Black Forest Trifles

These delicious Black Forest Trifles are an irresistible combination of layers of chocolate cake, small pieces of Amarena cherries, and a sweet fluffy layer comprised of whipped cream and mascarpone cheese that makes for a decadent dessert. Complete the presentation with shaved dark chocolate on top of the trifle for a show-stopping dessert. This easy dessert is great for a special occasion! One of the most important things to note is that the chocolate cake is made without the need for an electric mixer during this phase.

Ingredients

• Amarena Cherries-a popular Italian variety of sweet, dark-red cherries that are widely used in desserts and drinks. Named after the town of Amarena in Italy, these cherries have a unique and complex flavor due to their high sugar content and intense tartness imparted by their natural acids.

For the cake:

• Cocoa Powder-a key ingredient in many desserts and baked goods, such as a black forest trifle. It has an intense cocoa flavor and provides a deep, dark color to recipes. Cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that are roasted, cracked, and ground into a fine powder.
• All-purpose flour-one of the most versatile ingredients in baking. All-purpose flour is made from a combination of hard and soft wheat varieties, resulting in its ability to be used in many different types of recipes
• Cane sugar- sweetens the trifle and helps balance the flavors
• Salted melted butter and Oat milk- adds moisture to the cake and act as the binding agent for the other ingredients during the baking process
• Vanilla extract-a vital ingredient for many desserts. It comes from vanilla beans that are grown in several parts of the world and contain hundreds of flavor compounds that create its signature taste. Vanilla extract not only provides a sweet, creamy flavor to foods, but it also helps to enhance other flavors within a dish
• Water- helps thin out the mixture a bit, making for even consistency
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda- raising agent used to make cakes and other baked goods light and fluffy.
• Salt- adds balance to the ingredients

For the topping

• Mascarpone Cheese-an essential ingredient in preparing a black forest trifle. This type of cheese has a creamy texture that is ideal for use in desserts. It has a very mild, sweet flavor, making it perfect for blending into cream fillings and toppings
• Heavy Cream-an essential ingredient for black forest trifle. It adds a rich, creamy texture that pairs perfectly with the other components of this delicious dessert. Not only is it full-fat, but it also contains higher amounts of saturated fats than other types of milk or cream.
• Confectioners sugar-a finely ground, powdered form of regular granulated sugar. It is also known as icing sugar or powdered sugar and is made by grinding white granulated sugar into a very fine powder.

Steps to make Black Forest Trifles

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare your bread pan by coating it with butter, then flour. Combine the dry ingredients for the cake in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients before whisking until the texture is smooth. This should take about 30 seconds. Over-mixing the cake will result in a tough texture. Make sure all of the larger lumps are removed but don't worry about the tiny ones.
2. Transfer the mixture to the prepared bread pan before baking in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Once an inserted toothpick comes out clean the cake is done and can be cooled on a wire rack if preferred. Alternatively, cool the cake on the counter. To remove, it might be necessary to use a sharp knife to loosen the sides of the cake before turning it upside down. Cut the cake into even-sized cubes once completely cooled.
3. Make the whipped topping next while the cake cools. Using an electric mixer equipped with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners' sugar and whip until just combined. Add the mascarpone cheese before whipping until the mixture is fluffy(about 30 seconds).
4. Measure the cherries using measuring cups, and place them into a small bowl. Remove the cherries without their syrup before placing them onto a cutting board. Cut up the Amarena cherries into small pieces; return them back into the small bowl with the syrup. The total amount included in the measurement includes the fruit plus the syrup.

How to assemble Black Forest Trifles

The final step is to assemble the trifles. This is done by repeating layers of cake with a cherry layer until all of the ingredients have been used. Start by placing several chocolate cake cubes in the bottom of a trifle bowl(s). For the next layer, spoon a little bit of the whipped mixture over top of the cake layer. Spoon over a bit of the dark sweet cherries next. Repeat until all ingredients have been used and the trifle has reached the top of the dish. On the final layer, place a few chocolate shavings on top to create an eye-pleasing dessert that will wow your guests.

Tools needed

• Medium bowl- to hold and mix the chocolate cake
• wooden spoon- for mixing the cake ingredients
• large bowl- to whip the fluffy cream mixture
• Mini dishes that are good for layering or a large trifle dish
• cutting board-to cut the cherries
• Hand mixer or stand mixer (paddle and whisk attachments will be used)
• whisk-for mixing dry chocolate cake ingredients
• wire rack-optional and used to cool the chocolate cake
• bread pan-this is what the chocolate cake will be cooked in
• sifter- to sift the cocoa powder and then the confectioners' sugar separately
• dry and wet measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• small bowls-to divide the ingredients
• small knife- to cut the cherries

How to store Black Forest Trifles

I must say that these are even better the next day! Storing these black forest trifles is simple and will help to maintain its delicious flavor. Once it's finished, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. If making the cake ahead of time, it can be stored un-sliced and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator after it has cooled completely. If you plan on keeping it any longer than that, consider freezing (THE CAKE ONLY) instead! This will preserve the taste of your black forest trifle for up to one month. Make sure that when transferring from the freezer to the fridge, do so slowly and allow sufficient time for thawing before serving. Enjoy your tasty treat!

Substitutions

This easy chocolate trifle recipe has a variety of substitutions that would work quite well.

Fresh cherries or defrosted frozen dark cherries would work well as a substitute for these black forest cake trifles. If substituting either of these use the same measurement of cherries and make a syrup using a mixture of two tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of water. Mix the sugar and water together in a small bowl before pouring it over the cherries and stirring to combine. Let the cherries marinate in the mixture for 20 minutes before using them in the recipe. This will draw out the juices from the cherries and create a cherry-like syrup similar to the one that can be seen in a jar of Amarena cherries.

If you do not have butter, the same amount of vegetable oil will also do the trick!

This black forest trifle recipe can be made with brownie mix to be turned into a black forest brownie trifle (or mini trifles).

Making this with chocolate pound cake or boxed chocolate cake would be delicious as well If using cake mix, simply follow the package directions including the size of the pan. Keep in mind that the ingredients listed are for a particular size cake so the amount of cream and cherries might need to be altered based on discretion!

Cool whip can be used instead of heavy whipping cream. If using this ingredient, whip the mascarpone cheese and confectioners sugar together first using an electric mixer before adding the cool whip. Mix in the cool whip on low speed for no longer than 10 seconds until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Variations

Can you imagine this dessert with an added layer of chocolate mousse? What a delight!

If you make this recipe please rate and review it on the recipe card below. I would love for you to tag me on Instagram @belovedplate https://www.instagram.com/belovedplate/

Other holiday treats!

Decadent Cherry Trifle

Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

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