Mexican Trifle - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups milk
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 small sponge cakes, sliced or 24 ladyfingers
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 cups sliced papayas (or a combination of bananas and mandarin oranges)
1/4 cup Cointreau liqueur or 1/4 cup brandy
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup whipping cream
chocolate curls, for decoration

Preparation

Combine 3/4 cups of the sugar, flour and cinnamon; gradually stir in milk.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Boil and stir 2 minutes.
Beat egg yolks slightly.
Blend a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to the pan.
Cook 1 minute (do not boil.) Remove from heat; add butter, vanilla and almond extract, blending well.
Cover and chill.
To assemble, spread cake with apricot jam.
Dice fruit of choice; place in a bowl with Cointreau.
Beat 2 egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy; gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and beat until stiff but not dry.
Fold into chilled custard a little at a time.
Whip cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until stiff peaks form.
In a 2-quart serving bowl layer 1/3 of the custard, 1/2 of the cake, 1/3 of the fruit with a few teaspoons of Cointreau and 1/3 of the whipped cream; repeat once.
Top with remaining custard, fruit and whipped cream.
Garnish with chocolate curls.