Limoncello-Raspberry Trifle

Good food + friends = wonderful evening! We had friends over for an Italian-themed dinner last night and I made this trifle for dessert and in celebration of David's birthday. Ever since I bought my trifle dish, I've enjoyed making a variety of trifles, but this one "takes the cake"! Limoncello is a lemon liquor from Southern Italy. It is traditionally served chilled in small ceramic glasses. I served it as an after dinner drink, along with the trifle, in small ceramic glasses painted with lemons that I bought at Constantino's Market in Providence, RI. There are various brands of Limoncello, and some people even make their own. I read somewhere that the actor, Danny DiVito, produces a premium brand limoncello, made in Italy with organic lemons, that some liquor stores carry under his name brand.

Limoncello-Raspberry Trifle

1.5 pound cake
2 pkgs fresh raspberries
2 boxes of lemon pudding (instant is fine)
1 lemon
1 8 oz sour cream
1 16 oz whipped cream cheese
3 T confectioner's sugar
2-3 T of milk or cream
limoncello
2 crushed amaretto-almond biscotti (optional)

1. Prepare pound cake (I buy an already made one in the bakery section).

2. Prepare lemon pudding. Stir the zest of one whole lemon into the pudding.

3. Prepare cream layer: Mix whipped cream cheese, sour cream,, and confectioner's sugar together- whip till creamy, adding the milk or cream as needed to thin slightly. It should be creamy and spreadable.

4. Cut cake into 1 inch cubes. Place one third the cubes in the bottom of a trifle dish or other dish with high sides. Lightly drizzle limoncello over the pound cake. Add a layer of lemon pudding, a layer of the creamy spread, and dot with raspberries. Repeat the layers two more times, arranging remaining raspberries on the top of the cream.

5. Optional: Before placing the raspberries on top, place 2 biscotti (any flavor but I think the amaretto-almond ones go best with this) in a bag and pound to crush into crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs on top of the creamy topping, then place the raspberries on top.