Cherry Chocolate Trifle (Celebrity)

2 oz. Butter, unsalted

1/2 lb. Sugar, granulated

1 oz. Cocoa Powder, unsweetened

1.5 oz. whole eggs

1/2 lb. All Purpose Flour

1 oz. Buckwheat Flour

4 1/2 grams Baking Powder

4 1/2 grams Baking Soda

Pinch of salt

4 oz. Water

1.6 oz. Dark Bitter Chocolate (74%)

1.6 oz. Dark Chocolate (55%)

1 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 cup Egg whites

1 tbs. Sugar

1.2 cup Whole Milk

4 1/2 oz. Dark Chocolate (74%)

Pinch of Salt

Dash of Vanilla Extract

10 oz. Pitted Dark Cherries in Syrup, canned

2 cups Water

4 ea. Black Tea, English Tea Bags

3 cubes Devil’s Food Cake

1 tbsp. Soaked Chopped Cherries

3 each Soaked Cherry

2 1/2 oz. Chocolate Mousse

1 tsp. Chocolate Pearls or Sprinkles

1 tsp. Chocolate Sauce

Mix together all dry ingredients except for cocoa powder and sugar and reserve.

Using a tabletop mixer, blend butter, sugar, cocoa powder until light and fluffy.  Slowly add eggs to butter mixture.

Add dry ingredients and slowly mix in to evenly combine. Slowly put in hot water and continue to mix until batter is smooth.

Spread batter on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper). Bake in the oven at 300F for 30 minutes.  Dice cake into small cubes and then lightly toast them in the oven at 300F for 5 minutes.  Cool and store in an air tight container.

Melt chocolates over a double boiler.

Beat egg whites and sugar into a meringue. Once the meringue is complete, remove from mixing bowl and reserve.

Add heavy cream to clean mixing bowl and whisk until it produces stiff peaks.

Pour melted chocolate into a bowl.  Mix 1/4 of whipped cream in hot chocolate. Mix gently by hand. Mix in remaining whipped cream and then fold in the meringue. Let set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.  Then put mousse in a piping bag and reserve until you are ready to plate.

In a pot, combine the milk, salt and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil. Add dark chocolate to hot milk. Be sure to whisk constantly to form an emulsion.

Cool chocolate sauce in an ice bath, then store chocolate sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Bring water to a boil and then add tea bags. Cover with plastic wrap and steep for 4 minutes.  Remove plastic wrap and pour hot tea over cherries in a bowl. Wrap tightly and cool at room temperature.

Drain tea-soaked cherries from their liquid and reduce that liquid by three fourths. Once that tea liquid has finished reducing, cool in ice.

Pipe 1 oz of chocolate mousse into the bottom of a glass or dish. Place 3 cubes of Devil’s Food Cake and 1 tbs. of soaked cherries on top of mousse. Spoon in a small amount of the juice that was used to soak the cherries. Pipe 1 1/2 oz. of chocolate mousse on top. Top with 3 soaked cherries in the center of the mousse.  Drizzle with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with chocolate pearls or sprinkles.