Ingredients

• 175g/6oz butter
• at room temperature
• 175g/6oz caster sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 250g/9oz self-raising flour
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 2 lime zest
• only
• 2 pinches finely ground nutmeg
• 240ml/8¾fl oz red wine
• 2 x 5cm/2in cinnamon
• thumb-nail sized piece ginger
• bashed
• 8 green cardamom pod
• bashed
• 1 clove
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 orange
• juice and zest
• 1 packet strawberry jelly
• 2 x 400g/14oz tins fruit cocktail in light syrup
• drained
• 250ml/9fl oz whipping cream
• 25g/1oz flaked almonds
• toasted
• small handful glacé cherries
• 3 large free-range eggs
• yolks only
• 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
• 50g/1¾oz cornflour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 600ml/1 pint whole milk
• 300ml/10½fl oz single cream

Directions

• For the cake
• preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Grease a 18cm/7in cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
• Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl.
• Beat in the eggs
• one at a time
• beating all the time and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent splitting.
• Sift the flour and gently fold it in
• with enough milk to give a mixture that falls slowly from the spoon. Fold in the zest and nutmeg.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and lightly level the top. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes
• or until golden-brown.
• Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool. It is best to let the cake go stale for a day or two so that it soaks up more jelly.
• For the mulled jelly
• place the red wine with the spices
• sugar
• orange zest and orange juice into a saucepan over a high heat.
• Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for ten minutes.
• Strain and discard the spices; then measure the liquid. Top up with boiling water to the amount of liquid need for the instructions on the packet of strawberry jelly.
• Make the jelly as directed on the packet and set aside.
• To assemble
• cut the cake into cubes and put in a large trifle bowl. Scatter over half of the fruit cocktail and pour half of the jelly on top of the sponge. Place in the fridge to set.
• Once set
• pour on the rest of the jelly and the rest of the fruit and return to the fridge to set again.
• For the custard
• put the egg yolks
• caster sugar
• cornflour and vanilla extract into a large bowl and whisk until blended.
• Heat the milk and cream together in a pan until hot
• but not boiling.
• Gradually whisk this into the egg yolk mixture a little at a time
• then return the mixture to the pan. Stir over a high heat until the mixture just comes to the boil and the custard thickens. Take off the heat and cover with cling film in contact with the surface to prevent a skin forming while it cools.
• Pour over the cooled custard
• cover and leave until completely cold before transferring to the fridge to chill and set.
• To finally assemble
• beat the whipping cream in a bowl until a ribbon of cream falls from the whisk when the whisk is removed.
• Gently spread the cream over the surface of the set custard and scatter with the almonds and top with glacé cherries.