Black Forest Trifle

I made everything from scratch but you could buy the cake, custard etc if you wish. You can get the sour cherry jam and the jars of cherries from deli's at the markets if you can't find them in the supermarket - that's where I got mine from. You can also make your preserved cherries during cherry season (we now have our own made up for next year).


1 Chocolate cake (see recipe below)
Chocolate crème anglaise (see recipe below)
600mL of pure cream
vanilla paste
Sour cherry jam
2 x 500g jars of pitted sweet cherries
Kirsch (or cherry brandy if you prefer)
Dark chocolate for decoration
Cherry juice reduction (see below)


Spread cherry jam thickly on approx half the chocolate cake and layer on bottom of trifle dish.
Cover with 1 jar of drained and pitted cherries.
Pour over approx 30mL of kirsch.
Pour approximately half the cooled chocolate custard over the cake and cherry layer.
Whip cream with 1 tsp of vanilla paste and small amount of kirsch. Spread approx half the whipped cream in a layer over the custard layer.
Repeat all layers again, finishing with the cream layer.
Decorate with curls of grated chocolate and drizzles of the cherry reduction.

chocolate cake recipe:

• 1 cup water
• 1¼ cups caster sugar
• 125g butter
• ½ cup Cadbury Bournville Cocoa
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1¼ cups self raising flour, sifted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 190ºC conventional or 170ºC fan forced. Line a 20cm cake pan base with baking paper and lightly grease sides of pan.
   
   
2. Combine water, sugar, butter, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda in medium saucepan; stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cool to room temperature (this takes about 30 minutes).
   
   
3. Add flour and egg and beat until just combined. Pour into pan and bake for 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes then turn onto cooling rack.

For the chocolate crème anglaise:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
9 large egg yolks
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate; coarsely chopped

1. Combine the cream and half the sugar (1/4 cup) in a medium saucepan
over medium heat. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from the
heat.
2. Whisk together the remaining sugar (1/4 cup) and the egg yolks
until well incorporated, then whisk in half of the hot cream. Pour the
cream and egg mixture back into the saucepan and place over low heat.
Stirring constantly, cook the mixture until it is viscous and coats
the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Melt the chocolate over low heat and whisk into the crème anglaise.
Cool and refrigerate.

Cherry reduction
Place approx half of the cherry juice from one jar in a small saucepan. Add a small amount (approx 30 mL) of kirsch or other liquor. Bring to boil an simmer gently until the liquid has reduced to approx 1/3 the volume and is thick and glossy. You may wish to add a small amount of cornflour to the reduction to help thicken.