Black Forest Trifles are everything of a classic black forest cake all wrapped up in a trifle form! All you need are a few simple ingredients to bring this delicious dessert recipe to life. Featuring fudgy brownie pieces, tart cherry pie filling and fluffy whipped cream all layered together to create the perfect spoonful.

Brownie Layer

Traditionally, black forest cake is made with, well, cake! A dense chocolate cake holds all the wonderful cake layers together. An easy way to achieve this for these trifles: brownies! Plus, how can you ever go wrong with brownies? Give me all the chocolate and fudge! To make this dessert even simpler, there are several ways you can go about creating the brownie layer:

• Homemade brownies – knock it out of the park with my Homemade Boxed Brownies recipe!
• Boxed brownies – no shame in the boxed brownie game!
• Pre-made brownie bites – low-key obsessed with these brownie bites from Target. They are SO good!

Whichever option you choose, simply cut the brownies into pieces no larger than 1/2 inch squares. That way, they are easy to tuck into the trifle glasses and layer! Plus, then you can sneak a few taste-tester pieces without anyone noticing. Not that I did that…

Cherry Pie Filling

Another one of the classic flavors of the black forest cake is sweet and tart cherries! Cherry pie filling fits that bill perfectly. Store-bought cherry pie filling is pretty darn hard to beat. The cherries are tart and the sauce is sweet while not being too runny or thick. 

Spoon the the cherry pie filling over the top of the brownies and watch them cascade down perfectly. Try to resist eating them right then and there!

Whipped Cream

Lastly, black forest cakes are known for having whipped cream instead of frosting. It keeps the dessert nice and airy! Personally, I am someone who thinks that homemade whipped cream is highly underrated. It’s SO good! Simply whisk together some cold heavy cream with a tablespoon or so of sugar until light and fluffy. I can just eat spoonfuls of it. Here are some whipped cream options:

• Homemade whipped cream – my personal favorite! Whip together cold heavy cream and bit of sugar until fluffy.
• Canned whipped cream – grab a bottle and spray it on in!
• Frozen whipped cream – allow it to thaw according to package instructions and then dollop the layers on.

Dollop the whipped cream right on top of the cherry pie filling layer and dig in!

What Trifle Glasses to Use

Trifles are great for several reasons (easy to make, store and eat), but they are also so pretty to look at!

For these trifles, I recommend using clear glasses so that you can see all the distinct layers. Try to keep the glasses around 8 oz for this dessert. I used these cute parfait cups from Target that I just couldn’t pass up! Mason jars could also be used, or even just standard 8 oz glasses. 

When layering all the ingredients together, gently push each ingredient to the edge of the glass so that the layers are clearly visible. 

If a large, standard trifle dish is wanting to be used, I would double this recipe. 

Looking for other Dessert Recipes? Check these out!

Brownies with Cookie Dough Frosting

Salted Pretzel Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Hot Fudge Bundt Cake

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