Chocolate Cherry Trifle

Sebak dada, jiwa bergelora...so many things are playing in my mind. Yusof got her first major exam's result yesterday. The results weren't very good in the eyes of many people, however, I think it is the best result he could have asked for! For him and for me!

I came home yesterday to find him, burying himself under his duvet, he wasn't sleeping. When the azan for maghrib went off, he came out, took his shower and performed his salat...looking very remorse but calm. Then, while I was icing my cakes to be delivered today, he uttered to me that he wanted to take up the tahfiz program in school and pursue the o levels syllabus next year. It's tough, however, deep down I know he will do well!

And me, a few days ago my new boss commented that I have been doing my job very well, however, he wants me to be more visible in the company, instead of just lying low! Lying low has been done by choice for reasons only known to me! But, the question is whether I should take up his advise or not....am still thinking.

Let's put that aside and let's see what we can do to please our taste buds and those of our loved ones.....Chocolate Cherry Trifle or Black Forrest Trifle! The chocolate custard recipe belongs to Ms Nigella Lawson, however, the chocolate sponge cake's recipe, I had picked up on the net!
Chocolate Cherry Trifle

Chocolate Custard
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, I used Valrhona, double boiled and set aside to cool
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
11/3 cup fresh milk
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/3 cocoa powder
11/2 tsp vanilla

Mix the yolks, caster sugar, cocoa powder well with a whisk, set aside. Scald the milk and heavy cream and vanilla until almost at boiling point. Take out 1/3 of the milk, cream mixture and add to the yolks, sugar cocoa powder mixture and mix well, pour this back into the remaining milk and cream mixture. On medium fire, stir using a whisk until mixture thickens, be sure to avoid lumps. Remove from fire, add in the melted bittersweet chocolate, cover with a cling film, let cool.

Chocolate Sponge Cake
11/2 cup all purpose flour, sift with baking powder and bicarbonate soda
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 sour cream, this stabilises the baking powder and bicarbonate soda
180g butter, soften at room temperature
1/3 cup cocoa
2 large eggs

Beat the butter and sugar until light and pale, add the vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredient and sour cream. Bake in 2, 20cm x 5 cm cake tin at 160 degrees Celsius, leave to cool before turning out the cake of the cake tin.

Okay, this is how you assemble the trifle....I usually prepare the above the night before putting the entire trifle together...

In a large bowl, arrange chocolate cake sandwiches with black cherry jam (I used St Dalfour's) on the base of the bowl, pour the juice from one can of morello cherry, just to cover the cake. Pour the morello cherries on top of the chocolate cake, chill for at least 5 hours, to set. Then, pour the chocolate custard on top of the morello cherries. To serve, I usually arrange summer fruits like raspberries, strawberries on top of this and covered with whipped cream. You may want to grate some chocolate to make it look nicer!

Have a go at this recipe and have a brilliant weekend :O