Photo by Virginia Pinkston

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• sponge cake, baked in standard tube pan (Use your favorite recipe.)
• 1/4 cup rum
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 cups milk
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 4 to 6 firm bananas, sliced

Preparation
Place sponge cake on a plate, and poke holes across the top with a toothpick or wooden skewer. Brush cake with rum. Set aside.

In medium saucepan, combine flour and brown sugar. Whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk about 1 cup hot milk mixture into egg yolks, then return all to saucepan, whisking to combine tempered yolks well with sauce. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook until very thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature, and fold in whipped cream.

Tear cake into 3-inch pieces. Assemble trifle by creating repeating layers of cake, pudding and bananas. End with bananas. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.