You might have already guessed it from the picture, this week, one of the Great British Bake Off themes was Trifle. The other options were Floating Islands or Petits Fours. Seeing that I don’t like custard, floating islands weren’t an option for me, although I did think of swapping the custard for a fruit soup at one point, and petits fours just sounded like a lot of frustration for me. I’ve got sausage fingers, so meticulously decorated mini cakes would have been a massive challenge for me. So was making a trifle by the way. Can you believe that it was my first trifle ever? Scary, huh? Still less daunting than petits fours, I thought, so I tried to come up with a recipe that didn’t involve custard and that was a little different from the traditional English trifle that you can buy literally everywhere. The idea of a Black Forest Trifle was born. Quite fitting seeing that I’m German and love chocolate and cherries in equal measures.
Want to try it? Here’s the recipe for my Black Forest Trifle:
300 ml double cream
1 tin black cherries
Ingredients Cherry Jelly:
5 sheets of gelatine
300 g pitted cherries
300ml cherry juice
100 g cherry jam
Method Cherry Jelly:
1. Soak your gelatine sheets in cold water for about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring your cherries, jam and juice to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Then liquidise in a blender and pour through a sieve. You will have about 600ml once you are done.
3. Add half of your liquidised fruit puree to the gelatine, stir unil the gelatine has completely dissolved and add back into your fruit puree. Set aside.
Ingredients Chocolate Brownies:
225g softened butter
75g cocoa powder
4 eggs
300g caster sugar
4 tbsp milk
100g self-raising flour
Method Chocolate Brownies:
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and grease the base of a 13x9in or 33x23cm tin.
2. Whisk the butter, cocoa powder, eggs, sugar, milk and flour to a smooth mix. Spoon into the tin and bake for 30 minutes.
3. Cool on a wire rack and cut into pieces to fit your trifle bowl.
Ingredients Chocolate Mousse:
300g dark chocolate
3 eggs
50g caster sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
300ml thickend double-cream
some grated chocolate for decoration
Method Chocolate Mousse:
1. Melt the chocolate over a bain marie and stir to avoid lumps. Once melted take from heat and set aside.
2. Mix eggs and sugar in a large bowl and whisk for about 5 minutes until you have a pale and thick mixture. Fold in the cooled chocolate and cocoa powder.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream and gently fold into the chocolate mix using a metal spoon.
How to assemble your Black Forest Trifle:
Now that you’ve finished preparing your ingredients, it’s time to assemble your Black Forest Trifle in a pretty glass bowl that shows off your masterpiece. With trifles, it’s all about the layers, so make sure you create well defined layers that are visible from the outside. I found filling the bowl from the outside to the inside worked best for me..
I layered my trifle as follows: cherry jelly, chocolate brownies, whipped cream, cherry compote (1 tin black cherries), chocolate mousse and whipped cream. I piped little peaks, but you can go for a smooth look or pipe your cream however you like. Sprinkle your trifle with grated chocolate and decorate with some fresh cherries before serving.
I bought my trifle bowl from The Range. It’s a 15 inch martini glass, which can be used for so many craft and cookery projects that it would have been plain rude not to buy it. It also only cost me £6.99, which I thought was an absolute bargain.
I love styled photo shoots as you can see them on Lucy’s blog Capture by Lucy and I really want to make more of an effort to make my photos look more attractive by using some interesting props, textures and backgrounds, but on this occasion the only props I used were my trifle bowl and some cherries that I scattered around my living room floor. I think it works for this particular recipe, but I can’t wait to go prop shopping for some interesting little objects that will give my photos more character.
If you want to see what other bloggers use to style their blog photos, check out Lucy’s brand new linky: Sunday Prop Shop. For more recipes featuring this week’s GBBO themes, pop over to Mummy Mishaps and The Crazy Kitchen.
Wow wee – this looks ace! Love the positioning of the cherry and the extra around the base of the glass. The white background makes the trifle and the cherries pop! Clever use of the font too – Pinners will love this too. Thanks so much for joining in #SundayPropShop xx
Thanks so much, Lucy. I loved playing about a bit. I’m glad that I did actually as I really didn’t like my first picture. Thanks so much for hosting #Sunday PropShop, I can’t wait for the next linky. I loved having a browse through everyone’s prop cupboard x
This looks heavenly!
Thank you 🙂 x
beautifully styled & amazing looking trifle – you are definitely a dark horse in both baking & photography!!!
Haha, thank you 🙂 I’m surprising myself at the moment, but I am really enjoying taking on a challenge each week. x
mmmmmmmm Carolin oh Carolin please make me some!!! I ruddy love this and i know i would love it and i am so impressed that you made all the layers yourself! i also think your photograph is brilliant! well done and thank you for linking up x
If you ever come to visit, I will make you a huuuuuge Black Forest Trifle in a martini glass – promise!
I had to look twice to get how huge the glass is! A fab creation!
Hehe, it’s not that easy to see, but it is a whopping 15 inches tall x
Wow, it looks so fancy and the flavours sound incredible!
I love the fruitiness of the cherries and jelly x
now that is just divine and has perfect layering your photography is great too
Thank you, I really tried to make sure to have it as close to the glass as possible x
AMAZING!!! I love both the trifle and the photography!
Thanks, my lovely x
Oo, that looks delicious!
And it even was, I really surprised myself 😉
That looks amazing
Thank you x
You just can’t beat a trifle for something yummy, and a Blackforest one is even better, so scrummy and luxurious!
Nipping over from ‘Recipe Of The Week’.
Oh hello again! Nipping over from ‘Sunday Prop Shop’ this time. I do very much love the cocktail glass, just as well you’ve used it for a trifle because can you imagine a Black Russian in that?
Thank you, I love the combination of chocolate and cherries. Always a winner for me x
For some reason chocolate in trifle had never occurred to me before, but it sounds downright amazing! I will be definitely trying next trifle-time round 🙂
Oh definitely, I just needed something to replace custard and the chocolate mousse idea was born 🙂
this looks great and not too hard to put togther
It actually wasn’t hard at all. It just took a bit of time to prepare the different ingredients and let them set, e.g. chocolate mousse, brownies and jelly x
That photograph is SEXUAL!
I’m licking my screen here.
Haha, you make me laugh.
Wow oh wow! LOVE that photo and I’ve discovered prop Sunday that I must join in, you never know maybe I’ll become as good as you 🙂
Delicious recipe too, well done
I’m usually not good at all. I was just lucky that everything worked out this time x
OH .MY.LORD
I love trifile – it’s my fave pudding ever ever EVER, from the old skool packet mixes from Birds to the somewhat more oppulent uber-creamy ones I make now. Love this recipe – will bookmark and make it for next time I have to take a pudding to the mother-in-laws roast Sunday dinner!
I’ve never even had trifle in all my life, because I don’t eat custard. This was my first one ever – making and eating it x
Tis looks amazing. i’m not a fan of Black forest Gateaux but I reckon this could just change my opinion.
It will, I promise! 😉
Carolin, that looks DELICIOUS. You are a very worthy winner. x
Thanks so much, that’s so kind of you to say x
This is def going to be on the Christmas menu.
Great idea, it will be perfect for Christmas and the colours are too x
Looks so yummy!
Thanks, Tracy x
I hate trifle but LOVE chocolate & cherries … Might have to give this a go & just call it something else ha ha
Haha, I like your thinking. Just call it Black Forest Gateau in a glass 😀
I could dive into that right now, love sound of cherry jelly too 🙂
Wow, wow, wow just beautiful! Bet that tasted fab too! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
I’ve been avoiding coming to comment on this as I knew I’d never be able to resist it – it’s just stunning!
This looks orgasmic!
Would love to try this… Looks scrummy! May give this a go! X
wow that looks so yummy
Looks yummy,never had a trifle without custard,so will definately be giving this a go 🙂
This looks tasty
This is so brilliant. It looks delicious, it sounds simple to make and the photo is excellent too. LOVE it.
Thanks for linking up to #recipeoftheweek. Pinned and Stumbled. There’s a new linky live now if you want to join in 🙂 x
great work, dont know I have commented already, sorry but you deserved star baker for this xxx
Ahhhh incredibly naughty but very very nice and I think the two very’s outweigh the incredibly! (if you know what I mean lol)
This looks yummy. A traet fot the eye as well as the tummy 😉 I was stuck for Christmas Day dessert but not now. Thank you
This looks very yummy, my mum normally makes me one for Boxing Day but may have to give it a try myself this year.