SUMMER BERRY TRIFLE
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Trifles usually look a lot better than they taste because busy cooks simplify the complicated preparation by subbing in shortcut ingredients like storebought cake and pudding from a box. We wanted to streamline, but not shortchange, the components so that the entire trifle could be made from scratch in just a few hours. We added a little extra flour to a classic chiffon cake so we could bake it in an 18 by 13-inch sheet, which baked and cooled much more quickly than the traditional tall chiffon cake, and we prevented our pastry cream from turning runny during assembly by adding a little more cornstarch than other recipes. Rather than leaving all our berries whole, we mashed one-third of them so their juices would provide moisture to the cake and help the trifle components meld. A bit of cream sherry, mixed into the whipped cream and drizzled on each layer of cake, added a sophisticated layer of flavor and pulled the dessert together.