My easy vegan chocolate black forest cake trifles are inspired by the classic German Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, also known as black forest cake or black forest gateau in other parts of the world.
What is black forest cake?
A classic German black forest cake usually consists of layers of chocolate cake, cherries, whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top.
It’s famous for being a boozy dessert and is usually made with Kirschwasser, a cherry brandy. In fact, for a cake to be officially sold as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in Germany, it must contain Kirschwasser by law!
What’s in my black forest cake trifles?
Maraschino cherries. I have always loved them, and they’re a perfect addition not just to cocktails, but also to desserts like these vegan cherry trifles. With a 400 g/ 14.1 oz jar, you can make this recipe twice, and you’ll be using the cherries and the liquid.
Amaretto. As this blog is fusion cuisine, I decided to use Amaretto for my black forest trifles instead of Kirschwasser. I think the bittersweet flavour of the Italian liqueur goes very well with the maraschino cherries.
Vegan cream. It’s important to use whippable cream for the black forest cake trifles. It usually says “whippable” on the box, if it doesn’t, it’s probably not the right kind for this recipe. I like using the whippable cream by Oatly or Alpro, which you can find in the refrigerated section of well-stocked supermarkets.
Dark chocolate. I added some dark chocolate pieces to the chocolate cake for a melty, crunchy bite, and chocolate shavings onto the top cream layer of my black forest cake trifles. Most chocolate with a cocoa percentage of 60% or above is vegan.
Vegan Chocolate Black Forest Cake Trifles
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 90 g flour
- 50 g coconut sugar
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 25 g vegan chocolate, chopped
- 120 ml plant milk
- 2 tablespoons plant oil
- 2 tablespoons liquid from the Maraschino cherries
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Cream
- 300 ml whippable plant cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons Amaretto*
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pinch of salt
Trifles
- 1/2 jar Maraschino-Cherries see blogpost
- 25 g vegan chocolate, shaved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180° Celsius/ 350° Fahrenheit.
- First, gather all your ingredients and prepare them in the right amounts. That makes it so much easier and more fun and you're less likely to forget anything.
- For the cake combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chopped chocolate and stir well.
- Then mix plant milk, plant oil, liquid from the Maraschino cherries and apple cider vinegar and stir well.
- Now mix together until just combined and pour into a small cake form.
- Bake for 35 minutes and let cool off.
- In the meantime whip the cream and add powdered sugar, amaretto, vanilla and salt. Put in the fridge.
- Now break the cake into small pieces and distribute half of it into the 4 little jars.
- Next, add 3 Maraschino cherries with liquid into each of the jars.
- Now distribute half of the cream mix.
- Then place a second layer of cake, cherries and cream, sprinkle chocolate shavings over them and keep in the fridge until serving.
Nutrition
FAQ
Are maraschino cherries vegan?
Most maraschino cherries are vegan, since they’re usually just cherries preserved in sugar syrup, sometimes with food colouring or flavouring added. It’s always worth double-checking the label though, as some brands use ingredients like cochineal (a red dye made from insects) instead of artificial colouring.
Is this dessert alcohol-free?
You can just skip the Amaretto or replace it with a bit more vanilla and a splash of almond extract to still hint at that bittersweet flavour of the black forest cake trifles.
Can I make this ahead of time for Christmas or New Year’s Eve?
Yes, it keeps well in the fridge overnight, which makes it perfect for the holidays when your kitchen time is already limited.
Can I use cake scraps instead of baking fresh
Yes, if you happen to have chocolate cake scraps on hand, they work great here too, similar to my Trifle & Cake Pops: 2 Ways to Rescue a Baking Fail recipe.
Do you like dessert trifles? You might also like my orange tiramisu trifles.
