Creamy Christmas Pudding Trifle with Orange Custard

Crumble the Christmas pudding into the bottom of a large glass trifle bowl or divide it evenly among eight individual dessert glasses. Drizzle the sherry or orange juice evenly over the pudding crumbs so they absorb the liquid and become moist.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the whole milk, granulated sugar, custard powder, and grated orange zest until completely smooth. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens to coat the back of the spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the custard from the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Once cooled slightly, pour the warm orange custard gently over the soaked Christmas pudding layer, then place the bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour to set.

While the custard sets, pour the heavy whipping cream into a large bowl and whip using an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form, which should take about 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to over-whip, or the cream will become grainy.

Carefully scatter the fresh raspberries over the chilled, set custard layer, reserving a few for the top decoration. Spoon the whipped cream over the raspberry layer, smoothing it gently with a spatula or swirling it into decorative peaks.

Scatter the toasted flaked almonds and reserved raspberries over the top of the whipped cream just before serving to add a beautiful crunch. Serve immediately, ensuring each scoop digs deep to capture all the wonderful, contrasting layers.