Chocolate Cherry Trifle

Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson

Show: Nigella FeastsEpisode: Crowd Pleasers

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (30)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(30)

Cook Time:
15 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
16 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 12 hr 0 min
Cook: 15 min
Total:: 12 hr 45 min

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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.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Chocolate Cherry Trifle
Tina Dallas, TX 11-02-2009
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An ABSOLUTE favorite!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I get asked to make this every year, it is by far one of the best deserts...takes some patience and love to make but well... worth it!! For the poundcake I use the Chocolate Truffle Bread mix from Williams-Sonoma...takes 2 min to put all the ingredients together and bake (great on it's own as well!) I also use Black Cherries as the sour ones are sometimes harder to find. P.S...take the time with the custard...slow and constant mixing...just sip on a glass of wine while making!, and check the freshness of the cream (almost ruined the whole desert when one of the pints had gone bad!) :)Read more
recipe Chocolate Cherry Trifle
SHELLY Atlanta, GA 02-15-2009
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delicious but where to find chocolate pound cake
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I had no luck finding a chocolate pound cake so made my own with another food network recipe. This added significantly to... the work involved. The end result was delicious and beautiful Valentine's dessert but I'm not sure I'm up to making it again.Read more
recipe Chocolate Cherry Trifle
Marianne Enka, NC 02-12-2009
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Pure Bliss!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My friend and I made this for our Spa Party. We made the triple chocolate pound cake from goodegg.com with geraldi 60%... morsels in a bundt cake pan. The 1 pound cake was more than enough. Because we did not have a large trifle bowl we ended up making two trifles - one with cherry juice & one with cherry brandy. Both were very good- the brandy was the bigger hit. We made two batches of the custard. It took 10-15 minutes of stirring to get the thickness required. The custard was stirred in a pan over hot water - no problems with burning the custard. Luckily we had two 24oz jars of sour cherries and added extra to the trifles. This was soooo delicious and a really big hit with everyone!Read more
recipe Chocolate Cherry Trifle
Eileen Laconia, NH 02-06-2009
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A huge hit!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I saw Nigella make this on a Sunday and went shopping for the ingredients, w/o a list, later in the week. I bought sour... cherry preserves, to make pound cake sandwiches, and 2 jars of brandied cherries. Backwards, I realized when I got home but forged ahead as they were excellent products. Anyway, I did everything else exactly as directed, only halved which was more than plenty for 8. It was not only gorgeous but absolutely delectable. The custard is fabulous and could stand on its own. A great recipe, Nigella, thank you! As for the remaining egg whites, I found a recipe for twice baked cheddar cheese souffles that used 8 egg whites. I had frozen them the day I made the trifle and defrosted them to make these delicious souffles. Read more
recipe Chocolate Cherry Trifle
Francene Charlotte, NC 01-24-2009
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Leftover Egg Whites?
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

What to do with the leftover egg whites from this recipe? In her cookbook, Nigella Express, she has a recipe for chocolate... macaroons that uses two egg whites. While I have not yet made the recipe, it seems very simple and sounds delicious. (By the way, Nigella Express is a wonderful book with fabulous recipes...I have yet to be disappointed!)Read more
recipe Chocolate Cherry Trifle
CHRISTY SHREVEPORT, LA 01-19-2009
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Fabulous!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Impressed my New Year's Eve crowd with this! Very rich, makes alot! Hard to find some of the ingredients where I live. ... Sub'd cherry brandy for Kijafa (Japanese sweet cherry wine). Worked fine. Also used tart cherries from the pie section of the supermarket. Wil def make this again! Pudding part took 30 minutes for me.Read more