Black Forest Trifle

  • 20MINS
  • 15MINS
  • Serves 4
  • 304KCAL

Sometimes only a decadent dessert will do! With layers of chocolate and cherry Swiss roll, luxurious chocolate custard and a light aerosol cream topping, this Black Forest Trifle tastes far higher in calories than it really is! Fruity and chocolatey in equal measure, it’s a dreamy after-dinner treat.

  • Gluten Free pinchofnom.com
  • Special Occasion pinchofnom.com
  • Sweet Treats pinchofnom.com
Simple Black Forest Trifle pinchofnom.com

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories304
  • Carbs46g
  • Protein12g
  • Fat14g
  • Saturates7.5g
  • Sugars18g

The ingredients for Pinch of Nom's Black Forest Trifle are set out on a kitchen counter, ready to make.

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!

We LOVE a trifle! After all, what’s not to like when layers of cake, custard and cream are involved? If you’re not the biggest fan of trifles with jelly in them, we have a sneaky feeling this Black Forest Trifle is gonna be right up your street. 

We’ve paired the juicy flavour of cherries with rich, decadent chocolate to recreate the flavours of a Black Forest gateaux. There’s a little bit of baking involved with this recipe, and it’s well worth every minute of patience. By the time the full trifle is assembled and ready to eat, you’ll be rewarded with glorious layers of Swiss roll, custard and cream. 

Despite how indulgent everything tastes, we’ve kept the calories far lower than you might think, thanks to a few nifty ingredient swaps. We’ve used reduced-fat mascarpone in the Swiss roll filling, skimmed milk for the chocolate custard and reduced-fat aerosol cream on the top. This means each individual dessert works out at 304 calories – perfect for a special occasion, or when only a luxurious chocolatey treat will do!

What diets is this Black Forest Trifle suitable for?

Our Black Forest Trifle can be enjoyed on a vegetarian diet, and it could be made gluten-free, as long as you substitute the flour with a suitable gluten-free alternative. 

If you’re cooking for people with allergies, please be extra careful when checking ingredients and preparing food!

Do you need any special ingredients to make Black Forest Trifle?

Nope! You won’t need any fancy ingredients to make this recipe. There are a couple of bits of equipment that’ll make things easier though…

We love hearing from you, submit any tips or tricks you have for this dish and we’ll review them and add some of them here. Just click here.

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We’ve baked our Swiss roll on a 32cm x 25cm sheet like the one from this Baking Tray Sheet Set of 2.

You’ll also need 4 x 250ml glass dishes to serve your trifles, like these Set of 6 Decorative Glass Dessert Bowls

How many calories are in this Black Forest Trifle?

There are 304 calories per portion in this Black Forest Trifle recipe, which means it falls into our Special Occasion recipe category. If you’re counting calories or following one of the popular diet plans like Weight Watchers, this recipe fits in perfectly!

NHS guidelines suggest men should aim for 2,500 calories per day to maintain a healthy body weight, and women require around 2000 calories. Each person has different calorie requirements depending on their goal, so you may want to adjust your daily calorie intake according to your own personal goal.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Step 2

Place the eggs and sweetener into a large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric hand whisk for 5 minutes until thick, you should be able to see visible ribbons on the top of the mixture when you lift the whisks out.

Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture. Gently fold using a spatula, until all the flour and cocoa are fully incorporated. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tray and gently spread out to the corners, making sure the top is level.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com Step 3 pinchofnom.com Step 3 pinchofnom.com

Step 4

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. You will know the sponge is cooked if you gently put your finger on the top and no indent is left. If your finger leaves a mark, pop it back in the oven for another 2 minutes.

Step 5

Remove from the oven and turn out from the tin onto a clean sheet of non-stick baking paper or a clean tea towel. Remove the baking paper and roll the cake up from the long side of the cake, with the tea towel or baking paper to form a swiss roll. Leave to cool completely.

Step 5 pinchofnom.com

Step 6

While the cake is cooling, make the custard. Place the egg yolk, cornflour, cocoa powder, sweetener and 1 tbsp of the milk in a heatproof jug. Mix until smooth.

Step 6 pinchofnom.com

Step 7

Place the remaining milk in a small saucepan and place over a medium heat. Heat until steaming hot, taking care not to let the milk burn or boil over. Pour the steaming hot milk into the jug containing the cocoa mixture and stir well.

Step 7 pinchofnom.com

Step 8

Pour back into the saucepan and return to a medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk and cook gently for about 4 minutes, until small bubbles appear on the surface and the custard thickens. As soon as the custard has thickened, remove it from the heat.

Step 8 pinchofnom.com

Step 9

Scrape the custard into a small bowl to cool. Cover the surface of the custard with cling film to stop a skin forming. In a small bowl mix the mascarpone and cherry jam until combined.

Step 9 pinchofnom.com Step 9 pinchofnom.com

Step 10

Once the cake is cooled, carefully unroll from the tea towel or paper. Spread over the mascarpone filling. Roll back up and cut into 10 slices. Cut two of the slices in half.

Step 10 pinchofnom.com Step 10 pinchofnom.com

Step 11

Place the half slices in the bottom of each serving dish and arrange 2 full slices around the edges of the dishes. Divide the cherries and any juice between the dishes, pouring on-top of the cake.

Step 11 pinchofnom.com Step 11 pinchofnom.com Step 11 pinchofnom.com

Step 12

When the custard is just cool, remove the cling film and stir with a balloon whisk to ensure it’s smooth. Divide the custard between the dishes and spread out to make a thin layer. Place in the fridge and chill for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Step 12 pinchofnom.com

Step 13

When ready to serve, top with a swirl of aerosol cream and a sprinkling of flake chocolate. Add a cherry to each dish and serve.

A close-up shot of one of Pinch of Nom's Black Forest Trifles, served in individual glass dishes. Inside the dish you can see the layers of chocolate Swiss roll and chocolate custard, topped with a swirl of aerosol cream and a fresh juicy cherry.

What could I serve with this Black Forest Trifle?

This dessert is perfect as an after dinner treat. We’d pair it with the following dinner recipes:

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How do you know when Black Forest Trifle is ready?

You should bake the cake for this Black Forest Trifle for 8-10 minutes, until it doesn’t leave a mark when you gently press a finger on the top. 

When the whole trifle is assembled it will need to sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, until the custard has set. 

To keep your family safe, the advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes.

How long can you keep Black Forest Trifle in the fridge?

Once you’ve served this recipe, you’ll ideally need to eat it within 4 hours.

You can store any leftover Black Forest Trifles in the fridge for a day or two, although it’s best to wait and add the aerosol cream right before serving. 

Can I freeze Black Forest Trifle?

This recipe isn’t suitable for freezing. It’ll taste best when it’s freshly made and eaten right away!

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Black Forest Trifle

Sometimes only a decadent dessert will do! With layers of chocolate and cherry Swiss roll, luxurious chocolate custard and a light aerosol cream topping, this Black Forest Trifle tastes far higher in calories than it really is! Fruity and chocolatey in equal measure, it’s a dreamy after-dinner treat.
  • Prep Time
    20 MINS
  • Cook Time
    15 MINS
  • KCals 304
  • Carbs 46G

Ingredients

For the Swiss roll

  • 40 g self-raising flour
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 30 g white granulated sweetener
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 90 g reduced-fat mascarpone
  • 1 tbsp cherry jam
  • 200 g frozen cherries

For the chocolate custard

  • 250 ml skimmed milk
  • 1 medium egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 30 g white granulated sweetener

To serve

  • 4 cherries
  • 20 g chocolate flake bar, crumbled
  • 4 swirls of reduced-fat aerosol cream

Mixing bowl

rectangular tin 32cm x 25cm

250ml serving dishes

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

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Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Place the eggs and sweetener into a large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric hand whisk for 5 minutes until thick, you should be able to see visible ribbons on the top of the mixture when you lift the whisks out.
  3. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture. Gently fold using a spatula, until all the flour and cocoa are fully incorporated. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tray and gently spread out to the corners, making sure the top is level.
  4. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. You will know the sponge is cooked if you gently put your finger on the top and no indent is left. If your finger leaves a mark, pop it back in the oven for another 2 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven and turn out from the tin onto a clean sheet of non-stick baking paper or a clean tea towel. Remove the baking paper and roll the cake up from the long side of the cake, with the tea towel or baking paper to form a swiss roll. Leave to cool completely.
  6. While the cake is cooling, make the custard. Place the egg yolk, cornflour, cocoa powder, sweetener and 1 tbsp of the milk in a heatproof jug. Mix until smooth.
  7. Place the remaining milk in a small saucepan and place over a medium heat. Heat until steaming hot, taking care not to let the milk burn or boil over. Pour the steaming hot milk into the jug containing the cocoa mixture and stir well.
  8. Pour back into the saucepan and return to a medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk and cook gently for about 4 minutes, until small bubbles appear on the surface and the custard thickens. As soon as the custard has thickened, remove it from the heat.
  9. Scrape the custard into a small bowl to cool. Cover the surface of the custard with cling film to stop a skin forming. In a small bowl mix the mascarpone and cherry jam until combined.
  10. Once the cake is cooled, carefully unroll from the tea towel or paper. Spread over the mascarpone filling. Roll back up and cut into 10 slices. Cut two of the slices in half.
  11. Place the half slices in the bottom of each serving dish and arrange 2 full slices around the edges of the dishes. Divide the cherries and any juice between the dishes, pouring on-top of the cake.
  12. When the custard is just cool, remove the cling film and stir with a balloon whisk to ensure it's smooth. Divide the custard between the dishes and spread out to make a thin layer. Place in the fridge and chill for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
  13. When ready to serve, top with a swirl of aerosol cream and a sprinkling of flake chocolate. Add a cherry to each dish and serve.

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If you’ve made Black Forest Trifle and love it, let us know by tagging us in your photos!

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2 comments

See what others have to say

DebMonday 29th April 2024

Hi, you forgot to put a can of cherries in the recipe.?

Reply

    HollyFriday 10th May 2024

    Hey Deb, sorry for the confusion this has now been amended the recipe uses 200g frozen cherries.

    Reply

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