Chocolate Cherry Trifle

Yikes, I didn't realize that it has been over two weeks since I last posted! My dad has been visiting and although I have been cooking I haven't been experimenting with new recipes very much. However, I did make this a few nights ago and the guys loved it! It is an excellent way to use chocolate cake that you have already prepared (or you can even buy one that is already frosted, I won't tell! LOL).

The story behind this: I got married and moved from Florida to the Wild West a few months ago. The adjustment hasn't been too difficult EXCEPT when it comes to baking. The high altitude here means that I have to adapt my cake recipes so they don't sink in the middle. The dry air also presents problems with baked goods staying moist once they are finished. So, I baked a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting to welcome Dad and after a day or so it started drying out. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away but it wasn't as enjoyable to eat as is. So, I thought of how my husband and I both love the flavor combination of chocolate and cherries and came up with this idea. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Prepared chocolate cake with chocolate frosting
Cherry pie filling (I like to use filling that has tart cherries since everything else in the trifle is so sweet)
Whipped cream
Milk

You will notice that I don't have exact measures here because it just depends on how much cake you have and how many trifles you want to make. I prepared my trifles in individual glasses but you could also make a large one in a trifle bowl. Just do what is best for you.

Use a fork to mash the chocolate cake and frosting until you have a nice consistency *.
Add milk just to make the cake mixture a bit more moist; Mix thoroughly.
In each glass layer the following:
Cake
Cherries
Whipped cream
Cake
Cherries
A dollop of whipped cream to finish


That's it! Very simple and absolutely delicious!

*In a traditional trifle you cut the cake into small squares or use a cookie cutter to cut the cake into desired shapes, but I mashed the cake together with milk to make it as moist as possible.