Description
This Black Forest Trifle is a luscious layered dessert combining rich devil’s food cake, creamy chocolate pudding, sweet cherry pie filling, and homemade whipped cream. Perfect for gatherings, it offers the classic flavors of Black Forest cake in an easy-to-assemble trifle format, garnished with fresh cherries and chocolate curls for an elegant finishing touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Layer
- 15.25 ounces devil’s food cake mix (plus ingredients listed on the box: typically eggs, oil, and water)
Pudding Layer
- 5.9 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix
- 3 cups half and half
Cherry Layer
- 42 ounces cherry pie filling (2 cans of 21 ounces each, divided)
Whipped Cream Layer
- 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Garnish
- Fresh cherries with stems
- Chocolate curls or shavings
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper for easy cake removal and cleanup.
- Bake Cake: Prepare the devil’s food cake mix according to package directions using eggs, oil, and water. Pour batter into the prepared dish and bake until done, then let the cake cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Make Chocolate Pudding: In a large bowl, whisk together the instant chocolate pudding mix and half and half for about 2 minutes until thickened. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.
- Prepare Whipped Cream: Using a chilled bowl and mixer, beat the cold heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate.
- Prep Cake Cubes: Once cooled, slice the cake in half crosswise. Use only half for the trifle, wrap and freeze the rest. Cut the usable half into 1-inch cubes.
- Assemble First Layer: In a large trifle bowl, layer half the cake cubes evenly. Spoon half the chocolate pudding over cake cubes, spread evenly, then spread one can of cherry pie filling over the pudding. Top with half the whipped cream layer.
- Assemble Second Layer: Reserve ½ cup of the second can of cherry pie filling. Repeat layering with remaining cake cubes, pudding, cherry filling (except reserved), and whipped cream. Extra cake cubes may remain.
- Finish Topping: Spread the reserved ½ cup cherry pie filling over the top. Garnish with fresh cherries and sprinkle generously with chocolate curls or shavings.
- Chill: Refrigerate the assembled trifle for at least 2 hours to meld flavors and chill thoroughly.
- Serve: Serve chilled and enjoy this rich, layered Black Forest dessert!
Notes
- For easier preparation, use store-bought devil’s food cake or pre-baked cake if desired.
- The unused half of the cake can be frozen tightly wrapped for up to 1 month.
- Stiff peak whipped cream ensures stability in the trifle layers.
- Allow chilling time to let flavors combine and layers set properly.
- Chocolate curls can be made by shaving a chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler.
