45 mins plus setting
Not Too Tricky
serves 14
About the recipe
This epic dessert looks super-impressive, but it’s full of store-cupboard shortcuts that make it really easy to put together. I’m using up leftover panettone instead of making a sponge, and whipping together a cheat’s chocolate custard. It’s ridiculously retro and I absolutely love it.
Ingredients
3 x 425g tins of cherries in syrup
300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
4 leaves of gelatine
3 x 400g tins of custard
100g hazelnuts
600ml double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 heaped tablespoon icing sugar
3 x 1cm slices of panettone
Method
- Drain the cherries through a sieve into a measuring jug, topping up with cold water to make a pint (568ml), if needed. Pour into a medium pan and place on a medium heat. Transfer the cherries to a bowl.
- To make the chocolate curls, lay the unwrapped chocolate on the work surface, flat side up. Carefully drag a chef’s knife towards you, from top to bottom. Repeat until you have 6 to 8 good curls. Transfer the curls to a plate, and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to decorate.
- Snap the remaining chocolate into a heatproof bowl, add a pinch of sea salt and place over the pan of the cherry liquor, until melted.
- Snap 4 gelatine leaves into a small bowl, cover with cold water, and set aside to dissolve.
- Remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat, pour in the custard and mix until completely combined.
- Whisk the gelatine into the cherry juice until dissolved, then pour into the trifle dish. Scatter in a handful of the cherries and leave to cool, then place in the fridge for 4 hours until set.
- Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan for 5 minutes, until golden. Tip into a pestle and mortar and bash to crumbs.
- Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl, add the vanilla bean paste and sugar, and whisk to soft peaks.
- Next, layer up the trifle. Spoon over ⅓ of the chocolate custard, spreading out with a spatula, and then top with 1 slice of panettone. Dot cherries over the panettone and drizzle with a little of the juice from the bottom of the bowl.
- Repeat with a layer of cream, chocolate custard, panettone, and cherries and syrup until you have 3 x each layer. Pipe over a final layer of cream (or you can just spoon it on, if you prefer).
- Sprinkle over the chocolate curls, scatter over the hazelnut crumbs and take to the table.
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