Black Forest Trifle

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 15 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 1 devil's food cake mix (18.25 oz box)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans dark bing cherries, pitted in heavy juice
• fresh orange juice, as needed
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons chambord raspberry liquor or 2 tablespoons kirsch
• 4 1/4 ounces chocolate mousse mix (commercially prepared)
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, pure
• 1 ounce chocolate shavings (optional)

Recipe

• 1 bake cake according to package instructions. cool. cut 6 by 8 into 1½â€? squares.
• 2 drain cherries and reserve juice. add enough orange juice to cherry juice to equal 1 3/4 cups.
• 3 heat juice and 1 cup of sugar to a light boil. reserve remaining 1/2 cup of sugar for whipped cream.
• 4 blend cornstarch with water. add to boiling juice. blend with a wire whip to thicken.
• 5 add cherries and cook for 5 minutes. cool to room temperature and add chambord. chill to 40°f or less.
• 6 whip mousse mix with cold milk and refrigerate to thicken slightly. mix well with wire whip.
• 7 whip heavy cream on medium speed. add remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and vanilla extract and whip until cream forms soft peaks.
• 8 assemble in an 8â€? round, 5â€? deep glass trifle bowl.
• 9 line the bottom of the bowl with 1 layer of chocolate cake cubes. fit cake cubes tightly against sides of bowl. (this should take approximately half of the cake.)
• 10 spread a layer of the cherries and sauce over the cake cubes, making sure they're visible against the side of the bowl. then add a layer of mousse. repeat the layers of cake, cherries, and mouse. reserve 5 to 9 cherries for garnish.
• 11 spread a layer of whipped cream over the top and garnish with the remaining cherries, along with chocolate shavings (if desired).