Vegan Black Forest Trifle
This decadent vegan black forest trifle is a fantastic dessert option for Christmas, Easter or any celebration. Consisting of layers of soft chocolate cake, cherry compote, rich chocolate custard and whipped cream, this is a showstopping pudding that feeds a crowd!
Equipment
- 20 cm/3 litre trifle dish or large glass bowl
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 65 g 70% dark chocolate finely chopped
- 125 g (½ cup) boiling water
- 40 g (½ cup) Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 96 g (7 Tablespoons) neutral oil (I use olive)
- 135 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) plain non-dairy yogurt (I use Greek style soya)
- 200 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 190 g (1 + ⅓ + ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
Chocolate Custard:
- 50 g ( 7 Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 750 g (3 cups + 2 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 40 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
- 100 g (½ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 125 g 70% dark chocolate finely chopped
Cherry Compote:
- 700 g (25 oz) frozen pitted sweet cherries
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 30 g (2 ½ Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar (more to taste)
- 15 g (2 Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 Tablespoons cold water
- 2-3 Tablespoons cherry flavoured rum, kirsch, cherry brandy or amaretto (optional)
To Assemble:
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegan whipping cream cold
- 2 Tablespoons icing (powdered) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 250 g (9 oz) fresh cherries
- chocolate shavings
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a 23 cm/9 inch square cake tin with baking paper.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl and pour over the boiling water. Stir until the chocolate is melted then whisk in the cocoa powder with a balloon whisk.65 g 70% dark chocolate, 125 g (½ cup) boiling water, 40 g (½ cup) Dutch processed cocoa powder
- Whisk the oil, yogurt, sugar and vanilla extract into the chocolate mixture.96 g (7 Tablespoons) neutral oil (I use olive), 135 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) plain non-dairy yogurt (I use Greek style soya), 200 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Whisk in the espresso powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, followed by the plain flour. Stir just until no dry patches remain.1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), ¼ teaspoon table salt, 190 g (1 + ⅓ + ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Leave to cool completely in the tin then store in an airtight container.
Chocolate Custard:
- Place the cornstarch in a pan and gradually whisk in the cold milk, making sure that there are no lumps. Whisk in the cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla.50 g ( 7 Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch), 750 g (3 cups + 2 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), 40 g (½ cup) cocoa powder, 100 g (½ cup) caster or granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Place the pan over a medium heat and stir constantly until the custard comes up to the boil and thickens. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.125 g 70% dark chocolate
- Pour into a bowl, cover with baking paper or clingfilm directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours.
Cherry Compote:
- Tip the frozen cherries into a saucepan along with the lemon juice and sugar. Place over a low heat and stir every now and again until the cherries have defrosted and become juicy.700 g (25 oz) frozen pitted sweet cherries, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 30 g (2 ½ Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- Stir together the cornflour and the cold water. Add the mixture to the pan of cherries and stir to combine. Turn up the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the juice comes up to a boil and thickens.15 g (2 Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch), 2 Tablespoons cold water
- Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly then stir in your choice of alcohol to taste. You can add a little more sugar if you feel it needs it.2-3 Tablespoons cherry flavoured rum, kirsch, cherry brandy or amaretto
- Tip into a covered container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours.
To Assemble:
- Remove the chocolate cake from the tin and cut it into approx 2.5 cm/1 in cubes.
- Arrange an even layer of the cake cubes in the base of your trifle dish. Crumble some cake into smaller pieces to fill in any holes. Spoon half of the cherry compote evenly over the cake layer.
- Give the chilled custard a whisk to make it smooth again, then spread half of it on top of the cherries.
- Repeat these layers - cake, cherries, custard. At this point the trifle can be covered and stored in the fridge for 24 hours.
- No more than a couple of hours before serving, pour the cream into a large bowl, add the icing sugar and vanilla extract then whisk with an electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks.250 ml (1 cup) vegan whipping cream, 2 Tablespoons icing (powdered) sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spoon the whipped cream on top of the trifle then decorate it with fresh cherries and chocolate shavings, or just with a dusting of cocoa powder and serve.250 g (9 oz) fresh cherries, chocolate shavings
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, make-ahead and storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
- USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!