Black Forest Trifle (Layered Chocolate Cherry Dessert)
This festive black forest trifle layers rich chocolate cake, sweet cherries, creamy pudding, and fluffy whipped cream into a showstopping Christmas dessert. Beautiful to serve and easy to assemble, it delivers deep chocolate flavor balanced with bright, juicy fruit.
Ingredients
Trifle Components
- 1 cake Chocolate cake (boxed mix or homemade)
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 0.5 cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cups Canned or fresh cherries, pitted
- 0.25 cup Cherry juice
- 2 cups Vanilla pudding
- 0.5 cup Dark chocolate shavings
- 1 tablespoon Cocoa powder (optional)
Instructions
- Bake the chocolate cake as directed and cool completely.
- Cut the cooled cake into 1-inch cubes.
- Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Prepare cherries by draining or pitting them, then combine with cherry juice.
- Add a layer of chocolate cake cubes to the bottom of a trifle dish.
- Spoon vanilla pudding evenly over the cake.
- Add a generous layer of cherries, letting some juice drip over the cake.
- Spread a smooth layer of whipped cream over the cherries.
- Repeat the layers until the dish is full.
- Finish with whipped cream and sprinkle dark chocolate shavings over the top.
- Dust lightly with cocoa powder if desired.
- Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight to set.
Notes
Use cold cream for best whipping results. Cut the cake evenly for consistent layers. Add only a little cherry juice to avoid soggy cake. Chill long enough for slices to hold shape.