Most fairy tales tell a story of good versus evil. Of an innocent princess and a wicked sorceress. A brave-hearted knight and a fire-spewing dragon. A gentle mermaid and a conniving octopus dressed in drag. We love a story where good triumphs over evil, balance is brought to the Force, all is right in this world once again. The stories are told and retold out of an intrinsic need to restore balance, and because sometimes we can only appreciate good when we see it starkly presented against evil. Without a dark and menacing presence, we’d hardly be interested in the story of a princess who never worried about pricking her finger on a spindle, a knight who never saw battle, or a mermaid who brushed her hair with forks. These trifles evolved from that need for balance. Without the dark parts, the light would be good, but not excellent. Without the light angel food and homemade whipped cream, the dark would be too heavy and just too much.
But side by side, they tell a delectable story. The light vanilla portions of this cake are your princesses – fluffy angel food cake that soaks up the ingredients on either side of it, as delicate and melt-in-your mouth as cotton candy. Whipped cream with flecks of real vanilla bean (more on that below) — no store-bought imitation can beat the taste of cream whipped to stiff peaks in your own kitchen. The chocolate parts are intense, bold, sinister, and rich without making this generously portioned treat too rich. The pudding is made with no less than three different kinds of chocolate — it is powerful and decadent against the airy ingredients, the ganache is heavy and has nearly bitter notes of dark chocolate (all the better to appreciate the whipped cream).
While these trifles might be an edible symphony of light vs dark, the ingredients used all play roles as the heroes and heroines of this edible storybook. After hearing really, really great things about Rodelle products all over the blogosphere a few months ago, my interest was piqued and I started using their vanilla extract. I loved it, and the philosophy behind the company (an 80 year history of high standards for nothing but the most superior, gourmet ingredients) and their belief in environmentally friendly, sustainable practices, so I reached out to them about trying some of their other products. After a lot of kitchen experimentation with vanilla paste (I wish you could smell it through the computer, it is rich and exquisite), chocolate extract, and baking cocoa (and a determination to find a way to use all three ingredients together), these trifles were born.
Not pictured: my well-used bottle of vanilla extract, which I’ve effectively stained with chocolate and was not nearly pretty enough to photograph at this point in its life
Light and dark, good and evil, heaven and hell, these trifles tell an age-old tale of yin and yang in the tastiest story ever told. Rodelle provided me with products to experiment with, which I used to make these trifles — all thoughts and opinions are my own. PIN IT:
Boozy Irish Trifles
Cake Batter Cheesecake Dessert Shooters
Chocolate Icebox Cake
