Recipes › Cherry › Black Forest Trifle
Black Forest Trifle
A magnificent British trifle inspired by the Black Forest flavours of cherry, dark chocolate and cream. Layers of dark chocolate sponge soaked in kirsch syrup, plump cherries in their own syrup, rich chocolate custard and softly whipped cream are stacked in a glass bowl and finished with chocolate shavings. This is pure indulgent celebration.
Cherry is usually ready June to July. More cherry recipes, or see what to sow this month where you are.
Ingredients
- 400 g fresh cherries
- 300 dark chocolate brownies or sponge
- 4 tbsp kirsch or cherry brandy
- 30 caster sugar
- 400 ml whole milk
- 400 ml double cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- 50 caster sugar
- 100 g dark chocolate (70%)
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 30 g dark chocolate
Contains: cereals gluten, eggs, milk.
Method
- Cook the cherries with the caster sugar in a small pan for 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp kirsch, stir and cool.
- Make the chocolate custard: whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale. Heat the milk to just below boiling, pour onto the yolks whisking constantly. Return to the pan and stir over low heat until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in the chopped chocolate until melted. Cool with clingfilm pressed on the surface.
- Arrange the sponge cubes in a large trifle dish. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp kirsch.
- Spoon over the cherries and their syrup.
- Pour the cooled chocolate custard over the cherries.
- Whip the double cream and icing sugar to soft peaks and spoon over the custard.
- Finish with dark chocolate shavings. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Tips
- Make this the day before — overnight in the fridge gives the layers time to settle and the flavours to meld.
- For non-alcoholic version, replace kirsch with the juice from the cherries.
Ring the changes
- Use shop-bought chocolate Swiss roll in place of homemade brownie for speed.
- Add a layer of cherry jam between the sponge and the fresh cherries for extra depth.
Keeping it
Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Do not freeze.
In the app this recipe finds you
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More from the same crop
Plump British cherries are nestled into a rich, buttery almond frangipane inside a crisp shortcrust shell, creating a tart of extraordinary depth and fragrance. As it bakes, the cherries burst slightly, releasing their juice into the almond cream and creating pockets of jammy intensity. This is a classic summer showstopper that needs nothing more than a little cream alongside.
1 h 20 min · medium · Cherry
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