Spectacular Holiday Cranberry Trifle

This bowl is the size of a small punch bowl (one gallon) and I used to use it several times a year.... especially during the holidays but not so now since we entertain a lot less and in smaller numbers.  It was stored in the barn and just bringing in  evoked lots of great memories... how many bowls can do that?  Tomorrow we are going to a charity bridge function and I volunteered to bring a dessert to feed 20/24 people.

 This holiday trifle is perfect because, except for the whipped cream, it can all be made the day before.  In fact it is better if it is made the day before.
Cranberry sauce
Make fabulous cranberry sauce from scratch.....
6 cups cranberries
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup apple cider (or orange juice)
1 t. cardamom
1 t. allspice (I use Chinese 5 spice instead)
I did not give an alternate because there is NO good substitute for homemade cranberry sauce and it is so easy to make.

Custard
Make 4 cups rich custard from scratch or ...........

2 pkg Jello "Cook &  Serve" custard mix  with  4 egg yolks
 Do not substitute  vanilla pudding mix. Yuk!

Pound Cake
Bake large pound cake from scratch or.......
2 pound cake mixes
Mix according to directions
Bake 25 min. in four 8" cake pans

4 cups Sherry

Then it is a layer of cranberries, a layer of cake brushed with sherry, cranberries, layer of custard, layer of cake brushed with sherry, layer of cranberries, layer of custard and so on.  Then all is mounded with real whipped cream...  Because I have to transport this in the car, I am taking the whipped cream separate and applying it on site.  Because of the size of the crowd I filled this more full than usual...  Now it will sit overnight in the frig with all the flavors blending deliciously.