Viva Las Vanilla Wafer Pudding

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1 tablespoon butter

1 cranberry loaf pound cake, enough of which is cut into 1/2-inch cubes to yield 2 cups (or use 2 cups leftover Danish or donuts in conjunction with dried cranberries - see below)

2 cups vanilla wafer cookies

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries, optional (you may not need these if you were able to get a cranberry loaf as listed above)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 bananas

3 eggs

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup amaretto, whiskey, or warm water

1/2 cup apricot jelly

1 pint vanilla ice cream, for serving

1/2 cup chocolate syrup, for serving

1/2 pint heavy cream, whipped, for serving