This luscious dessert is made with sponge fingers soaked in Amaretto liqueur and coffee, layered with a heavenly mascarpone cheese mixture and juicy South African peaches. It’s perfect for a special occasion - and can be made a day ahead.

Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 25 minutes

You’ll need:

300ml strong black coffee, cooled
6tbsp Amaretto liqueur or Marsala
200g pack sponge fingers
4 South African peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
2 x 250g tubs mascarpone cheese
400ml double cream
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
30g caster sugar
2-3tbsp pomegranate seeds

What to do:

1 Put the coffee into a shallow bowl and add the Amaretto liqueur or Marsala. One at a time, dip in half the sponge fingers, allowing a couple of seconds for the liquid to soak in, transferring them to a large trifle bowl as you go along.

2 Beat the mascarpone cheese in a bowl to soften it. Whip the cream in a large chilled bowl until floppy, then fold it into the mascarpone with the orange zest and sugar. Pile half on top of the sponge fingers and spread out evenly. Arrange half the peach slices over the top in an even layer.

3 Repeat the layers of soaked sponge fingers, mascarpone mixture and peaches. Cover and chill until ready to serve, sprinkled with the pomegranate seeds.

Cook’s tips: You could use trifle sponges instead of sponge fingers – and raid the drinks cabinet if you don’t have Amaretto liqueur or Marsala – try Tia Maria or sweet sherry instead. If you like, sprinkle the top with 3-4 roughly crushed Amaretto biscuits.

Credits: http://beautifulcountrybeautifulfruit.com/