Double Chocolate Raspberry Trifle
There is so much to love about this Double Chocolate Raspberry Trifle. Like all desserts presented in a trifle bowl, it’s visually striking—layered, luxurious, and an instant centerpiece on any holiday buffet.
Both mousses—Chocolate Velvet and Milk Chocolate—are wonderfully rich, so even the most devoted chocoholic will find that a small serving is deeply satisfying.
The Chocolate Velvet Mousse is an old recipe, I believe from legendary pastry Chef Albert Kumin, who created it for the Four Seasons restaurant classic Chocolate Velvet Cake. In the years since, versions of the mousse have appeared in numerous recipes, including Maide Heatter’s Black Velvet.
The Milk Chocolate Mousse is care of Cocolat, the 1990 classic by Alice Medrich. This one is extremely easy to prepare; the chocolate and a small amount of water are melted, cooled slightly, then softly whipped cream is folded in.
This dessert is perfect for a holiday buffet, as it easily serves up to twenty guests.
Double Chocolate Raspberry Trifle
| Yield: One 8-inch trifle | Number of servings: 12 | Difficulty: Moderate |
Special equipment required for each of the three mousses and the assembly:
- One 8” by 5” glass trifle bowl
- For each mousse preparation – stand mixer with whip attachment, hand-held mixer, or whisk and medium bowl.
- Small offset spatula
- Large plastic pastry bag and medium open-star tip, optional
Pre-recipe preparations for each of the three mouses:
- Place machine bowl and whip attachment in the refrigerator prior to proceeding with the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 recipe Basic Sponge Sheet
½ cup raspberry jam
12 oz fresh raspberries
Chocolate Velvet Mousse: (you will need two batches)
12 oz chocolate, 55% to 64%, wafers or broken up.
½ cup (4 fl oz) water
½ cup (4 fl oz) heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
4 egg whites (4 fl oz)
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 tbl (1 oz / 28 g) sugar
Chocolate Velvet Mousse directions:
- Melt chocolate and water. Let cool for 2 minutes.
- In chilled bowl, whip the cream just until soft peaks. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Whisk in egg yolk, set aside.
- Beat whites with salt, cream of tartar, and sugar until just stiff peaks. Do not overwhip.
- Stir in ¼ of the beaten whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in remainder until mostly combined. It is okay if there are still a few streaks of white.
- Fold in cream until incorporated and the mousse is smooth and homogenous. Use immediately.
Milk Chocolate Mousse (you will need two batches)
4 ½ oz milk chocolate, (Guittard recommended) wafers or broken up
2 ½ tbl (1.25 fl oz) water
¾ cup (6 fl oz) heavy cream
Milk Chocolate Mousse directions:
- Melt chocolate and water. Let cool to ~ 85°F
- Stir some of the cream into chocolate to lighten, fold in remainder.
- Use immediately.
Finishing:
1 ¾ cup (12 fl oz) heavy cream
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Fresh raspberries, as needed
Chocolate shavings, as needed
Raspberry sauce, optional.
Assembly directions:
- Bake sponge sheet and let cool just to barely warm. Turn out onto a confectioners’ sugar dusted cutting board or work counter. Cut in half width-wise. Spread raspberry jam over one half.
- Place the other half over the jam to make a cake sandwich. Cut into 1” square cubes. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
- Make the first batch of Chocolate Velvet Mousse. Pour into the bottom of the trifle bowl. Using offset spatula, spread to the outside of the bowl.
- Place squares of cake and raspberries randomly over the mousse, but not touching the edge. Press them lightly into the mousse.
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Make the first batch of milk chocolate mousse and pour over the bottom layer. Spread to the edges and repeat the above (#4) steps with the cake and raspberries. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Repeat steps 3 through 6 with the second batches of both mousses. When complete, let the trifle set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
Finishing:
- Whip cream and sugar until just stiff. (the cream will thicken more when piped out of pastry bag)
- Pipe, or spread, whipped cream on top.
- Decoratively place raspberries and chocolate shavings on top.
Sources:
- Inexpensive trifle bowls are available from Sur la Table, both in-stores and online, as well as at Amazon.
- Guittard Milk Chocolate baking wafers are available in many stores.
