Surprise #2: Mrs. Dorran's Tumultuous Trifle Recipe

[Alternate Text: A layered trifle is contained within a crystal serving dish. Layers of chocolate cake, a cream cheese mixture, and kirsch-soaked cherries are clearly visible to create a pattern.]

"Are these right?"

You stop idly stirring the cream cheese mixture when R stage-whispers that question to Mrs. Dorran, intentionally keeping their focus on the cutting board despite seeking guidance. Segments of cake are lined up with an unerring precision; they look closer to chocolatey legos than pieces of dessert. R's grip on the chef's knife is just as regimented. You can see the way their eyes are mapping out how the segments should neatly interlock together, which is much more difficult than your task. "It looks good," you reassure them.

"…But are they shaped right?"

"There isn't a wrong, sweetie." Mrs. Dorran bustles over to your and R's side of the counter to set down the empty trifle dish. "It's abstractly delicious every time I make it."

Below you will find the recipe for Mrs. Dorran's Tumultuous Trifle; it yields a fruity chocolate dessert that is decadent due to its complementary layers of cherries and a light cream cheese blend. It's a statement piece dessert thanks to its colors, though the prep work is very minimal.

Please enjoy!

(Also, don't worry the next recipe I have planned will be the hearty granola A makes for J to take on hikes. I don't want you all in a sugar coma. XD)

Ingredients

Cherry Mixture

• 1 Can Cherry Pie Filling
• ¼ Cup of Cherry Liqueur or Kirsch

Cream Cheese Mixture

• 1 8 Ounce Package of Cream Cheese
• 1 Can of Condensed Milk
• 1/2 Cup of Lemon Juice

Cake

• You can use your favorite chocolate cake recipe. To save time, you can use a boxed Devil's Food Cake plus 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder or a boxed Dark Chocolate Cake.

Method

Note: It's a good idea to make this a day in advance or at least several hours in advance of when you intend to serve it to let everything set up. The flavors also have a chance to intermingle as the finished trifle chills in the refrigerator.

• Make the chocolate cake according to the directions on the box or your own recipe.
• While the cake is baking you can make the other two mixtures that will need to be refrigerated once they are finished. Use two large bowls for each of them.
• Cherry Mixture: Blend together the alcohol and the cherry pie filling with a spoon; it's a good idea to cut the cherries in half if you have the patience to make them more bite-size.
• Cream Cheese Mixture: Use a hand mixer to first beat up the cream cheese until it's smooth then add in the condensed milk and lemon juice. Mix all of this together well.
• Now that the two mixtures are in the fridge, the cake should hopefully be all baked and completely cooled. It will now need to be cut up into small blocks and layered into your trifle dish of choice; this is what R was having a minor crisis about in the narrative blurb, which is valid, but it's not really a big deal since you're building layers on repeat. Cut the cake into strips then cut those into rectangular blocks; you will need enough cake blocks for three layers in your trifle dish. 
• Start with blocks of cake, then cherry mixture, and then the creamy mixture.
• You should be able to repeat the pattern three times, so portion your layers. The cream cheese should be your last layer on top.
• The finished dessert should have pretty alternating layers. It needs to be refrigerated.

Fun Extras

• R used the strategy of trying to make relatively solid layers of cake that still had natural tiny gaps for the mixtures to seep into. They also made the bottom one the sturdiest.
• This dessert might go well with a dollop of whipped cream on the side and milk or a latte.
• This is another dessert that freezes exceptionally well; use little containers.