Sponge Cake with Lemon Olive Oil and Peach Balsamic

For The Pound Cake
(Makes 2 cakes)

• 1 pound (3 1/4 cups) + 2 tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans
• 1/2 cup Lemon Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 9 large, room-temperature eggs
• 2 tablespoons sanding sugar 

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans. Combine 3 1/4 cups flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Cream butter, sour cream, and sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract.
3. Lightly beat eggs with the lemon olive oil, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Divide batter between pans. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops.
4. Before baking, sprinkle sanding sugar over each cake. Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.

 For the Lemon Curd

• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 whole large eggs plus 2 large yolks
• 4 Tbs. of Bluff Cove Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Whisk together lemon zest, juice, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, and yolks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, for 2 minutes while whisking constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter extra virgin olive oil until smooth.

Chantilly Cream

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract

Directions

1. In the bowl of a mixer, whip cold cream to light peaks. Add sugar and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.

Fresh Berries

• 2 pints of fresh berries such as strawberries (halved), black berries, raspberries and or blueberries
• 1/2 cup Bluff Cove Peach White Balsamic

Directions:
Macerate (soak) the fresh berries in the peach white balsamic for 15 minutes before assembling the trifle.

To Assemble The Trifle

1. Cut one pound cake loaf in to one inch cubes. Add 1/3 of the pound cake cubes to the bottom of your trifle dish.  Use a pastry brush to dab Peach White Balsamic on to the pound cake.  Next, layer with 1/2 cup of lemon curd. Arrange 1/3 of the berries decoratively along the perimeter of the trifle dish, covering the layer of lemon curd. Add 1/2 cup of the chilled Chantilly cream over the berries. Repeat these layer two more times ending with a layer of Chantilly cream on top. Allow the sponge cake to rest, covered and chilled, for three hours before serving Garnish with fresh berries and a mint sprig.

Serves 10 -12 generously