GERMAN CHOCOLATE TRIFLE

"Use the chocolate cake of your choice here. Once it's brushed with juice and filled with custard and cherries, it's all good. I prefer canned cherries in heavy syrup to the jarred ones (canned are bigger, with better flavor). They may need to be pitted."

2 cans (14 oz each) cherries, pitted
1/4 cup almond or cherry flavored liqueur
1 chocolate cake, sliced
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream, whipped
1 (6-serving size) package vanilla pudding mix, cooked, cooled
semi-sweet chocolate curls

Drain cherries, reserving syrup, and set aside 6 to 8 of the best cherries for garnish. Put syrup into a small saucepan. Simmer to reduce by 1/3. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur.

Fit the cake slices snugly into the bottom of a trifle dish. Brush cake generously with cherry liqueur syrup. Scatter half the remaining cherries on the cake.

Fold together whipped cream and cooled vanilla pudding or custard. Spoon one-third of this mixture on top of cherries. Make a second identical layer -- syrup-brushed cake, cherries, cream/custard. Add a third layer of cake, brush with syrup, top with remaining cream. Decorate with the perfect cherries, and garnish with curls of semi-sweet chocolate. (Warm the block of chocolate in your hands before making curls -- it will curl easily.) Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Serves 10 to 12
Source: The Edmonton Journal, December 20, 2006