Christmas Cherry Trifle

This has been a favorite Christmas recipe taken from the book, Dessert University: More Than 300 Spectacular Recipes and Essential Lessons from White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pastry cream
1/8 cup port and extra port to sprinkle on cake
1 cup whipped cream (sweetened to taste)
3 cans (15 oz. each) dark Bing cherries in heavy syrup, drained
yellow cake layered with raspberry preserves

Preparation:

1. Bake a yellow layer cake from your favorite recipe or a mix, layer it with raspberry preserves and cut into 1-inch cubes.

2. In a separate bowl, fold together pastry cream, whipped cream and port.

3. Put one layer of cake cubes down in a bowl and sprinkle with port. Then put on a layer of cherries and a layer of cream mixture.

4. Repeat layering.

5. Top with thin layer of sweetened whipped cream.

6. Place rosettes around the rim.

7. Garnish with fresh cherries and other Christmas decorations.