Trifle, Delia and marsala wine

[wem]

I offered to help my mum with christmas dinner, and she asked me to make a trifle. I've never made one before nor do I particularly like them.

Any recommendations for recipes? Apparently Delia has caused a run on Marsala wine for her panettone trifle. Has anyone made it? Any good?

I'm sure my trifle came from Delia but I can't find it online.

Anyway - line the bottom of a bowl and a bit up the sides with slices of bought madeira cake, slosh a ton bit of Creme de Cassis and/or blackcurrant juice over the sponge. Tip over the top of that a bag of (defrosted) frozen summer fruit. Over the top of that, a 50:50 mixture of marscapone and custard which you've whipped together to get rid of lumps. Over the top of that, a layer of whipped cream.

Pannetone and marsala sounds damn good though and I may have to research it.

What I view as a traditional trifle (but then I was a kid in the 70s...). Half a packet of trifle sponges, the drained contents of a tin of mandarin segments, and a glass of sherry all in the bottom. Make up a pint of jelly, using the juice from the tin if it was juice not syrup, or all water otherwise. Leave in fridge to set. Make a pint of custard, using custard powder and milk and making it thicker than usual. Tip over and back into fridge. Finish with a layer of whipped cream, and some retained mandarin segments if you remembered to keep a few back.

Noooooooo jelly in trifle, yuk!

Sponge fingers crushed
slosh on alcohol - sherry, marsala, cointreau, sweeet red vermouth/martini all used to great success.
Add a 1/2 to 1 jar of red jam any fruit you like
Slice up some strawberries or raspberries and add
Splosh on custard - MUST BE BIRDS!
Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with some toasted flaked almonds.

And possibly some grated dark chocolate (but only really for garnish.

Instead of grating chocolate you can severely batter a Cadbury's flake and then pour the crumbs out over the trifle...