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A Black Forest
Trifle has the same components as a Black Forest Cake (Gateau); that is, chocolate,
cherries, kirsch liqueur or kirschwasser, and whipped cream. As its name
implies, Black Forest Cake comes from the Black Forest region of Germany. The
first written recipe for this very popular cake appeared in 1934, and there are
many theories as to its origin. Heston Blumenthal in his book "In Search of
Perfection" gives an excellent account of its history. He tells us that some
believe its name 'Schwarzwalder Kirsch Torte' is a tribute to the kirsch (cherry
distillate) flavor that is prominent in this dessert. (Kirsch is made in over
14,000 distilleries in the region.) Others say that the chocolate shavings that
garnish the cake remind people of the thick trees that grow in the Black Forest.
The cake's origin, itself, also has a few stories. It could have originated from
a dessert that was made in the region that combined cream, cherries, and kirsch,
although it was not a cake. Some say the chocolate part of the cake originated
in another part of Germany (Bad Godesburg). There is also a story that a
Dutchman who settled in the region invented the cake. Although we may never know
its true origin, everyone will agree that this cake is delicious.
For this recipe we are making a Black Forest Trifle, not a cake, and it
has also been Americanized in that we use chocolate brownies instead of
the usual chocolate sponge. (I got this idea from a recipe in BBC's April
2008 Good Food Magazine.) Now, the cherries used to make this trifle are
sour cherries, not sweet. I like to use the bottled dark mahogany red
colored Morello Cherries that are packed in light syrup. Two stores that
sell them are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. If you cannot find them, just
use the canned sour cherries that are packed in water. You may, however,
need to add a little more sugar as they are more tart tasting than
cherries that are packed in light syrup.To make these trifles, we need
to first make the brownies and then cut them into bite sized pieces. Of
course, if time doesn't allow you to make the brownies, you could use
store bought. The Morello Cherries need to be drained and then we need to
flavor the syrup with Kirsch and sweetened it with sugar. This mixture is
cooked until it has thickened and then the cherries are added back to the
syrup. The heavy cream also needs to be whipped with a little sugar and
vanilla extract. As with all trifles you can make them as big as you
please. For me, two brownies, along with the cherries and cream, seems
like the perfect size. So, place one brownie, cut into pieces, in the
bottom of your serving glass. Then place a good spoonful of the cherries,
along with some cherry juice, on top of the brownies. Place a large dollop
of the whipped cream on top of the cherries. Repeat the layers, starting
with the brownies. Garnish with shaved chocolate. As with all trifles,
these do benefit from being refrigerated for at least 4 hours and up to 24
hours to allow the flavors to mingle.
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