Chocolate Hazelnut Trifle is easy yet eye-popping

Beverly writes: In my book, Alicia is queen of the trifle, and lots of our readers have been grateful over the years for her ingenious and "desperate" twists on this traditional British dessert. Although I've always been lucky enough to eat Alicia's fabulous trifles, it had been years since I had made one all by myself.

Bear in mind that making a trifle is not at all hard or time-consuming. However, standing in my kitchen trying to remember when I was supposed to repeat which layers, I must admit that my head started to spin. (OK, maybe it was a senior moment.)

• For this recipe, you'll have four basic "layer" ingredients: ladyfingers, raspberries, chocolate-hazelnut pudding and whipped topping. Line them up on the counter in the order you'll use them. This will help you keep the layers straight. (Or number the layers on a note card cheat-sheet and tape it to a cupboard door.)

• Don't obsess over your layers. The amount for each layer doesn't have to be exact — thus the word "about."

• There's a lot of stuff here for one bowl, and it helps if all of your ladyfingers lie flat on only the bottom of the bowl. If ladyfingers start to creep up the edges you'll get gaps, in effect reducing the bowl's capacity.

• The trick that makes a trifle so beautiful is how the colors of the different layers show through the edges of a clear glass bowl. For this to work, be sure to spread a little of each layer all the way to the edge of the bowl.

• If you don't own a trifle bowl, they're very inexpensive at mart-type stores and kitchen shops. I actually found mine in a pharmacy, and it was well worth the $13 investment.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT TRIFLE WITH RASPBERRIES

Start to finish: 20 minutes preparation, plus 6 hours unattended chilling time

Cook's notes:

• Be sure to buy "instant" pudding (the no-cook variety), and do NOT make it according to the package directions. (You'll be using less milk for this recipe.)

• You can use 5 cups of fresh strawberries instead of raspberries, but reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup.

• Check with the bakery manager at your grocery store for ladyfingers (they are sometimes refrigerated), or substitute thin slices of angel food cake or pound cake.