Black Forest trifle

James Martin's indulgent trifle won't keep you in the kitchen for long but will impress guests at your next get-together

Prep:25 mins
Cook:5 mins
Plus cooling and chilling

Serves 8
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 723
fat 52g
saturates 31g
carbs 62g
sugars 55g
fibre 2g
protein 7g
salt 0.34g

Ingredients

500ml tub ready-made chilled custard – look for one with real vanilla seeds
100g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
400g chocolate brownies
2 x 390g jars cherries in kirsch or similar
300g tub double cream
200ml tub crème fraîche
25g icing sugar
grated chocolate, to decorate, and fresh cherries (optional)

Method

Put the custard into a pan with the chocolate pieces. Gently heat, stirring, until the chocolate has melted into the custard. Cover with cling film and cool.
Arrange the brownies in the base of a trifle bowl. Drain the jars of cherries, reserving the liquid, and scatter over the brownies. Drizzle over 100ml reserved liquid. Spoon the cooled chocolate custard over and chill while you make the topping.
Lightly whip the cream with the crème fraîche and icing sugar until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to serve, then pile on top of the trifle and decorate with grated chocolate and fresh cherries, if you like.

Suggested recipes from this collection...

POST-ID:3042 array(6) { [0]=> object(WP_Term)#16073 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(288) ["name"]=> string(27) "Christmas chocolate recipes" ["slug"]=> string(19) "christmas-chocolate" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(288) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(62) "Treat yourself to something sweet – it's Christmas!" ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(73) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [1]=> object(WP_Term)#16087 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(92) ["name"]=> string(16) "Christmas dinner" ["slug"]=> string(16) "christmas-dinner" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(92) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(0) "" ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(90) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [2]=> object(WP_Term)#16184 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(411) ["name"]=> string(12) "Easy pudding" ["slug"]=> string(12) "easy-pudding" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(411) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(158) "Whip up one of our comforting desserts with minimum fuss for a dinner party or family meal. Choose from super simple sponge puddings, brownies, tarts and more" ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(53) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [3]=> object(WP_Term)#16145 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(242) ["name"]=> string(23) "Festive dessert recipes" ["slug"]=> string(15) "festive-dessert" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(242) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(160) "Try our selection of traditional and alternative sweet treats for the festive season. We've got Christmas pudding, mince pies, trifle, cheesecake and more." ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(105) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [4]=> object(WP_Term)#16082 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(249) ["name"]=> string(29) "Last-minute Christmas recipes" ["slug"]=> string(21) "last-minute-christmas" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(249) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(36) "No-fuss menu ideas, cakes and gifts." ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(37) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } [5]=> object(WP_Term)#16162 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(266) ["name"]=> string(14) "Trifle recipes" ["slug"]=> string(16) "christmas-trifle" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(266) ["taxonomy"]=> string(15) "bbc_collections" ["description"]=> string(96) "Fruit, cream, custard, sponge... What's not to love about this traditional layered dessert?" ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(21) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" } }