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black forest trifle
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Black Forest Trifle

An impressive black forest trifle, made with chocolate Swiss roll, Amaretto chocolate custard, cherry pie filling & vanilla whipped cream! This is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British, English, German
Servings: 12 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • 3½ Litre Trifle Bowl
  • Stand Mixer
  • Stick Blender
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Microplane/Grater

Ingredients

  • 1 Chocolate Swiss Roll (10 Slices - See Notes)

Amaretto Chocolate Custard

  • 500 g Whole Milk
  • 400 g Double Cream
  • 80 g Caster Sugar
  • 15 g Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
  • ½ A Vanilla Pod (Or 1 tsp Vanilla Paste)
  • A Pinch Of Sea Salt
  • 70 g Egg Yolks
  • 40 g Cornflour
  • 200 g Dark Chocolate (72% Is Best! - Chopped Into Small Pieces)
  • 60 g Unsalted Butter (Chopped Into Small Pieces)
  • 30 g Amaretto Liqueur

Cherry Pie Filling

  • 800 g Dark Cherries (See Notes)
  • 150 g Caster Sugar
  • 50 g Lemon Juice
  • A Pinch Of Sea Salt
  • 20 g Cornflour
  • 20 g Cold Water
  • 1 tsp Almond Extract
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

  • 600 g Double Cream
  • 150 g Mascarpone
  • 80 g Icing Sugar (Sifted)
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Paste

Toppings

  • Fresh Cherries
  • Dark Chocolate (For Grating)

Instructions

Amaretto Chocolate Custard

  • Place 40 grams of the caster sugar, the cocoa powder & salt into a medium saucepan then whisk in 100ml of the milk to dissolve the cocoa.
  • Add in the rest of the milk, the cream & vanilla pod then set over a medium-low heat & cook until steaming hot, stirring frequently.
    If you're using a vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds then add both the seeds & pod into the milk.
  • Next, add the yolks, cornflour & remaining 40 grams of sugar into a mixing bowl then whisk until combined & smooth.
  • Once the milk is steaming hot, pour half of it into the yolks, whisking as you do so. Pour the now tempered yolks into the pan of milk.
  • Cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly until the custard is thick & starting to bubble. If you take the temperature of the custard with a food probe, it should be around 85°c/185°f once cooked.
    To check if the custard is ready, stop whisking every 20-30 seconds once it has thickened. If a few bubbles appear & pop, the custard is ready. Be careful not to overcook it though!
  • Once the custard is cooked, take the pan off the heat then add in the chopped chocolate & butter. Leave for 30 seconds then whisk the custard, to melt the chocolate.
    Take the vanilla pod out before adding in the chocolate & butter, if you've used one.
  • Next, give the custard a quick blitz with a stick blender then stir in the amaretto. Pass the custard into a container through a sieve then cover the surface with a piece of clingfilm. Leave to cool then chill in the fridge until completely cold. This will take at least 4 hours but overnight is best.
    Blending the custard makes it extra smooth but is optional! Covering the surface of the custard stops a skin forming on top.

Cherry Pie Filling

  • Add the cherries into a large saucepan, along with the sugar, butter, lemon juice & salt. Set the pan over a medium-low heat & cook, stirring frequently until the cherries have softened slightly & they have released lots of juice. This will take 5-10 minutes.
    Give the cherries a taste before thickening, adding in more sugar if needed.
  • Whilst the cherries are cooking, place the cornflour & water into a bowl then stir to make a smooth paste.
  • Once the cherries are ready, turn the heat up to medium then stir in the cornflour paste. Continue cooking, stirring regularly until the juice has thickened, this will take 2-3 minutes. The juice needs to be just bubbling, in order to activate the cornflour.
  • Take the pan off the heat then stir in the vanilla paste & almond extract. Transfer the filling to a container, leave to cool then chill in the fridge until completely cold. This will take a few hours at least but again, overnight is best.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream - Make Just Before Assembling The Trifle!

  • Add the mascarpone, icing sugar, vanilla paste & 150g of the double cream into the bowl of a stand mixer then whisk for 30 seconds on a medium-low speed, to break up the mascarpone.
  • Next, add the remaining 450 grams of double cream into the bowl then whisk on a medium speed until you've got gently whipped cream that's reached soft peaks.
    Make sure not to over whisk the cream!
  • Transfer half of the whipped cream into a piping bag & chill in the fridge until needed. Keep the rest of the cream in the bowl.

Assembly

  • Cut your chocolate Swiss roll into 10 x 1cm thick slices. If you've made your own, trim each end off first if needed.
  • Next, transfer the chilled chocolate custard into a mixing bowl then whisk briefly until smooth.
    You can do this by hand or with an electric hand mixer. You just need to whisk the custard to loosen if off slightly (to make it more spoonable if you will!).
  • Now to layer up the trifle. First, place 5 slices of Swiss roll into the bottom of the trifle bowl, overlapping them slightly to make an even layer.
  • Spoon half of the chocolate custard over the Swiss roll, spreading it out so that it completely covers the cake. Spoon half of the cherry pie filling on top of the custard, followed by the whipped cream (from the mixing bowl).
  • Next, add another layer of Swiss roll on top of the cream, followed by another layer of custard & another layer of cherries then chill the trifle in the fridge for at least an hour before finishing & serving.
    Your trifle bowl should be almost full at this point. There should be a small amount of room to pipe some cream on top though! There's a visual guide for this in the post above.
  • To finish the trifle, pipe the remaining whipped cream on top (in your desired pattern) then place a few fresh cherries on top. Grate a generous amount of dark chocolate on top of the trifle then serve.

Notes

1. Swiss Roll - For my trifle, I used a whole one of my chocolate cherry Swiss roll. Any good chocolate trifle will work though & you'll need 10 x 1 cm thick slices.
2. Dark Chocolate - You'll need dark chocolate for the chocolate custard & for grating on top of the trifle. A good quality chocolate with a cocoa content around 72% works best.
3. Cherries - I used frozen cherries for my cherry pie filling but fresh will work as well. If you're using frozen cherries, it's best to defrost them first & if you're using fresh cherries, make sure to remove the pits! I topped my trifle with a few fresh cherries but this is optional.
4. Mascarpone - Adding mascarpone to whipped cream stabilises it, which means that it will keep it's fluffy texture for longer. It's also the same filling as my homemade Swiss roll, if you're making your own.
5. Storage - Trifle needs to be stored in the fridge & it's best to cover it with clingfilm to keep it fresh. Chilling the trifle for an hour before serving gives the layers time to set. It's best to eat your trifle within 3 days once it has been made.
6. Cooking On An Aga - Use the simmering plate to cook the custard & the cherry pie filling.