Chocolate & Cherry Trifle

by Jo

Serves 8-10

Layers of chocolate cake, cherries, custard and cream - what more can you ask for! There are a few processes involved in making this trifle, but its definitely worthwhile. You can make one big trifle, or individual ones in fancy glasses.

Note: instead of making the vegan cream yourself, you could save time and buy ready made vegan cream and whip to thicken.

Chocolate Cake
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup cocoa
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream
3 cups soy milk
6 tablespoons cornflour
¾ cup vegan margarine
1/3 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Custard
6 tablespoons vegan custard powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cups soy milk

Other
1 can stoneless cherries
Extra cherries (fresh or canned) (optional)
Plain chocolate shavings (optional)

Directions

Cake
Heat oven to 180c.
Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper
Whisk soy milk and vinegar together then leave for a few minutes
Sieve flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb of soda and salt into a bowl
Whisk sugar, oil and vanilla extract into milk and vinegar mixture
Gradually beat flour mixture into wet mixture until smooth
Pour into cake tin and bake for around 35-45 minutes (or until a sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean)
When cake is cooked, removed from tin, peel off baking paper and leave on a rack to cool
Once cool cut into large chunks

Cream
Mix cornflour with some of the soy milk to form a smooth paste
Place the remaining soy milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil
When boiling add the cornflour paste and whisk until thickened
Set aside to cool
Beat together the sugar, margarine and vanilla essence until pale and creamy
Add the cooled soy milk mixture and whisk together

Custard
In a saucepan, mix the custard powder and sugar with some of the soy milk to form a smooth paste
Slowly add the remaining milk, beating constantly
Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes or until thick
Set aside to cool

Note: to avoid a skin forming on the cream and custard, you can place a layer of cling wrap or baking paper over the surface while cooling

Assembly
Arrange a layer of cake in the bottom of a large (ideally glass bowl)
Drizzle on some of the juice from the canned cherries and scatter some of the cherries around the cake (but do not over soak the cake in the juice)
Repeat until all cake and cherries are used
Pour the cooled custard over the cake
Spread the cream in an even layer over the custard
Decorate with extra cherries and chocolate shavings (if using)
Chill until you are ready to serve

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