Amaretto And Strawberry Flambe Trifle

Place the hulled and quartered strawberries in a mixing bowl. Toss with the caster sugar and let sit at room temperature to macerate and release their juices.

Using a serrated knife and chopping board, cut the Madeira cake into even, thick slices.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chilled double cream, mascarpone, icing sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Using an electric mixer, whip until soft, voluminous peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip or the mascarpone will split.

Arrange half of the sliced Madeira cake in a tight, even layer at the bottom of the large glass trifle bowl.

Drizzle half of the amaretto liqueur evenly over the sponge layer, allowing it to soak in completely.

Spoon half of the macerated strawberries, along with a drizzle of their sweet ruby juices, over the soaked sponge.

Scatter half of the roughly crushed amaretti biscuits over the strawberry layer to provide a textural crunch.

Spoon or pipe half of the mascarpone cream mixture over the biscuits, smoothing it out gently to the edges of the bowl.

Repeat the layering process one more time: the remaining Madeira cake, the rest of the amaretto, the remaining strawberries and juices, the remaining crushed amaretti biscuits, and finally the rest of the cream.

Cover the trifle bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to meld and the structure to set.

Just before serving, remove the trifle from the refrigerator and generously scatter the shaved white chocolate over the top cream layer.

For the optional flambe: Warm the high-proof rum in a small saucepan to roughly 40 degrees Celsius / 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a long lighter, carefully ignite the alcohol and slowly pour the blue flame over the center of the trifle at the table.