Description
Delight in this indulgent Black Forest Trifle featuring layers of moist chocolate cake, luscious cherry compote, stabilized whipped cream, and mini chocolate chips, perfect for special occasions or a decadent dessert treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Cake
- 1 chocolate cake mix, baked according to box directions for 9×13
- 1 1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cherry Compote
- 4 cups dark, sweet, pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 8 teaspoons cold water
- 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare Cake: Score the baked chocolate cake into small cubes and set aside for layering.
- Make Cherry Compote: In a medium saucepan, add cherries. In a small bowl, whisk water, cornstarch, and lemon juice to make a slurry, then pour over cherries. Heat over medium and stir in sugar. Bring to a low boil, stirring often until cherries soften and burst, mashing gently if desired. Stir in almond and vanilla extracts. Set aside to cool completely.
- Prepare Gelatin: Add cold water to a small saucepan and stir in gelatin. Let sit until thickened, then heat on low, stirring until gelatin dissolves (about 3-5 minutes). Cool slightly without allowing it to set.
- Make Stabilized Whipped Cream: Beat heavy cream and confectioners sugar with a mixer until soft peaks form. Slowly drizzle in the cooled gelatin mixture while mixing on low, add vanilla extract, then increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Assemble Trifle: In a large glass bowl or individual cups, layer cake cubes, cherry compote, whipped cream, and chocolate chips. Repeat layers, ending with chocolate chips. Press down on the cake layer gently to create room for additional layers.
- Chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours, before serving to allow flavors to meld and cream to set.
Notes
- You can stabilize whipped cream by using cream cheese or instant pudding mix, but gelatin keeps the pure cream taste best.
- Fresh or frozen cherries both work well for the compote; ensure frozen cherries are thawed and drained slightly.
- Use a good quality chocolate cake mix or homemade chocolate cake for best flavor.
- Chilling the trifle overnight intensifies the flavor and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
