Chocolate cherry trifles

MAKES 8

A Christmas dessert line-up is not complete without some sort of trifle. These little beauties are served in individual glasses and can easily be made the day before, then kept in the fridge – in fact, they’re better for the chilling as the sponge will have truly soaked up the fruit juices and sherry!

1 cup milk

1 cup cream

2 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

4 tbsp sifted cocoa

1 tbsp cornflour

150g milk or dark chocolate,

chopped small

1 15cm x 15cm sponge or

chocolate cake

¼ cup sherry

1 cup pitted cherries (can

use morello)

1 cup fresh raspberries (or ½ cup

frozen, defrosted and drained)

1 cup fresh black grapes

2 tbsp caster sugar

150ml cream, softly whipped

80g grated dark chocolate,

to garnish

1 Make a custard by warming the milk and cream to trembling (almost boiling) stage in a saucepan.

2 In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cocoa and cornflour until light, thick and fluffy. In a slow, steady stream, pour the hot milk/ cream into the yolk mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and add the chopped chocolate. Cook over medium heat until the chocolate melts and the custard thickens, stirring all the time. Make sure it doesn’t boil, as it could split. Pour into a bowl to cool and cover the top of the custard with cling film or baking paper to prevent a skin from forming.

3 To assemble, break the sponge into bite-sized pieces and line each dish (use glasses or small bowls). Splash over the sherry. Spoon in some of the cherries, raspberries and chocolate custard. Add another layer of sponge and repeat. Wash the grapes and, while still wet, roll in caster sugar to coat. Add these to the top. Chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

4 Before serving, decorate with the whipped cream and grated chocolate.