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.