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black forest trifle
When I think of the Black Forest in Germany (though I have never been there), I think of giant toad stools that could be houses for fairies, and dark woods brimming with ghosts and folklore. Right now, I am sitting in Brooke’s guest bedroom, just ten minutes south of Colorado’s Black Forest. Though it does not conjure the same charm in my mind as its German counterpart, it is beautiful. I love it for the lone fact that it’s a forest—right in the middle of a prairie.
When I made these, the kids and I devoured them in about three minutes, but as I was getting the photographs ready tonight, I thought how fun they would be served at a little tea party with your kids. Or, you could even make them for some sort of fairy tale party. Wouldn’t that be fun? You could have your kids dress up as fairy tale characters and serve them this.
Traditionally, a Black Forest Cake is a chocolate layer cake made with cherries and whipped cream. Usually, in the US, it’s made without alcohol, and that’s how I made these—much more appropriate for a fairy tale party.
Before I go any further, I would like to apologize to at least ninety-five percent of you. This recipe has those gorgeous tart cherries you see in the picture, and I know most of you will have trouble finding them. I know I would have been jealous if I hadn’t gotten my very own humongous bag of them a few weeks ago. That said, don’t give up hope yet. If you can’t find them frozen, Whole Foods, and probably Trader Joe’s, often sells tart, unsweetened cherries in jars.
black forest trifle
1 pound tart cherries
3 tablespoons sugar
chocolate buttermilk cake or your favorite chocolate cake or brownies
almond whipped cream (recipe follows)
1. Mix cherries with sugar and let sit for several hours, or until the cherries become juicy. Cut cake or brownies into thick slices and layer in the bottom of a large trifle dish or 4 individual dishes. Pour on some of the cherries with their juices and top with almond whipped cream. Repeat the three layers.
2. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving for the best flavor.
almond whipped cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 cups heavy cream
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add in heavy cream, incorporating a little at a time to prevent splattering. When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer to high, and beat until soft peaks form.
27 Responses to “black forest trifle”
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Beautiful photo. I wish I liked cherries, but the whipped cream sounds really delicious. I love almond extract.
Looks yummy!
When are we getting together?
Gorgeous! I’ve always been drawn to the flavors of black forest and I love how quick and easy this is to make though it looks like you could have spent hours on it!
WHERE did you get those cherries? I’m off to Whole Foods right.now. to look for some. YUM! SO gorgeous, Jaime!
One of my family’s favorite desserts is a chocolate trifle, but I like how you incorporated the cherries into this dessert. I’m a big fan of black forest cake so this trifle sounds good to me.
Looks divine! I love your chat about the Black Forests. I grew up in Colorado and have been to that Black Forest and I have also been to the Black Forest in Germany. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane!
Kisses from the WhipperChicks
Beautiful!!! I am not a fan of cherries, but I think strawberries or raspberries would be good too.
looks super delicious!
Up until about 5 yrs ago, I had no idea what a trifle was. That’s how unsophisticated I am. But, that almond whipped cream sounds so yummy!
These would be very cute to serve at a kid’s party!
Hello, I am so glad that FG has led me to your blog. This is a treasure trove with stunning photos and creative contents. Especially love the way you’ve categorized your musings into Well Read, Well Bred and Well Fed. The black forest trifle is amazing! That was what brought me in the first place …:)
Thank you, Shirley. What a compliment!
Gorgeous dessert and gorgeous photos!
OMG, i can already taste em!! Looking sooo damn good!! Just love it!
Greets from BFC !!!!!
Look at how delicious these look. Yum!
Trader Joe’s carries jars of tart Moreno cherries that would work well for this.
beautiful, gorgeous, amazing… the light is perfect… kirsch is so overpowering in the european dessert, this looks fantastic…
[...] To see a more detailed recipe, you can find one here. [...]
Can this be made a day in advance without getting too soggy or do you recommend putting it together the day you are serving?
Deb–I guess it depends on whether or not you like things like that. I personally prefer a trifle after it has sat in the fridge for a day or two, because then all the flavors meld together more.
However, since the ingredients are made with butter, when the cake gets cold in the fridge, it stays a little firm, so it won’t be too soggy.
If you like things less soggy, then you could serve it right away. It’s up to you.
Jaime – I agree, this was better the second day, but didn’t have much to try as there was not much left over! I found a chocolate pound cake recipe and it worked perfectly for the cake. Everyone loved it, made our German Christmas extra special. The almond whipped cream is awesome! Thanks!!
I’ve had this recipe stored forever. Nothing like winter to try it. It was DELICIOUS!
http://lifestooshorttoskipdessert.blogspot.com/2011/02/amazing-black-forest-trifle.html
Hi Jaime – I just wanted to let you know that I featured these adorable trifles in my Valentine’s Day Favorites post today… Here’s the link: http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2011/02/my-favorite-valentines-day-recipes.html. Thanks for sharing them. Have a great weekend!
Erika and Deb—so glad you liked it!!
Georgia—thank you for the link. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day.
[...] Pod Caramel Brownie Trifle from Bakers Royale Red Velvet and Strawberry Trifle from Taste and Tell Black Forest Trifle from [...]
I made this for an office birthday party. Actually made it in plastic wine cups. I double the almond cream recipe and used 2 bags of frozen cherries (12 oz each). Perfect!! Rave reviews, everyone loved it. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the celebrations, so I cannot comment myself. But from what I hear, everyone loved it!! Thanks for sharing!!
OMG… Thanks for sharing! Delisicous!