Chocolate Orange Trifle

You will need a large trifle bowl approximately 20-25cm wide and 12cm high.

To make the jelly you will need a round 8 inch cake tin lined with two layers of cling film.

Put half the orange juice and sugar in a pan, heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. 

Once the sugar has dissolved, sprinkle over the gelatin and whisk until the gelatin dissolves. Stir in the remaining orange juice then transfer to your prepared cake tin. Put in the fridge to set overnight.

To make the chocolate custard, put the cream, milk and orange extract in a pan, before heating place 2 tbsp of the mixture into a jug and set aside. Heat the mixture until it just comes to the boil.

Whilst the milk mixture is heating, put the custard powder and sugar in the reserved milk mixture and mix together to form a paste. 

When the milk mixture is boiling slowly combine with the paste, whisking continuously until thickened and combined. 

Break up the chocolate and stir into the hot custard until melted. Cover the surface of the custard with some cling film so that the cling film is touching the custard to prevent a skin from forming. 

Leave to cool then put in the fridge overnight to set.

To make the chocolate orange brownies, Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 160 fan / Gas Mark 4.

Grease and line a square baking tin approximately 20cm x 20cm.

Take a small pan and fill about 1/3 full of water and bring to a boil.

Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer.

Put the butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl and put on top of the pan of hot water to melt.

Ensure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water and stir the chocolate and butter occasionally as it melts.

Meanwhile add the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix well to combine.

When the chocolate and butter has melted, remove from the pan then stir in the dry ingredients.

Mix well to combine then add the beaten eggs and mix well.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, smoothing out the mixture.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until firm to the touch – the middle should still be a little bit soft and gooey.

Put on a cooling rack and cool in the tin until completely cooled.

To make the chocolate decorations, take the bar of dark chocolate and using a sharp knife, pull the knife down the length of the flat side of the chocolate to make shavings. Transfer the shavings to a sheet of greaseproof paper and put in the fridge to chill until ready to use.

With the remaining chocolate you can make the chocolate Christmas trees.

Break up the remaining chocolate into a bowl and place in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring in between each burst until melted.

Put the melted chocolate into a piping bag and drizzle onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper into Christmas tree shapes. This can also be done with a teaspoon.

Put the trees to one side to set at room temperature.

To assemble the trifle, slice the chocolate brownie and layer in the bottom of the trifle bowl.

Optional – drizzle the brownie with the liqueur.

Whisk the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste together until it forms soft peaks.

Put 1/3 of the cream into a piping bag and pipe a layer of cream on top of the brownie. Alternatively, you can just spoon the layer of cream into the bowl.

Next, whisk the chilled chocolate orange custard to loosen it up and add half of it on top of the layer of cream.

Next, cut the ends off the clementines, then cut into slices keeping the peel on, and line the sides of the trifle bowl with the slices.

Next add the set orange jelly.

Add the remaining chocolate orange custard on top of the layer of jelly.

Top with the remaining whipped cream then scatter with the chocolate shavings, and orange zest then place in the chocolate Christmas trees.

The trifle can be assembled without the decorations the day before serving and stored in the fridge overnight. Decorate the trifle when ready to serve.