This retro trifle is a twist on the traditional Black Forest gateau, because, let's face it, the crowd-pleasing combination of chocolate, cherries and a kick of kirsch is tough to top. Decadent, delicious, and worthy of a Christmas Day dessert.
Looking for more trifle ideas? Find all of our favourite recipes here.
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Yields:
10 - 12
Prep Time:
50 mins
Cook Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Cal/Serv:
524
Ingredients
oil, to grease
3 large eggs
125 g caster sugar
75 g plain flour, plus extra to dust
15 g cocoa powder
500 ml pot fresh chilled custard
100 g dark chocolate, finely chopped, plus extra, grated, to decorate
3 x 425g tins cherries in light syrup
3 Tbsp. Kirsch
3 Tbsp. cherry jam
600 ml double cream
25 g icing sugar
fresh cherries, optional, to decorate
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Grease and line base and sides of a 20.5cm (8in) round cake tin with baking parchment.
Step 2
Put eggs and caster sugar into a large non-metallic bowl. With a handheld electric whisk, beat to combine. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk until mixture is pale and thick – about 5min. Take bowl o ff heat and continue whisking until cool – about 3-5min.
Step 3
Sift in flour and cocoa powder and fold together with a large metal spoon, trying not to knock out air. Carefully pour into tin, level and bake for 20-25min until risen and springy to the touch. Remove from tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Step 4
Meanwhile, put custard and chopped chocolate into a small pan and heat gently, stirring
occasionally, to melt chocolate. Set aside.
Step 5
Drain tinned cherries, reserving 4tbsp of the syrup. Mix Kirsh into reserved syrup. In a separate bowl, mix jam into the cherries. Set both aside.
Step 6
To assemble, in a large bowl whip cream and icing sugar until cream just holds its shape. Mix a large spoonful of whipped cream into chocolate custard to loosen. Slice cooled cake horizontally into three even layers.
Step 7
Place one sponge layer in base of a large trifl e bowl (trim sponge if necessary). Brush over 1/3 of the Kirsch syrup. Top with half the cherry jam mixture, then spread over half the custard, followed by 1/3 of the cream. Repeat layering process once more, finishing with a final layer of sponge (brushed with remaining syrup) and cream. Decorate with fresh cherries, if using, and grated chocolate.
Get Ahead
Prepare to end of step 3 up to a day ahead. Carefully wrap cooled sponge in clingfilm and keep at room temperature. Complete recipe up to 3hr ahead. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Per Serving:
Calories: 524
Fibre: 1 g
Total carbs: 46 g
Sugars: 40 g
Total fat: 34 g
Saturated fat: 21 g
Protein: 6 g
Our favourite trifle recipes for when you want an easy showstopper dessert this Christmas Day
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
