This black forest trifle, with kirsch-soaked chocolate sponge cake, sweet cherries, and clouds of whipped cream, is the perfect finale to a Dracula feast! Serve with a glass of our plum brandy cherry sour or explore more gothic literary recipes from our Dracula Feast.
At a Glance: Black Forest Trifle
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Baking Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Assembly and Chilling Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: ~4 hours 20 minutes
- Servings: 12 servings
- Flavour: Sweet, fruity, and boozy
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Why this Works: This black forest trifle, with kirsch-soaked chocolate sponge cake, sweet cherries, and clouds of whipped cream, is the perfect finale to our Dracula-inspired literary feast!
Dracula, the Feast
Bram Stoker's Dracula takes us on a gothic journey like no other. The dark and dangerous figure, Count Dracula, ominously lurks in shadowed castles and slips quietly into candlelit bedrooms, revealing the fears and terrors of the story's central characters. To honour this gothic masterpiece, we are following the story through food, starting with a fateful journey into the Carpathian Mountains, terrifying encounters at the misty sea cliffs of Whitby, the drawing rooms of Victorian London, and the final dangerous race back to Transylvania. Each recipe draws on the places and people at the heart of the novel, echoing the themes of light and darkness, innocence and seduction, superstition and science, life and death. We invite you to sink your teeth into our full Dracula Feast one recipe at a time, at a Halloween gathering, or at your next book club!
Flight to Castle Dracula
Driven from his home in London, Count Dracula flees back to Transylvania in a box filled with his native earth. Close behind him, Jonathan Harker, Quincy Morris, and the others race across Europe to catch him before he reaches the safety of his castle. Meanwhile, Van Helsing enters Castle Dracula alone and finds the Count’s three brides asleep in their tombs, so beautiful and seductive that he can barely bring himself to destroy them. As the sun sets over the snowy Carpathians and wolves circle nearby, the others overtake Dracula’s cart. In a final desperate struggle, Jonathan and Quincey wrench open Dracula's box and plunge their knives into the Count. As Dracula crumbles into dust, his hold over Mina is broken, and they are finally free from his reign of terror.
The treacherous, snow-capped Carpathian mountains serve as the backdrop for this decadent dessert. Craggy cubes of chocolate cake are layered with snow-white whipped cream to evoke the wintry landscape, while dark red cherries hint at the story’s bloody climax. Soaked with boozy kirsch and tart cherry juice, this rich, fruity trifle is s as tempting as Dracula’s brides and the perfect finale to our Dracula-inspired feast!
If you're looking for more gothic literary desserts check our our Frankenstein inspired Cranberry Mulled Pear Pavlova or our Spiced Wine Poached Pears from our Legend of Sleepy Hollow Feast!
Ingredients for Black Forest Trifle
Cherries: You can use either frozen or canned cherries for the filling. I used frozen dark cherries which are easy to find year round in our area.
Kirsch: Kirsch, or kirschwasser, is a brandy made from cherries that is typically used in black forest cake. It is traditionally from the Black Forest region of Germany and is an unsweetened and clear liqueur. If you can't source kirsch, regular brandy makes an acceptable substitute. To make this recipe non-alcoholic you can omit the kirsch from the cherry filling and substitute with more tart cherry juice in the soaking liquid.
Tart cherry juice: I recommend using tart cherry if possible. The overall dessert is quite sweet so a tart cherry juice adds a nice balancing acidity to the recipe.
Chocolate: The traditional sponge cake used in black forest cake primarily uses dark cocoa powder for its chocolate component. I like to add melted dark chocolate as well to get a rich chocolate flavour in the sponge cake.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead: The great thing about trifle is that it gets better after sitting for a day. If you want to prep this dessert even earlier, you can make the cherry filling and chocolate sponge cake a day ahead. The cherry filling should be refrigerated and the sponge cake can be wrapped tightly in cling film before storing at room temperature overnight. To keep the cake longer, it should be frozen.
Storage: The prepared trifle can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. For best results serve the trifle within 1 to 2 days. It is not recommended to freeze the trifle.
How to make Black Forest Trifle
1. Make the cherry filling
In a medium saucepan combine the cherries, ½ cup of the tart cherry juice, sugar, and lemon juice. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ¼ cup juice with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk together to make a slurry. Set aside.
Allow the cherries to cook 2 to 3 minutes so they begin to soften. Before they begin to fall apart, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the kirsch. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to cool completely before using.
2. Make the chocolate sponge cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper then spray with non-stick spray. Set aside. Place a small saucepan filled with 1-inch water over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Combine the butter and dark chocolate in a heat safe mixing bowl and place over the saucepan of boiling water. Allow the butter and chocolate to melt together, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together into a mixing bowl and set aside. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Begin whipping the eggs while slowly pouring in the sugar. When all the sugar has been added, turn the speed to high. Whip the eggs on high speed for about 5 minutes until they are triple in volume, pale yellow, and very thick.
Begin to gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Sprinkle a third of the dry ingredients over the eggs and use a spatula to gently fold them together being careful not to deflate the eggs. Repeat two more times. Then fold in the cooled chocolate mixture in two batches. The mixture will deflate somewhat after adding the chocolate which is normal.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly in the pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top springs back when touched. Cool the cake completely before using.
3. Make the soaking liquid
Combine the tart cherry juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat and add the kirsch. Cool completely before using.
4. Whip the cream
Just before assembling, whip the cream. Add the whipping cream to the bowl of a mixer. Whip on high with a whisk attachment. Once the cream begins to thicken add the sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until the whipped cream has stiff peaks. Set aside.
5. Assemble the trifle
Begin by cutting the sponge cake into small cubes. Add half of the cake cubes to a large trifle or serving bowl. Drizzle the cake cubes with half of the soaking liquid. Spoon half of the cherry filling evenly over the cake cubes. Top with half of the whipped cream and spread evenly over the filling. Repeat with the remaining cake, soaking liquid, cherry filling. Spoon the remaining whipped cream decoratively on top of the trifle. Alternatively, you can make individual trifles in small dessert bowls.
6. Serve the Black Forest Trifle
Chill the trifle for at least 2 to 3 hours before serving. Garnish with chocolate curls or shavings and enjoy!
For more Dracula recipes, try our Garlic Butter Three Ways or our Plum Brandy Cherry Sour!
More Gothic Literary Recipes
Black Forest Trifle
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 4 cups pitted cherries frozen or canned
- ¾ cup tart cherry juice divided
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon kirsch
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 oz dark chocolate chopped
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Soaking Liquid
- ½ cup tart cherry juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ cup kirsch *see note
Whipped Cream
- 2 ½ cups whipping cream
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To Assemble
- Chocolate curls or shavings for garnish
Instructions
Cherry Filling
- In a medium saucepan combine the cherries, ½ cup of the tart cherry juice, sugar, and lemon juice. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ¼ cup juice with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk together to make a slurry. Set aside.
- Allow the cherries to cook for 2 to 3 minutes so they begin to soften. Before they begin to fall apart, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the kirsch. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to cool completely before using.
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper then spray with non-stick spray. Set aside. Place a small saucepan filled with 1-inch water over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Combine the butter and dark chocolate in a heat safe mixing bowl and place over the saucepan of boiling water. Allow the butter and chocolate to melt together, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together into a mixing bowl and set aside. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Begin whipping the eggs while slowly pouring in the sugar. When all the sugar has been added, turn the speed to high. Whip the eggs on high speed for about 5 minutes until they are triple in volume, pale yellow, and very thick.
- Begin to gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Sprinkle a third of the dry ingredients over the eggs and use a spatula to gently fold them together being careful not to deflate the eggs. Repeat two more times. Then fold in the cooled chocolate mixture in two batches
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly in the pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top springs back when touched. Cool the cake completely before using.
Soaking Liquid
- Combine the tart cherry juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat and add the kirsch. Cool completely before using.
Whipped Cream
- Just before assembling, whip the cream. Add the whipping cream to the bowl of a mixer. Whip on high with a whisk attachment. Once the cream begins to thicken add the sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until the whipped cream has stiff peaks. Set aside.
To Assemble
- Begin by cutting the sponge cake into small cubes. Add half of the cake cubes to a large trifle or serving bowl. Drizzle the cake cubes with half of the soaking liquid. Spoon half of the cherry filling evenly over the cake cubes. Top with half of the whipped cream and spread evenly over the filling. Repeat with the remaining cake, soaking liquid, cherry filling. Spoon the remaining whipped cream decoratively on top of the trifle. Alternatively, you can make individual trifles in small dessert bowls.
