White Forest Trifle

Why a White Forest trifle? Because I was tasked with making a trifle for Christmas Day lunch at my bestie’s house. A Black Forest trifle came to mind first, but I thought white chocolate would make the dessert look more wintry. A White Christmas trifle, if you like. I love cherries, and so does everyone else I might be feeding. If you do too, this white chocolate trifle with sweet-sour fruit is ideal!

It’s super simple to make this morello cherry trifle. You just need to buy fruit in cans and jars, custard, cream and ready-made white chocolate curls. Then it’s really just an assembly job, apart from a little slicing, whisking and whipping. So making this as a Christmas dessert isn’t at all demanding. In fact I actually find making trifles like this rather therapeutic.

I combined various types of cherry when creating this Christmas fruit trifle (which is, of course, equally suitable for summer). As well as a little icing sugar, I add vanilla extract to the cream, as it makes all the difference between whether my daughter will eat that part or not. Yep, Missy is still at that picky age!

If you can get fresh cherries (such as in summer), a few with the stalks on would make a pretty decoration, but it’s not necessary. The fact that this delicious dessert uses cherries from tins and jars just makes life even easier. And I for one do appreciate that…

Take care when creating each layer within the bowl if you want the trifle to look good. But if you are in a hurry, a slightly untidy job won’t affect the flavour. It’s a bit like Eton Mess – this kind of pudding looks muddled once it’s dished up anyway.

Any plain sponge or loaf cake will do if you cannot get Madeira. I just got lucky and grabbed the last one in Waitrose! A loaf cake is easier for slicing, and has no filling to contend with. But never be afraid of improvisation and experimentation: it’s how I learned to cook! Likewise, any kind of canned cherries or those in a jar are OK, just drain them well so it’s not too sloppy.

This trifle with a twist is the perfect trifle for the warmer or colder months alike. Good for a summer barbecue too, I reckon. If you select your ingredients carefully there’s no reason why this cannot be made as a gluten-free trifle, too. Just check the packaging when buying gluten-free cake and it doesn’t even have to be a spongeless trifle. Choose the custard carefully too, as that may contain gluten.

Whatever time of year you make it, this White Forest trifle is a delicious and very easy to make dessert. Simply slice, whisk, spoon, whip, sprinkle and enjoy!

This cherry trifle serves about 8 to 12

White Forest Trifle ingredients

Layers

• Madeira loaf cake, 1
• Cherry compote, about 250g to 300g (I used Bonne Maman)
• Cherries in Kirsch, 1 jar ( I used Opies)
• Black cherries in light syrup, 2 tins (from the supermarket)
• Vanilla custard, 1 tub (500ml)
• Mascarpone cheese, 250g

Topping

• Whipping cream, 600ml
• Icing sugar, 2 tbsp
• Vanilla extract, 1 tsp
• White chocolate curls (or stars)

Equipment

• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Mixing bowls
• Trifle dish

How to make Morello cherry trifle

• From the jar of cherries in syrup, save about half-a-dozen to 12 for decorating the top of the trifle. Roll these carefully over a piece of kitchen roll to dry them (this will help to prevent ‘bleeding’).
• Slice the loaf cake into enough pieces to make two layers in your trifle bowl.
• Drain the cherries in Kirsch and canned cherries, then mix in a bowl with the cherry compote to combine well. (Reserve the Kirsch if you want to drink it at some point.)
• Place the first layer of cake, then spoon over about half of the cherry mixture (the exact quantity will depend on whether your trifle bowl is straight-sided or not).
• Next, beat the mascarpone cheese and add the custard once it’s smooth.
• Add about half the custard on top of the cake, then repeat the layering process with the cake, cherries and Kirsch.
• Whip the cream with the vanilla extract and icing sugar, and use to top the trifle. Lastly, add the reserved cherries then the chocolate curls or stars to decorate.

Related recipes:

• Gingerbread trifle
• Cherry sponge cake
• Eton Mess trifle
• Cherry and coconut slice
• Coconut and pineapple trifle

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