This recipe has been stolen/adapted from Jamie Oliver!
There are quite a few (small) steps in this recipe that I have adapted, but it's actually very simple and easy to make and it's well worth the effort for the wow factor of what it looks like when you present it on the table let alone what it tastes like!
Portions: Up to 14
Ingredients
- 3 x 425g tins of cherries in syrup
- 300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
- 4 leaves of gelatine
- 2 x 400g tins of custard
- 25g hazelnuts
- 600ml double cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 heaped tablespoon icing sugar
- 3 x 1cm slices of panettone
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Sieve
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Saucepan
- Trifle Bowl
- Sharp Knife
Instructions
- Place the Sieve over a large Saucepan and empty the Tins of Cherries in to it so the juice is in the saucepan and then place the cherries in a bowl for use later on

- Start to gently heat up the cherry juice (we want to heat it up not simmer or boil it)
- Drag a sharp knife across the back of one of the bars of chocolate to create some shavings to top the trifle off when finished and set to one side
- Break up the reast of the chocolate in to a glass bowl suitable for melting the chocolate over a saucepan

- Put 4 leaves of the gelatine in a bowl of cold water and put to one side

- Place the bowl with the chocolate in over the saucepan and stir the chocolate until it has melted

- Remove the bowl from the saucepan
- Add the Tins of Custard and stir until fully mixed

- Place the Chocolate Custard in to the fridge
- Remove the gelatin leaves from the water (they should be nice and soft by now) and whisk them in to the Cherry Juice in the saucepan

- When the gelatin has completed dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for use later..
- Get a dry frying pan and bring up to a medium heat
- Add the hazelnuts and toast for about 5 minutes

- You now need to smash the hazelnuts up a bit! You can use a pessel and mortar if you have some - I don't so I wrapped them in clingfilm and whacked them with a rolling pin!
- Set the smashed hazelnuts aside for later

- The saucepan of Cherry Juice should be ready to pour in to the Trifle Bowl now so pour two thirds of it in to your trifle bowl
- Add a handful of the cherries and spread them out as evenly as you can
- Allow the cherries to cool to room temperature (around 60 minutes should suffice) and then Put In The Fridge for at least Four Hours to allow it to set

- Slice up the Panettone in to 1cm slices and pour on a little of the cherry juice you still have over each slice and then wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge

- When the Cherry Jelly has set it's time to whip the cream! I left it in the fridge over night just to make sure the gelatine fully sets.
- Put the Cream in a bowl

- Add the Icing Sugar and Vanilla Bean Paste to the cream

- Beat until nice and thick!

- Remove the Trifle Bowl, Chocolate Custard and the Panettone from the Fridge

- Add a layer of the custard on to the Cherry Jelly

- Add a layer of the Panettone that has been soaked in the Cherry Juice

- Sprinkle on some of the remaining cherries
- Add a layer of cream

- Repeat steps 25-28 and finish with a layer of the cream!

- Top with the remaining cherries, sprinkle on the smashed hazelnuts and finish with the chocolate shavings

- Refrigerate until you are ready to serve it
Serving Suggestion(s)
Tags
black-cherries
black-forest
black-forest-trifle
gelatine
jamie-oliver
panettone
trifle
tsc-recipe
vanilla-bean-paste

