Recipes : Chocolate Cherry Trifle : Food Network

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Chocolate Cherry Trifle
Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson

Ingredients
2 (approximately 12 ounces each) chocolate pound
cakes
1/2 cup black cherry jam
1/2 cup cherry brandy
2 cups drained bottled sour cherries (recommended: Morello)

Custard:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70 percent cocoa solids, chopped
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
8 egg yolks

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup cocoa

Topping:
3 cups heavy cream
1-ounce bittersweet chocolate

Special Equipment: Large wide trifle bowl

Directions
Slice the chocolate pound cake and make jam sandwiches
with the cherry jam, and layer the bottom of a large wide trifle bowl. Pour over
the cherry brandy so that the cake soaks it up, and then top with the drained
cherries. Cover with cling wrap and leave to macerate while you make the

custard.

Melt the chocolate on low to medium heat in the microwave, checking after 2
minutes, though it will probably need 4 minutes. Or you can place it in a bowl
over a pan of simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted, ser aside while you
get on with the custard.

In a saucepan warm the milk and cream. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cocoa in a
large bowl. Pour the warm milk and cream into the bowl whisking it into the yolks
and sugar mixture. Stir in the melted chocolate, scraping the sides well with a
rubber spatula to get all of it in, and pour the custard back into the rinsed
saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the custard thickens, stirring all the
time. Make sure it doesn't boil, as it will split and curdle. Keep a sink full of
cold water so that if you get scared you can plunge the bottom of the custard pan

into the cold water and
whisk like mad, which will avert possible crisis.

The custard will get darker as it cooks and the flecks of chocolate will melt once
the custard has thickened. And you do need this thick, so don't panic so much that
you stop cooking while it is still runny. Admittedly, it continues to thicken as
it cools and also when it's chilling in the refrigerator. Once it is ready, pour
into a bowl to cool and cover the top of the custard with cling wrap to prevent a
skin from forming.
When the custard is cold, pour and spread it over the chocolate cake layer in the
trifle bowl, and leave in the refrigerator to set, covered in cling wrap
overnight.

When you are ready to decorate, softly whip the cream for the topping and spread

it gently over the layer of custard. Grate the chocolate over the top.