Description
This Black Forest Trifle is a luscious layered dessert combining moist chocolate sponge cake, tart cherries, creamy vanilla custard, and fluffy whipped cream. Perfect for special occasions or a decadent treat, it offers the classic flavors of a Black Forest cake in an easy-to-assemble and visually stunning trifle presentation. The dessert is chilled to meld the flavors beautifully before serving.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Cake Layer
- 1 chocolate sponge cake or brownie (about 8–10 oz), cut into cubes
- 2–4 tbsp kirsch or cherry liqueur (optional)
Cherry Layer
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or canned sour cherries, drained with juice reserved
Vanilla Custard
- 2 cups vanilla custard (homemade or store-bought)
- 2 large eggs (if making custard from scratch)
- 1/4 cup sugar (if making custard)
- 2 cups milk (if making custard)
Whipped Cream
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar (optional, for sweetening whipped cream)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Garnish
- Chocolate shavings or cocoa powder, for garnish
- Fresh cherries and mint sprigs (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare the Chocolate Cake: Bake a chocolate sponge cake or brownie or use a store-bought one. Allow it to cool completely, then cut into cubes or slices that will fit well into your trifle dish. Optionally, lightly soak the cake pieces with kirsch or cherry juice to add moisture and authentic flavor.
- Make the Custard: If making from scratch, whisk eggs, sugar, and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until the custard thickens. Remove from heat and let cool. Alternatively, use high-quality prepared vanilla custard for ease.
- Arrange the First Layer: Place a layer of the soaked chocolate cake cubes at the bottom of a large glass trifle bowl or individual serving glasses.
- Add a Cherry Layer: Spoon tart cherries evenly over the cake layer, allowing some cherry juice to seep into the cake to enhance moisture and flavor.
- Pour Custard Over Cherries: Gently pour a generous layer of vanilla custard over the cherries, spreading it to cover the fruit evenly without disturbing the layers beneath.
- Add Whipped Cream: Spread a thick layer of freshly whipped cream over the custard layer for a light and fluffy finishing touch.
- Repeat Layers: Continue layering cake, cherries, custard, and whipped cream until the trifle dish or glasses are filled, finishing with a top layer of whipped cream.
- Garnish and Chill: Sprinkle chocolate shavings or dust with cocoa powder over the top layer of whipped cream. Optionally, add fresh cherries and mint sprigs for garnish. Refrigerate the trifle for at least two hours or overnight to let the flavors meld beautifully before serving.
Notes
- Kirsch or cherry liqueur is optional but adds authentic Black Forest flavor and moistens the cake.
- You can use canned sour cherries with their juice if fresh cherries are not available.
- For convenience, use store-bought vanilla custard or pudding mix instead of making custard from scratch.
- Whipped cream can be lightly sweetened with powdered sugar and flavored with vanilla extract if desired.
- Chilling the trifle is important to allow the layers to blend and the dessert to firm up for cleaner servings.
- This dessert can be prepared a day in advance, making it ideal for entertaining.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: German
Keywords: Black Forest trifle, chocolate dessert, layered dessert, cherry custard trifle, easy trifle recipe
