Chocolate Cherry Trifle

Chocolate Cherry Trifle is a delicious layered dessert that is so simple to make. Trifle is a traditional British dessert that I have combined with the classic chocolate and cherries of a Black Forest Gateau. Make it ahead to serve for easy entertaining with family and friends.

What is a trifle?

A traditional British trifle is made with sponge cake soaked in sherry with fruit. This is covered with real egg custard and topped with whipped cream. Recipes for trifle date back as far as the 1590s and trifle is said to have evolved as a way of repurposing stale cake into a delicious dessert.

Why make Chocolate Cherry Trifle?

Chocolate and cherries are a classic combination that you find in many desserts including Black Forest Gateau. Make Chocolate Cherry Trifle when you are looking for a luscious dessert that you can make ahead for a get-together with your family and friends. There is nothing difficult in this recipe and it uses mainly ready-made ingredients that you combine to make a homemade show-stopper dessert.

What ingredients do I need to make Chocolate Cherry Trifle?

All the ingredients for Chocolate Cherry Trifle are easily available. And if you can’t get them, I have suggestions for substitutions that will work just as well. Here are the ingredients you will need:

• trifle sponges
• cherry jam
• cherries
• custard
• chocolate
• cream
• sugar
• cherry brandy (optional)

What kind of cake should I use in the trifle?

In this recipe, I use trifle sponges. There are ready-made small rectangular cakes that are made for trifles. I use them for convenience as they can be split and filled with jam, and are easy to cut to fit the trifle bowl.

What other cake can I use?

Use any of the following as the cake layer for your Chocolate Cherry Trifle:

• jam-filled swiss roll (jelly roll)
• chocolate swiss roll
• madiera cake
• sponge fingers

Why should I spread the cake with cherry jam?

I use jam on the sponge to add an extra layer of cherry flavour to the trifle. My mother and grandmother always spread raspberry jam on the sponge for a raspberry trifle and it definitely helps make it a really delicious dessert.

I use my Mixed Red Berry Cherry Jam to spread on the cake, but if you don’t have homemade jam then any good quality cherry jam will work well. You can make the trifle without jam if you prefer.

What kind of cherries should I use in the trifle?

I use frozen cherries or canned cherries for this recipe because cherries are very expensive in Scotland and have a very short season. As a bonus, they have usually had the stones (pits) removed as I really don’t enjoy doing that job! You can, of course, use fresh cherries remove the stones and follow the same instructions as for frozen cherries.

You can also use a quantity of my Cherry Compote which you can make in advance and freeze to use in recipes when you need it.

What kind of cherries do I need to decorate the trifle?

If you have fresh cherries then use the whole cherries with the stalk still on them. If you don’t have fresh cherries then use glace cherries, I like to use glace morello cherries.

Can I decorate the trifle with anything else?

In this recipe I pipe rosettes of cream around the edge of the bowl and then add the cherries. If you don’t have a piping bag you can simply spread the cream on top of the trifle and place the cherries around the edge.

Grated chocolate or a crumbled flake bar is also a good decoration for a chocolate trifle. Or use flaked toasted almonds for a bit of crunch. Decorate your trifle in any way you like because it’s your trifle.

What kind of custard should I use?

I use ready-made fresh custard from the chilled section in the supermarket, you can also use ready-made long-life custard in cartons or cans. You can make your own Easy Vanilla Custard Sauce which is what my Mum uses in her trifles, or you can make custard with custard powder.

I can’t find custard in my country, what else can I use?

Custard is a very British ingredient and I’m aware that it isn’t available easily in the US. Make your own using the recipe above or use Vanilla pudding as a substitute. You can even use chocolate pudding if you want to miss out on mixing the chocolate with the custard but the flavour will not be as rich.

What kind of chocolate should I use?

I use dark (semi-sweet) chocolate. You can use milk chocolate but it is much sweeter than dark chocolate and may be too sweet when combined with the custard.

I don’t have Cherry Brandy can I use another liqueur?

Use any cherry liqueur although cherry brandy is sweeter than Kirsch so I’d recommend adding less Kirsch. The liqueur is optional and not recommended if you plan to serve the trifle to children.

Can I make Chocolate Cherry Trifle ahead of time?

Yes, this is the ideal dessert to make ahead of time. Make it the day before you plan to serve it and the fruit will infuse the sponge. Store the trifle in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temperature about 30 minutes before you plan to serve it.

If you have some trifle left over then cover the bowl and return it to the fridge. Serve the trifle for up to two days after you have made it.

Can I freeze Chocolate Cherry Trifle?

Trifle is not suitable for freezing as the custard will become rubbery and the cream will separate. It’s best to make it and eat it within a few days.

Vegetarian

This recipe contains no meat products. Please check the labels of any ready-made products to ensure that they are suitable for vegetarians.

Gluten Free

The trifle sponges contain wheat flour and the custard may also contain gluten. You can find a gluten-free recipe for a trifle using chocolate and cherries developed by the Gluten Free Alchemist.

For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

How should I serve Chocolate Cherry Trifle?

Serve Chocolate Cherry Trifle as dessert after a celebratory meal. In Scotland trifle is often served at Christmas and New Year when large groups of family and friends are gathered together. Simply serve in a large bowl and spoon portions into smaller bowls. Make sure everyone gets a cherry decoration.

Can I make a smaller trifle or individual trifles?

You can make a smaller trifle by halving the quantities of ingredients and using a smaller bowl. Individual trifles are really useful, especially for a buffet. They also look really pretty when you serve them, here are some of my individual trifle recipes as a guide:

• Jamaica Ginger Cake and Pear Trifles
• Blackberry & Apple Trifles
• Rhubarb & Ginger Trifles

More Chocolate Cherry Desserts

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Cake is a rich fudgy chocolate cake topped with a sweet cherry compote and decorated with fresh cherries. It is a luscious dessert and a special treat, serve with cream or ice cream.

Chocolate Cherry Brownies are gloriously indulgent, rich and squidgy. Who doesn’t like brownies, and this is a brilliant recipe that is high in chocolate and low in flour, making the perfect fudgy brownie.

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Chocolate Cherry Trifle

Janice Pattie

A classic British layered dessert filled with sweet cherries and rich creamy chocolate custard.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

cooling time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine British, Scottish

Servings 8

Calories 618 kcal

Ingredients

• 100 g (3.5 oz) trifle sponges
• 3 tbsp (3 tbsp) cherry jam
• 300 g (3 cups) fresh or frozen cherries or a 400 g can black cherries in light syrup
• 60 ml water
• 100 g caster sugar
• 500 g (1.75 cups) tub of chilled fresh custard
• 100 g (0.6 cups) dark chocolate
• 300 g (1.3 cups) double cream heavy cream
• 1 tsp (1 tsp) caster sugar superfine sugar
• 100 g (0.5 cups) glace morello cherries grated to decorate
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) Cherry Brandy optional

Instructions

 

For the cake layer

• 100 g trifle sponges, 3 tbsp cherry jam
  Split the trifle sponges and spread with cherry jam before sandwiching them together.
  
• Cut the filled trifle sponges in half and place in the base of your trifle bowl.
  

For the cherry layer

• 300 g fresh or frozen cherries, 60 ml water, 100 g caster sugar
  Place frozen cherries in a saucepan with water and caster sugar
  
• Bring to a simmer and cook until the cherries are soft.
  
• Place into a bowl and leave to cool.
  
• Or use a quantity of Cherry Compote.
  

For the custard

• 500 g tub of chilled fresh custard, 100 g dark chocolate
  Put the fresh custard into a bowl and warm in the microwave for 2 minutes (or gently warm it in a pan.
• Finely chop the dark chocolate and melt in a microwave in 20 second bursts until it is liquid.
  
• Add the custard to the chocolate
  
• Stir until all the chocolate has mixed with the custard and you have a smooth chocolate custard. Leave to cool (see note)
  

For the cream layer

• 300 g double cream, 1 tsp caster sugar
  Whip the double cream to soft peaks and stir in the caster sugar.
  

To assemble the trifle

• 30 ml Cherry Brandy
  Put the cherries and juice on top of the cake. Pour over the cherry brandy at this stage if using.
  
• Spoon the chocolate custard over the cake and cherries.
  
• Spread two-thirds of the whipped cream evenly over the chocolate custard.
  
• 100 g glace morello cherries
  Put the remaining third of the cream into a piping bag with a star nozzle and make rosettes of cream around the edge of the bowl.
  
• Top each rosette with a cherry.
  
• Chill the trifle in the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes

If the chocolate and custard start to seize and go grainy when you combine them, put the bowl into the microwave for 20 seconds and then stir again.  

Nutrition

Calories: 618kcalCarbohydrates: 108gProtein: 3gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 490mgPotassium: 239mgFiber: 3gSugar: 87gVitamin A: 599IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg

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