Cherry and salted chocolate trifle

Ingredients

• Cherry and salted chocolate trifle
• cherry jam (recipe on website)
• salted chocolate sponge (recipe on website)
• chocolate custard (recipe on website)
• sea salt
• 500ml (about 2 cups) cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 500g (about 1.1 lbs) fresh cherries for garnish
• 30g (about 1 oz) dark chocolate for garnish
• Salted chocolate sponge
• 4 large eggs
• 150g (about 2/3 cup) caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp Maldon sea salt
• 90g (about 3/4 cup) cake flour
• 25g (about 3 tbsp) cocoa powder
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• Chocolate custard
• 250ml (about 1 cup) milk
• 300ml (about 1 1/4 cups) thickened cream
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthways
• 4 egg yolks
• 10g (about 2 tsp) cornflour
• 70g (about 1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 100g dark chocolate
• Cherry Jam
• 1kg (about 2.2 lbs) frozen cherries
• juice of 1 lemon
• 120g (about 1/2 cup) caster sugar
• 10g (about 2 tsp) cornflour

Directions

1. Cherry and salted chocolate trifle
2. To assemble the trifle, start by whipping the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla extract, then transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag.
3. In a clean, large trifle dish, start with half of the chocolate sponge. Next, add your cherry jam, and sprinkle on some Maldon Sea Salt.
4. Add chocolate custard and smooth out flat. Follow with the second half of the chocolate sponge and top with whipped cream.
5. Garnish with fresh cherries, grated dark chocolate, and a final sprinkle of Maldon Sea Salt.
6. Salted chocolate sponge
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
8. Whisk the eggs well, add sugar and salt, and whisk until light in colour and aerated.
9. Sift flour and cocoa powder into the egg mixture and fold through carefully.
10. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and pour in the batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
11. Allow it to cool on a rack for 2 hours before use.
12. Chocolate custard
13. Heat milk, cream, and vanilla bean seeds in a saucepan (do not boil).
14. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornflour until sugar dissolves and yolks lighten.
15. Gradually pour hot milk into yolks, then return the mixture to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until custard thickens.
16. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and stir until absorbed.
17. Cool completely in the fridge before use.
18. Cherry Jam
19. Cook cherries, sugar, and lemon juice on medium-high heat.
20. Cook for 12-15 minutes, then mix cornflour with 20ml (about 4 tsp) water and add to the jam. Cook for another 5 minutes.
21. Chill completely in the fridge.