Description
This Black Forest Trifle is a decadent layered dessert combining moist devil’s food cake, rich chocolate pudding, sweet cherry pie filling, and fluffy homemade whipped cream. Perfect for gatherings, it’s beautifully garnished with fresh cherries and chocolate curls, offering a classic Black Forest cake flavor in a simple, no-bake final assembly.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 15.25 ounce devil’s food cake mix (plus ingredients listed on the box: typically eggs, oil, and water)
Pudding
- 5.9 ounce instant chocolate pudding mix
- 3 cups half and half
Cherry Layers
- 42 ounces cherry pie filling (2 (21 ounce) cans), divided
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Garnish
- Fresh cherries with stems
- Chocolate curls or shavings
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Cake Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray or lining it with parchment paper to ensure easy removal and clean up.
- Bake the Cake: Prepare the devil’s food cake mix according to the package directions (usually involves eggs, oil, and water). Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake as directed. Once baked, transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.
- Make the Chocolate Pudding: In a large bowl, whisk together the instant chocolate pudding mix and half and half vigorously for about 2 minutes until thickened. Cover and refrigerate the pudding until ready to assemble.
- Make the Whipped Cream: In a chilled bowl, beat the cold heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Prepare the Cake Cubes: Once the cake has completely cooled, slice it horizontally in half. Use only half of the cake for this recipe; wrap and freeze the unused half for later. Cut the used half into 1-inch cubes.
- Build the First Layer: In a large trifle bowl, spread an even layer of cake cubes at the bottom. Spoon half of the chocolate pudding over the cake and spread it evenly. Add the first can of cherry pie filling evenly over the pudding, then spread half of the whipped cream on top.
- Build the Second Layer: Reserve ½ cup of the second can of cherry pie filling for topping. Repeat the layering with the remaining cake cubes, the remaining chocolate pudding, the remaining cherry pie filling (except the reserved half cup), and the remaining whipped cream.
- Top and Garnish: Finish by spooning the reserved ½ cup of cherry pie filling on top, then garnish with fresh cherries with stems and sprinkle generously with chocolate curls or shavings.
- Chill: Refrigerate the assembled trifle for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld and to chill thoroughly.
- Serve: Serve the chilled trifle to guests and enjoy this rich, layered dessert.
Notes
- You can prepare all components in advance and assemble the trifle just before serving for convenience.
- Use fresh cherries with stems for an attractive garnish and fresh cherry flavor.
- Leftover cake halves can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 2 months.
- Whipped cream is best if made fresh but can be stored in the fridge for up to a day.
- Ensure the pudding is fully chilled and thickened before layering to maintain structure.
