Ingredients
| 1kg pitted cherries, fresh or frozen | |
| 200g sugar | |
| juice of 1 lemon | |
| MILK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE | |
| 1½ gelatine leaves | |
| 150ml milk | |
| 300g milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces | |
| 300ml cream | |
| MASCARPONE CREAM | |
| 500g mascarpone | |
| 50g icing sugar | |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla paste | |
| CHOCOLATE CAKE | |
| 90ml water | |
| 20g chocolate | |
| 150g sugar | |
| 40ml canola oil | |
| 90ml milk | |
| 1 egg | |
| 75g flour | |
| 30g Dutch cocoa powder | |
| 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda | |
| 1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder | |
| TO SERVE | |
| 300g pitted cherries, fresh or tinned (I used tinned amarena cherries) | |
| edible flowers |
Instructions
| 1. | Place the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a pot. |
| 2. | Cook over a medium heat, stirring often, for about 30 minutes until the cherries have broken down slightly, and the juice is thick and jam-like. Taste and add a bit more lemon juice or sugar if necessary. |
| 3. | Pour into a large trifle dish (or 8-10 small dishes/ glasses) and leave to cool. |
| 4. | MILK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE |
| 5. | Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until soft and pliable, then drain. |
| 6. | Bring the milk to a boil and pour over the chocolate and the gelatine leaves. Whisk to combine and leave to cool slightly. |
| 7. | In a separate bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks. |
| 8. | Check the temperature of the chocolate mixture – it should feel lukewarm/slightly cool to the touch (if it is too warm it will melt the cream, but too cool and the mousse will be lumpy). |
| 9. | Once at the correct temperature, fold the chocolate into the cream and pour on top of the cherries. |
| 10. | Put in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes. |
| 11. | MASCARPONE CREAM |
| 12. | Whisk together the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla paste in a bowl over a pot of boiling water and melt until you have a smooth mixture that will pour easily. |
| 13. | Once the chocolate mousse is set, top with the mascarpone cream. |
| 14. | At this stage the trifle can be left covered for up to two days in the fridge. |
| 15. | CHOCOLATE CAKE |
| 16. | Preheat the oven to at 150°C. |
| 17. | Boil the water and pour over the chocolate. |
| 18. | Whisk until melted then add the sugar, oil, milk and egg. Whisk to combine then add the dry ingredients and mix. |
| 19. | Pour onto a slice tray lined with baking paper and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cake springs back when touched. |
| 20. | Leave to cool. |
| 21. | You can leave the cake in the fridge (separate from the trifle) for up to 1 week before serving. |
| 22. | TO SERVE |
| 23. | Break the cake into bite-sized chunks and put onto the trifle, piling up slightly in the middle. |
| 24. | Pile the cherries onto the trifle – coating the cherries with a touch of either high- quality olive oil or cherry jam will help give them a nice shine. |
| 25. | Top with edible flowers to serve. |
Recipes & food styling Maxine Scheckter / Photography Amber-Jayne Bain / Styling Deborah Sweeney
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