Black Forest Trifle is a twist on the traditional chocolate cherry German dessert. It’s loaded with layers of chocolate cake cubes, creamy pudding, Cool Whip, and cherry pie filling, all beautifully displayed in a glass bowl for a pretty presentation!

Black Forest Trifle garnished with whipped topping and cherries.

Black Forest Trifle Recipe

Our easy Black Forest Trifle recipe has the same flavors and features as the classic Black Forest cake but swaps the fruity flavor from cherry liqueur (Kirsch) or syrup for cherry pie filling.

Prepared lasagna-style (like a Punch Bowl Cake or dessert lasagna), with layers of cake cubes covered with chocolate pudding, followed by pie filling and finished with whipped topping, this cherry chocolate dessert is a stunning summer staple when it’s stacked until it reaches the top of the trifle dish.

Black Forest Trifle Ingredients

Devil’s food cake mix: I made my cake with a box of devil’s food cake mix, prepared according to package directions. However, any kind of chocolate cake can be used or you can bake a homemade cake from scratch.
Instant chocolate pudding mix: Make sure you use instant pudding mix and not the cook-and-serve kind. A homemade chocolate custard can be used, though it’s more time-consuming.
Milk: Whole milk or 2% milk works best for this recipe. Milk alternatives do not work well as they affect how the pudding is set up.
Cherry pie filling: You can substitute strawberry pie filling or your favorite fruit flavor for the cherry pie filling and then swap the fresh fruit to match.
Frozen whipped topping: You can also use canned whipped cream, Cool Whip, or make your own homemade whipped cream from scratch.
Fresh cherries for garnish: You can also use more cherry pie filling instead of fresh cherries to garnish.
Chocolate shavings or grated chocolate to garnish

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Black Forest Trifle

Bake The Cake: Bake the cake according to box directions. Once completely cooled cut into 1-inch x 1-inch cubes.
Prepare The Pudding: Prepare the pudding according to the package instructions using cold milk. Chill in the refrigerator to set.
Assemble: Create a layer of cake cubes at the bottom of the trifle dish, cover with pudding, spread cherry pie filling on top, and finish with a layer of whipped topping.
Load More Layers: Repeat layers as follows: cake cubes, chocolate pudding, cherry pie filling, ending with a layer of Cool Whip on top.
Chill: Loosely cover and refrigerate the trifle for at least 2 hours before serving.
Serve: Just before serving, set the fresh cherries into the center of the whipped topping and garnish with chocolate shavings or grated chocolate.

Create a layer of cake cubes at the bottom of the trifle dish, cover with pudding, spread cherry pie filling on top, and finish with a layer of whipped topping.

Serving Suggestions

Tasty Toppings: You can top your truffle with some coconut flakes, chopped nuts, chocolate ribbons, fresh fruit, a drizzle of chocolate sauce, or even more cherry pie filling if you prefer.

Make Them Mini: I don’t blame you if you don’t want to share your trifle treat! For individual black forest trifle cups, swap the trifle dish for mason jars and make them mini-size (like my S’mores Trifle).

Tips & Variations

Make sure to allow time for the cake to cool completely before assembling the trifle.
Be sure the cake cubes are uniform in size and tightly fitted to form a sturdy base for your trifle.
When adding each layer to your trifle bowl, be careful around the outer edges to keep the different layers nice and neat. This will ensure that you have a pretty presentation when you are looking at the outside of the bowl.
My trifle bowl held 3.25 quarts or 104 ounces. Depending on the size of your trifle bowl, you may end up with extra cake cubes.
Want to make this cherry and chocolate trifle recipe even easier? Go to your grocery store bakery and grab a pre-made cake!

Black Forest Trifle in a trifle container topped with cherries.

Proper Storage

To Store: This trifle is best served chilled. It can be refrigerated and lightly covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Please note that the longer this sits, the softer the cake will become from the moisture in the pudding and cool whip layers.
To Freeze: This dessert is not suitable for freezing.
Make in Advance: You can make this trifle a few days ahead of time. This recipe calls for a minimum of two hours in the refrigerator before serving to allow the cake to soak up the lemon flavors. The longer the trifle is chilled, the better the ingredients will have to meld. It’s a great make-ahead dessert recipe.

Black Forest Trifle in a dessert glass topped with whipped topping and cherry.

Other Easy Trifle Recipes

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Black Forest Trifle

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves —

Black Forest Trifle is prepared with layers of chocolate cake pieces, pudding, cherry pie filling, and whipped topping. A delicious make-ahead dessert made to mimic the classic chocolate cherry cake.

Print Rate PinSave

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Rest and Chill Time 2 30

Total Time 3 10

Ingredients

▢ 15.25 ounces devil’s food cake mix (prepared according to box directions)
▢ 6.8 ounces (2 3.4-oz boxes) instant chocolate pudding mix
▢ 4 cups cold milk
▢ 42 ounces (2 21-ounces each) cherry pie filling
▢ 16 ounces (2 8-ounces each containers) thawed whipped topping
▢ 12 fresh cherries optional garnish
▢ Chocolate shavings or grated chocolate optional garnish

Instructions

Prepare the devil’s food cake according to box directions. Ensure the cake is completely cooled before cutting it into 1-inch x 1-inch cubes.
15.25 ounces devil’s food cake mix
Prepare the chocolate pudding according to the package instructions using cold milk. Chill it in the refrigerator to set.
6.8 ounces (2 3.4-oz boxes) instant chocolate pudding mix, 4 cups cold milk
In a trifle bowl (3.25 quarts -or- 104 ounces), create a single layer of 1-inch cake cubes at the bottom.
Spoon ½ of the chocolate pudding over the cake cubes.
Spread ¾ of the cherry pie filling over the chocolate pudding.
42 ounces (2 21-ounces each) cherry pie filling
Add a layer of whipped topping over the cherry pie filling.
16 ounces (2 8-ounces each containers) thawed whipped topping
Repeat the layers – cake cubes, remaining chocolate pudding, ¾ of the cherry pie filling – until the dish is nearly full, ending with a layer of whipped topping on top.
Loosely cover and refrigerate the trifle for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Just before serving, set the fresh cherries into the center of the whipped topping. You can also garnish the top with chocolate shavings or grated chocolate.
12 fresh cherries, Chocolate shavings or grated chocolate

Jenn’s Notes

Storage:

To Store: This trifle is best served chilled. It can be refrigerated and lightly covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Please note that the longer this sits, the softer the cake will become from the moisture in the pudding and cool whip layers.
Make in Advance: You can make this trifle a few days ahead of time. This recipe calls for a minimum of two hours in the refrigerator before serving to allow the cake to soak up the lemon flavors. The longer the trifle is chilled, the better the ingredients will have to meld. It’s a great make-ahead dessert recipe.

Tips:

Make sure to allow time for the cake to cool completely before assembling the trifle.
Be sure the cake cubes are uniform in size and tightly fitted to form a sturdy base for your trifle.
When adding each layer to your trifle bowl, be careful around the outer edges to keep the different layers nice and neat. This will ensure that you have a pretty presentation when you are looking at the outside of the bowl.
My trifle bowl held 3.25 quarts or 104 ounces. Depending on the size of your trifle bowl, you may end up with extra cake cubes.
Want to make this an even easier cherry and chocolate trifle recipe? Go to your grocery store bakery and grab a pre-made cake!