Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour*
- 2 cups Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 6 tablespoons cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 cups cold water
Vanilla Pastry Cream
- 2 cups milk
- Optional: 1 vanilla bean, split and seed
- 1 whole egg
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cherry Filling
- 6 cups fresh or frozen sweet cherries
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2/3 cup Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assembly
- Chocolate cake, crumbled
- Vanilla pastry cream
- Cherry filling
- Optional: Whipped cream
- Optional: Chocolate shavings
*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Directions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking salt in a large bowl. Add oil, vinegar, and water. Mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
Vanilla Pasty Cream
- Add milk to a medium saucepan. If you using vanilla bean, split and scrape seeds into pan. Add pod to milk. Bring milk to a simmer. Remove from heat.
- Whisk egg, yolks, sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk until mixture turns a lighter shade of yellow, about one minute. Slowly pour milk in, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling eggs. Pour mixture back into saucepan. Cook over low heat and stir until mixture is thick and coats back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour through a sieve. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 3 days.
Cherry Filling
- Add cherries, water, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add extracts. Cool before using.
Assembly
- Using a trifle bowl or individual glasses, layer chocolate cake crumbles, pastry cream and cherry filling. Repeat layers until you use all of ingredients. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings right before serving. Keep chilled until ready to serve. This can be made up 2 days in advance.
Imperial Sugar Insight
Recipe developed for Imperial Sugar by Bree Hester @bakedbree.com.