Thursday, March 1, 2012

Individual Black Forest Trifles






Proverbial it may be, the sweet tooth is a genetic trait that runs deep in my family. I have tried but learned long ago that any attempt to suppress a sweet tooth is futile. So I've come up with ways to have dessert without undoing all my efforts at healthy eating. I try only to bake on the weekends - which does not always work out - and portion control - a more feasible approach.

Few desserts are more elegant than an expertly assembled black forest cake. The mounds of white, fluffy whipped cream, contrasted with shards of brown chocolate and bright red maraschino cherries all make a black forest cake a dreamy sight. The problem is: in my house, a cake of this calibre would be devoured in an embarrassingly short amount of time. This is where portion control and single serving sizes come in.

The following recipe makes approximately six to eight individual trifles. I usually use this recipe from Ina Garten for the chocolate cake but, as suggested, you can use a chocolate cake of your choice. A huge convenience is cutting the cakes into cubes and storing them in the freezing so that they are on hand for whenever I get a craving for something sweet, which is usually quite often.



Individual Black Forest Trifles
Serves 6 to 8

1 jar morelo cherries, in syrup
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cherry brandy (optional)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 pound chocolate cake of your choice, cut into 1/2" cubes
dark chocolate shavings
6 to 8 3oz servings glasses


1. Drain the cherries, saving the liquid and reserving the cherries separately. Add the liquid to a sauce pan, together with the cherry brandy (if using) half cup of sugar. Simmer until thickened and reduced by half. Allow to cool then combine with the reserved cherries, and set aside.
2. Whip the cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla together until fluffy, with stiff peaks.
3. To assemble the trifles, place about 4 cubes of cake on the bottom of each individual serving glass. Top with two tablespoons of the cherries followed by two tablespoons of whipped creamed. Repeat each layer ending with the cream. Dust the top of each trifle with chocolate chards before serving.

17 comments:

Ken said...

Getting an instant sugar rush just looking at this!
So delightful!

david said...

Just lovely

Anonymous said...

yum!

Susan Berkson said...

Those look so good. BTW, I tweeted your pork tenderloin recipe.

Natasha said...

Thanks all! And thank, Susan, for the tweet. I'm definitely looking forward to market season.

Joann An said...

I was googling how to make Trinidad style mojitos (I saw it on Anthony Bourdain's The Layover) and your blog was one of the search results. Your blog's name peaked my interest and I clicked to see what was in store and I'm so glad I did! I've been trying to eat healthier and I can't wait to try your recipes! :)

Natalie Atick said...

Haha its in a perfect shot glass for me to just pour the whole thing for one bite!

Igloo said...

The colours in these alone would make anyone's mouth water I think.

skull shot glass said...

Looks so lovely

Anonymous said...

Can anyone tell me where to get the jar of morelo cherries? Are they the same as maraschino cherries in liquid? I live in Sudbury, Ontario,Canada. What stores sell them? Help! Please and thank you...

Anonymous said...
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Gerry said...

In the US, Trader Joe's carries Morello cherries in big jars. They're really good.

Anonymous said...

Too much work. I used chocolate pound cake, prepared cheesecake from refrigerated section at grocery store, can of cherries, whipped cream. Delicious and easy. Might use brownies the next time.

Misc Momma said...

How many ounces was your jar of cherries? Mine didn’t thicken. Wondering if it was the liquid/sugar ratio? Mine was a 24 oz jar.

Anonymous said...

Sounds good to me!

Anonymous said...

Thank you!

unknown said...

Layers are looking good and its delicious. I will try this. We offers dark chocolate turtles. You must try this