Earl grey and orange hot cross bun trifle

Method

1. Mix the boiling water with the madeira/sherry/wine, earl grey tea bags/leaves and prunes in a heatproof jug or bowl. Leave to infuse for 1 hour (or see Make Ahead).
2. Meanwhile, make the candied oranges. Pour 300ml water into a saucepan, add the caster sugar and bring to the boil. Add the orange slices, then turn down to a medium heat and simmer for 50-60 minutes until the skins are soft and sweet and the liquid is slightly syrupy. Leave to cool.
3. For the citrus curd, heat 30g of the butter in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until bubbling. It should look golden and smell toasty. Remove from the heat, then quickly add the rest of the butter, the orange and lemon juices and the sugar. Mix well until dissolved and smooth. Add the egg and yolks and beat well with a balloon whisk. Turn the heat to low and return the pan to the heat, whisking all the time, for 8-10 minutes until you have a thick, creamy curd. Mix in the zests, then leave to cool (see Make Ahead).
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4. To assemble the trifle, discard the teabags/leaves from the prune mixture, then add the syrup from the candied oranges, leaving a few tbsp of it with the oranges. Put the buns in the base of the trifle dish and liberally spoon the earl grey/orange syrup mixture over them to cover (you may not need all the syrup mixture). Arrange most of the orange slices, most of the prunes and half the chopped nuts over the buns, then set aside to soak for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, whip the cream until it holds soft, billowing peaks when you lift out the balloon whisk. Pour most of the curd over the fruit, then top with the custard. Top the custard with the cream, then add the remaining nuts, remaining orange slices (with their syrup) and remaining prunes. Finish with the last drizzles of citrus curd.