You see people pull out etched-glass trifle bowls passed down from their grandmothers, and the recipes are passed down, too,” says Dabney, whose grandmother’s take included Sara Lee poundcake ...

An American trifle can be less fussy. If you ever have a cake that doesn’t come out of the pan or cracks too much to frost, crumble it into a bowl, layer it with pudding or custard, fruit and ...

Place a layer of pound cake slices, breaking them to fit evenly, into an 8-inch-deep trifle bowl, or 3-quart glass bowl. Drizzle one-third of the sherry onto the pound cake.

Arrange about half of the cubes in a single layer on the bottom of a glass trifle dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

5. Use a 9-inch round trifle dish or glass bowl with a 14-cup capacity. Line the bottom of the dish with a layer of ladyfingers, breaking into pieces if necessary.

* Once the custard has cooled, mix in one-third of the whipped cream with the custard using a rubber spatula to lighten. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream and refrigerate the custard ...