinkle more caster sugar over the fruit to taste.

The Topping

1. Beat the mascarpone and custard together into a smooth mixture
2. Pour over the fruit and sponge cake.
3. Grate the white chocolate and sprinkle over the top. (A food processor is good for this - it also leaves a small piece of chocolate which cannot be grated for the cook to enjoy as a treat!)
4. Place the finished trifle in the fridge to chill.
5. Then just enjoy!