Description
Dive into a Black Forest Trifle that layers rich chocolate cake, luscious cherries, and creamy whipped goodness into one spectacular dessert. Your guests will swoon over this classic German-inspired treat that comes together faster than you can say “delicious”!
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup boiling water
Filling and Topping Ingredients:
- 2 21-ounce cans cherry pie filling
- ¼ cup Kirsch
- 3 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish Ingredients:
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan thoroughly with butter or cooking spray.
- Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ¾ cup cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl.
- Whisk 1 ½ cups sugar, ¾ cup vegetable oil, 1 ½ cups buttermilk, 2 eggs, and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
- Gradually blend wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined.
- Pour ¾ cup boiling water into the batter. Stir until smooth and thin.
- Transfer batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a wooden skewer comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Mix 2 cans of cherry pie filling with ¼ cup Kirsch in a medium bowl.
- Chill your mixing bowl and whisk for 15 minutes before whipping cream.
- Pour 3 cups heavy cream into the chilled bowl. Add ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Whip cream on medium speed, increasing to high until stiff peaks form.
- Cut cooled cake into 1-inch cubes.
- Choose a clear glass trifle bowl or individual serving dishes.
- Create the first layer with chocolate cake cubes, leaving space between pieces.
- Spoon cherry filling evenly over cake cubes.
- Add a generous layer of whipped cream on top of the cherries.
- Repeat cake, cherry, and cream layers at least three times.
- Top the final layer with whipped cream for a beautiful finish.
- Shave 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate over the top using a vegetable peeler.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours before serving.
Notes
- Chill your mixing bowl and whisk before whipping cream to help it form stiff peaks faster and more effectively.
- Use room temperature ingredients for the cake batter to ensure even mixing and a smoother texture.
- For a non-alcoholic version, replace Kirsch with cherry juice or skip it entirely without losing flavor complexity.
- If chocolate cake seems too time-consuming, substitute with store-bought chocolate cake or brownies to simplify the recipe.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Category: Trifles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 469 kcal
- Sugar: 43 g
- Sodium: 266 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 89 mg