Apple and calvados trifle

• By Nick Camilleri Preziosi and Alex Mattei

You can prepare this two days ahead. Trifles are customarily served in clear glass bowls, so you will need one of these. Cut the sponge into slices two centimetres thick and pour on at least six tablespoonfuls of calvados. Leave this to stand for 30 minutes to allow the alcohol to soak in, then put down a layer of the apple mixture, then the custard, and then the cream - each layer should be roughly the same thickness. Decorate the surface with toasted almonds.

For the sponge: four large eggs, 125g of caster sugar, 125g of plain flour (sieved).

For the apple mix: six apples, two tablespoonfuls of soft (light brown sugar), a pinch of ground cinnamon.

For the custard: 420ml of cream, a teaspoonful of vanilla extract , two large eggs, two large egg-yolks, 85g of caster sugar.

For the cream: 280ml of cream, 30g of icing-sugar, a tablespoonful of vanilla extract.

For the topping: 100g of flaked almonds, 30g of icing-sugar, three tablespoonfuls of calvados (plus extra for assembling).

To make the sponge, whisk together the eggs and sugar, on high speed in an electric mixer, for four minutes or until the mix has tripled in volume. Slowly fold in the sieved flour, and then pour the batter into a baking-tray lined with baking-paper. Bake it at gas mark 3/160C until it is golden brown and firm to the touch, which takes about 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.

For the apple mix, peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Place them in a saucepan with the sugar and cinnamon. Cook this over a medium heat until the apples are tender - they must be cooked through. Leave them to cool.

To make the custard, pour the double cream and vanilla extract into a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Meanwhile, mix the eggs, egg-yolks and sugar together in a large bowl. Once the cream reaches boiling point, pour it over the egg mixture, whisking continually to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Strain this through a fine sieve into a large metal bowl. Then place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk occasionally until the custard has thickened. Pour it through a fine sieve into a plastic container and set it aside.

Now whisk together the cream, icing-sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.

To make the topping, mix together the almonds, icing-sugar and calvados, then toast the mixture on a baking-tray in the oven, at gas mark 4/180C, for eight minutes or until it is golden brown.