Ginger Bread and Pumpkin Custard Trifle

This is a trifle that I've been dreaming up ever since the cool weather hit in September. I was surprised to find out that other people had thought of the same thing, and there are a couple of recipes floating out there. I wasn't too thrilled with either one, because they both used Jello pudding mix, so I came up with my own recipe. Delicious!

Ginger Bread and Pumpkin Custard Trifle

Ginger Bread
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 T ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 dashes black pepper
6 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup water
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine dry ingredients. Beat wet ingredients until combined. Add dry ingredients. Beat until smooth. Pour into greased 8 x 8" pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Brown Sugar Spiced Rum Sauce
1 1/3 brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
3 T spiced rum

In a small sauce pan, boil brown sugar, water, and butter for 2 minutes. Take off heat and add spiced rum.

Pumpkin Custard
1 cup sugar
6 T corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups half & half
2 cups pureed fresh pumpkin (or canned pumpkin)
6 egg yolks, beaten
4 T unsalted butter

Mix dry ingredients together in a sauce pan. Whisk in half & half and pumpkin until smooth. Place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Whisk a little of the hot pumpkin mixture into the beaten egg yolks at a time until they are hot, then add the egg yolks into the rest of the pumpkin mixture in the sauce pan. Cook and stir for another minute or so until thicker. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Cool, completely.

Whipped Heavy Cream
1 quart heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Add sugar and whip until combined.

Poke holes into the gingerbread with a skewer or knife. Pour the Brown Sugar Spiced Rum Sauce over the Gingerbread. and allow it to soak up the liquid. Layer the gingerbread with the pumpkin custard and whipped heavy cream in a trifle bowl. Chill and serve cold.