CHOCOLATE, CHESTNUT AND ORANGE TRIFLE

CHOCOLATE, CHESTNUT AND ORANGE TRIFLE image

Categories Cake Chocolate Nut Dessert No-Cook

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

Trifle:
8 ounces bittersweet (60 percent cacao) chocolate, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can chestnut puree * see Cook's Note
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 large orange, zested, about 3 tablespoons, plus more for garnish
1 (1 pound) frozen pound cake, thawed, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices
3/4 cup orange liqueur, orange-flavored syrup (such as Torani), or orange simple syrup, recipe follows
Garnish:
1 (3-ounce) chocolate bar
Orange Simple Syrup:
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar

Steps:

Special equipment: a 4-qt trifle bowl or a 4-qt glass bowl For the trifle: Combine chocolate and butter in medium bowl. Put bowl over barely simmering saucepan of water and stir occasionally until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Set aside. In another medium bowl, using fork, gently mash chestnut puree into 1/2-inch chunks. In stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment, beat cream until thick. With machine running, gradually add sugar and continue to beat until cream holds stiff peaks. Add half of the whipped cream to chestnut puree and, using spatula, fold it in until incorporated. Set aside. Stir the orange zest and 1/3 of remaining whipped cream into chocolate mixture until smooth, then fold in remaining whipped cream. Set aside. To assemble trifle: In bottom of a 4-qt trifle bowl, arrange single layer of pound cake slices, trimming cake slices, if necessary, to fit. Drizzle pound cake with about 1/4 cup of orange liqueur or orange syrup. Spread 1/2 of chestnut cream on top. Arrange another layer of pound cake slices on top and drizzle with 1/4 cup orange liqueur. Spread 1/2 of chocolate cream on top. Repeat the layers using remaining cream and liqueur, finishing with chocolate cream layer. For the garnish: Using vegetable peeler, shave the chocolate bar on top of trifle and sprinkle with orange zest. Cover trifle with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Allow trifle to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving. Orange Simple Syrup: In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes.