Black Forest Trifle

I know that I seem to only be focusing on desert recipes but we've just been through Christmas and this is when I make most of my deserts. I chose this recipe for a dinner with friends, one of whom has a particular fondness for Black Forest Cake.

Now Black Forest cake is renowned for being fiddly and when you've got someone coming to dinner that particularly likes this type of cake you want to get it right. With Traditional Black Forest Cake that's not always easy so when I found this recipe in my September 2009 issue of Super Food Ideas I knew it was going to be a good option.

Firstly, this recipe by Cathie Lonnie, is not a Traditional Black Forest Cake and therefore cannot be compared against other shop bought perfections. It will stand on its own. Secondly it's a lot easier to make. Apart from there being a few different stages to this trifle (as with all trifles) there is nothing overly difficult in it at all.

You will need: 2 x large cans of stoneless black cherries in syrup- it has to be syrup because you need it for the recipe-
                      1 1/2 Tablespoons boiling water,
                     2teaspoons of powdered gelatine,
                     500g bought chocolate cake- you can make a chocolate cake yourself as a cheaper alternative but the bought cake cuts down time-
                     1/4 C brandy- this is optional but I have made this trifle with and without and it tastes better with. The only issue is if it is going to be eaten by children as the trifle is not cooked and the alcohol content remains.
                     2/3 C cornflour
                     2/3 C caster sugar
                    2 1/2 C milk
                    200g dark chocolate- homebrand works just fine
                    2 x 250g packets of cream cheese softened- this will make it easier to work with
                    300ml thickened cream
                    1/2 C dry-roasted hazelnuts, chopped- I usually just crush them against my chopping board with the potato masher.

Okay- so here's how you make the trifle:-
           Drain the cherries, keeping 1 1/2 cups of the syrup in a bowl. Mix the boiling water, in a separate heat proof jug, with the gelatine and stir till disolved. It's important that you make sure it's all disolved otherwise it gets all chunky and rubbery in the trifle. Then stir this mixture in with the syrup.
            If you've bought a cake remove the icing and discard- or let the kids eat it, or eat it yourself. Cut the cake into chunks about 3cm squared- don't be too pedantic- and then spread them over the base of a large baking dish. Sprinkle over the brandy, spoon over the cherry syrup mixture, top with cherries and stick in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
           While you're waiting, combine the cornflour and half the sugar in a saucepan. Gradually stir in the milk until smooth and then place over medium heat. Cook, stiring, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat and place half of the chocolate, roughly chopped into the mixture until melted. Congratulations you have just made chocolate mouse. (Not that hard is it?) Then pour over your cherry syrup cake mixture that you put in the fridge. Set aside for about 15 minutes.
           Using an electric mixer- I used a hand whisk but it takes forever even if it is a great cardio work out- and beat the cheese and the remaining sugar until smooth. Add the cream and beat to combine. Spread the cream mixture over the chocolate mouse and cover. The recipe says to refrigerate for about 4 to 6 hours but I have eaten this fabulous creation a lot earlier than that due to poor time managemnet on my behalf. (I was just putting the trifle into the fridge as my guests turned up but it tasted just as good and hour or so later as it did the next day)
          Using a vegetable peeler cut leftover chocolate into long curls and sprinkle over the trifle before topping with nuts. Sometimes I roast the nuts sometimes I don't. It doesn't really matter much either way. And there you have it. You have just made Black Forest Trifle.

           I have to say that this recipe has now become one of my repertoire deserts. It's always popular and because its quite rich a large dish of this will serve a lot of people. It doesn't always come out of the dish in an elegant way (what trifle ever does) but it tastes so good that no one cares. The great thing is that if you like trifle you'll like it. If you like chocolate mouse, you'll like it. If you like Black Forest Cake, you'll like it.          
         As a cook you'll be able to present a variation on what is considered quite a difficult cake to make but without all the effort and the fuss and yet it will stand alone as a desert in its own right. But what I like the most about it is that it is so easy. Okay, yes, there are three different stages of layering the trifle, but none of them are hard or particularly fiddly or even time consuming. Take this to a dinner party and you'll find people are astonished that, yes, you did make the chocolate mouse all by yourself.

I've always maintained that cooking great things is not all that hard as long as you have the right recipe. This one in particularly shows that a recipe doesn't have to be complicated to be a hit.