Drunken Prune–Mascarpone Trifle

1. 1
   Place all ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium low and keep the mixture at a gentle boil until the liquid is syrupy and reduced by almost half, about 45 minutes. Let cool at least 1 hour. Discard the cinnamon sticks and vanilla pod.

To assemble:

1. 1
   Place the cream and mascarpone in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on low speed until just incorporated. Increase the speed to high, add the sugar and lemon zest, and whisk until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
2. 2
   Drain the cooled prunes through a colander set over a large bowl, gently stirring to let the syrup drain through. Roughly chop the prunes in batches (chopping all of the prunes at once will leave a syrupy mess on the cutting board). Return the chopped prunes and any syrup on the board to the bowl of syrup; set aside.
3. 3
   Thinly slice off the pound cake ends and discard. Cut the remaining cake crosswise into 8 (roughly 1-inch-thick) slices. Lay 4 of the slices flat in a 3-quart trifle dish, trimming them as needed to fill any gaps in the bottom of the dish for an even layer.
4. 4
   Pour half of the prunes and syrup evenly over the layer of pound cake. Top with half of the whipped cream, spreading it to the edges of the dish in an even layer. Evenly sprinkle half of the almonds over the whipped cream. Repeat, layering the remaining pound cake, prunes, whipped cream, and almonds. Serve immediately.