Black Forest Cherry Blondie Trifle

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 20x20cm baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the edges for easy removal.

In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar. Mix thoroughly until smooth and completely incorporated.

Beat the eggs and vanilla extract into the butter mixture until glossy and slightly lightened in color.

Fold the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt into the wet ingredients using a spatula until just combined, ensuring no dry flour streaks remain.

Gently fold the chopped cherries into the blondie batter.

Bake the blondie batter in the prepared pan for 25 minutes. The edges should look golden and the center set but slightly soft.

Cool the blondies completely in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour, then remove and cut into 2.5cm cubes.

While blondies cool, simmer the 400g cherries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes until the cherries release their juices and the liquid turns syrupy.

Remove the cherries from the heat, mix in the kirsch, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

For the custard, heat the milk and 100ml heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming, about 85°C (185°F), but do not let it boil.

In a separate heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa powder until pale and smooth.

Temper the egg yolk mixture by slowly pouring in half of the hot milk mixture in a thin stream while whisking continuously.

Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Boil over medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes until very thick and glossy.

Remove the custard from the heat and stir in the chopped dark chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract until completely melted and uniformly smooth.

Transfer the custard to a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Using an electric mixer, whip the cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until medium-firm peaks form. Do not overmix.

Begin assembling the trifle by arranging half of the cooled blondie cubes in an even layer at the bottom of a large glass trifle bowl.

Spoon half of the kirsch-soaked cherries along with their syrupy juices evenly over the blondie layer.

Spread half of the chilled chocolate custard smoothly over the cherry layer.

Repeat the assembly process with a second layer of the remaining blondies, cherries, and chocolate custard.

Spoon or pipe the whipped mascarpone cream over the final custard layer, spreading it to the edges of the glass.

Chill the assembled trifle in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight, to allow the layers to settle and the blondies to absorb the flavors.

Before serving, garnish the trifle by using a microplane or vegetable peeler to shave the block of dark chocolate generously over the top cream layer, then arrange the whole fresh cherries.