Black Forest Trifle

Hi !! I know I missed one week without a post!!, have been having some shoulder tendon trouble on my right shoulder. Went to see doc , who gave a long explanation  about the cause although half of it I couldnt understand. Now bit better so here I am ready to share my latest creation!

Cherries are pretty expensive over here in Maldives, but I  have been wanting to try this recipe for some time.  I love black forest cake, but it just seems like too much work and I prefer to make deserts that require minimum fuss. It has to be really wow desert that would require me to make one regardless of its difficulty.
Ever since I made  my tropical cheese cake trifles ,  I have been having this recipe in mind.  I have seen various recipes, some of them were pavlovas , even Rachel Khoo had a  black forest trifle recipe.

So here is what I made,  inspired by various recipes. And I have to tell you I cheated with the cake, used a shop bought  cake.At first I thought of going just cream but decided to use some chocolate custard which I have to say was absolutely yummm.

Recipe : Black Forest Trifle ( Chocolate Creme Anglaise Adapted from  Mary Berry's Complete Cookbook)

1(150g) small chocolate cake ( plain)
250ml whipping cream
1 packet(300g) frozen Cherries
3 tbsp sugar
300ml milk
3 egg yolks
30g sugar
1 tsp cornflour
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 oz dark chocolate.( 70% chocolate)
Extra piece of dark chocolate and fresh cherries for garnish.

First prepare the Creme Anglaise,: Warm the milk ( not boil),  till bubbles just start to appear on the edge. Switch off. In a small bowl , beat 3 egg yolks, the cornflour , vanilla essence and the 30g sugar till well mixed. ( Don't throw the whites, you freeze the whites and use it to make a pavlova, just make  sure to write how many egg whites are there in the container when you freeze it. ).

Anyway , once the eggs and sugar are mixed, add a ladles of the warm milk into the eggs, while you are whisking it with the other hand. To prevent the bowl from slipping keep your bowl on a kitchen towel, keeps it from slipping) . Now Pour the whole milk into the bowl and give a whisk and then transfer the whole mixture back into the pan and place the pan back on the stove top over a medium heat.
Keep whisking  till the mixture till it thickens. Switch off. Break the chocolate into a bowl, and then pour the  prepared custard into the bowl and mix. The heat from the custard will  melt the chocolate and you will get a yummy chocolate custard.

Now for the cherries, I used frozen cherries, Place the cherries into a saucepan, add about 1/4 cup water and the 3 tablespoons of water, cover and cook a few minutes, then remove the lid and let the  liquid reduce to a syrup like consistency. Cool slightly.

While all the elements cool slightly, whip the cream. If you have a sweet tooth, you can add a few tablespoons of  icing sugar into cream when you whip it.

Now to assemble the trifle, You can make it in a  6 cup sized bowl or  In separate  serving glasses.  If using glasses, Roughly  crumble the chocolate cake into the base, no need to make it fine like a cheese cake just rough tumble of cake,

Spoon the cherry mixture and  then spoon the custard on top of the cherries.

Finally the whipped cream,  If you have some dark chocolate of fresh cherries, you can use these to garnish. Chocolate can be grated on top or just plop a cherry on top. Chill for at least an  hour.  Enjoy!!!