I scratch make all the components for the trifle from chocolate cake to chocolate pudding,though the entire process becomes a bit time consuming. Instead, you can use cake mix, canned cherry pie filling and instant chocolate pudding mix from the store if you are in a pinch. Either way, this black forest trifle is a rich and decadent treat perfect for Valentine’s day, holiday season or for any occasion! Black forest cake is a German cake that originated in “Black Forest” region. This region specializes in manufacturing of “kirsch wasser”, a kind of liquor that is distilled from tart cherries. The authentic version has kirsch soaked chocolate sponge. However, since my kids were going to eat it too, I did not use kirsch in my recipe. Chocolate cake, sweet cherry filling (compote), whipped cream, milk chocolate pudding- I mean there was no doubt in my mind that this one would be a winner! And it was! My little one told me that I really did well on it! I love making trifles because they are insanely delicious and look quite appetizing on the dessert table. Plus you don’t have to sweat about assembling and decorating a cake to look it pretty. When it comes to trifles, there is room to be messy and freehanded and I absolutely love that part.
Why I love this Recipe
Perfect Make Ahead Dessert - Stays well in the fridge for 2-3 days. Highly customizable - You could make it with a ton of help from the store like using ready to use cherry filling or cherry jam, instant chocolate pudding (jello) or cool whip. Use a chocolate sponge cake, sliced swiss roll of use boxed cake mix to save on time. Variety in Flavors - You could switch up the flavors depending on what you and your family prefer. For example, use vanilla pudding instead of chocolate pudding or if you cannot find fresh cherries and don’t want to use canned pie filling, use strawberries or raspberries for the compote. Lastly, I use milk chocolate throughout my recipe, however I have made this exact same dessert with dark chocolate and it turned out divine.
Easy to make Dessert
But needs planning! The black forest trifle recipe is not complicated to make, however making the components takes time especially if you decide to make them from scratch. With a little planning, you will be efficient in how it goes! Or you can spread out the work over a couple of days and assemble the trifle just a few hours before serving. Here’s my workflow - I start by baking the chocolate cake first thing. While the cake is baking (about 30 minutes), I make the cherry filling and the chocolate pudding. The cake comes out of the oven and while its cooling and so is cherry filling, I make a whipped cream. Now, lets look at the different elements of this black forest cake trifle. You can assemble one large trifle or individual ones.
Chocolate Cake
I have this easy, one bowl chocolate cake recipe that I make all the time. Basically you sift all the dry ingredients along with sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then, mix in the wet, add splash of warm coffee and vanilla. Bake away. You may bake the cake a few days ahead and keep refrigerated. While the cake bakes for about 25-30 minutes, you can use up the time to work on the rest of the components as I am discussing below.
Fresh Cherry Filling
I use fresh cherries (though out of season in February, they were very sweet though) to make the cherry compote layer. Simply pit your cherries. I use a reusable straw since I don’t own a cherry pitter. Learnt this tip from The Kitchn on how to pit cherries without a pitter). Add cherries to a sauce pan with lemon juice, sugar, water and corn starch slurry. Let cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes. I don’t mash because I love how the whole soft cherries pop in your mouth, but you could mash if you prefer so.
2 Ingredient Chocolate Pudding
Technically, 3 ingredient if you count the vanilla essence. This chocolate custard is ridiculously easy to make. You are going to need good quality chocolate and heavy cream. Chocolate wafers or chocolate chips work too! Warm up the heavy cream and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let melt completely, whisk until smooth and then chill. Once chilled, whip up the pudding. The scratch made creamy chocolate pudding gives this trifle utmost richness though its optional. On a completely unrelated note, the chocolate pudding is a great dessert in itself, served with some berries and whipped cream.
Whipped Cream
To make, simply whip heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla together to slightly stiff peaks.
Layering Black Forest Trifle
If you ask me, there are not many rules of how to layer when it comes to trifle. No matter how you do it, every bite is going to be delicious. I start by layering chocolate cake cubes, top with cherry pie filling and then add the chocolate pudding followed by whipped cream. If you wish, soak the cake pieces in a tablespoon of kirsch or cherry juice (non alcoholic) for the authentic taste. Finish top of the trifle with chocolate shavings or chocolate curls and fresh cherries. When it comes to serving, for presentation purposes, it is best to use glass bowls so that the beautiful layers can be seen when you serve. You could make individual servings (definitely a bit time consuming to make 6 servings) or a a single large traditional trifle dish.
Recipe Tips
I suggest making the trifle a few hours or a day ahead and store regrigerated. This gets dessert out of the way and also,the different flavors get a chance to meld togther. Taste as you go and adjust the sweetness and intensity of flavors accordingly. If the cherries are too tart, add a bit of sugar to the filling. Adjust sugar in whipped cream as per your liking. Conversely, if filling becomes too sweet, add extra splash of lemon juice to balance the flavors. Instead of chocolate cake, you could also use brownie pieces, or an even a layer of espresso-soaked ladyfingers for a twist on the classic recipe.
