How delicious is the English trifle, one of my favorite desserts! A real explosion of textures and flavors that will literally leave you speechless.

A spoon dessert of unique simplicity but so delicious! A famous dessert, born in Emilia Romagna, which then spread throughout all regions of Italy.

Everyone has their version: some use sponge cake and some ladyfingers; some alternate chocolate cream with a delicious vanilla cream and some instead use custard.

Some use alchermes, which besides being a rich and fragrant liqueur also gives that beautiful intense red color to the preparation, while others use rosolio or rum.
Honestly, I like the original English trifle recipe, the one that includes the addition of alchermes, even my mom made it that way! It’s truly delightful to sink the spoon into layers of well-soaked ladyfingers, encountering layers of custard and chocolate cream along the way.

In short, many variations for a spoon dessert to serve on any occasion! And now let’s see how I prepare my English trifle!

So if you want to discover the classic and original recipe, keep reading; it’s an explosion of deliciousness that’s really hard to resist! What an indulgent dessert!

Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Very Cheap
Rest time: 2 Hours
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 8 People
Cooking methods: Stove
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All Seasons

447.53 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 447.53 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 71.70 (g) of which sugars 47.65 (g)
Proteins 9.49 (g)
Fat 12.70 (g) of which saturated 5.24 (g)of which unsaturated 7.12 (g)
Fibers 1.76 (g)
Sodium 69.77 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

10.5 oz ladyfingers (or sponge cake)
1 l milk
8 egg yolks (medium)
1.25 cups sugar
1 vanilla (pod)
3 oz cornstarch (or flour)
1 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (+ one tablespoon for decorating the surface)
to taste alchermes

Tools

Baking Dishes
Saucepan

Steps for the English Trifle

In a large pot, place the milk and the vanilla pod halved along with its seeds. Then heat it nearly to boiling point.
In a small saucepan, whisk the eggs together with the sugar. Add the sifted cornstarch and incorporate it until you get a lump-free mixture.
Pour the hot milk, strained through a sieve, into the eggs little by little, to temper it and prevent the eggs from cooking, and stir continuously with the whisk.
Return it to the pot and back on the heat at low flame.
Keep stirring and let it thicken, it will take about 5 minutes.
Divide the cream into two equal parts.
Immediately cover the yellow cream with cling film to prevent drying on the surface.
In the other half, add the sifted cocoa and mix well.
Then cover it with film as well.
Let the creams cool.
Take a large and high-edged baking dish. Generously soak the ladyfingers in alchermes.
Make a layer of biscuits, trying to cover the entire base well, and one of chocolate cream.
Do the same with the yellow cream and continue until the container is filled.
For aesthetic reasons, it is better to finish with the yellow cream layer.
Tip: (If you want a less alcoholic soak, suitable for children, dilute the liqueur with a syrup of water and sugar).
Transfer the English trifle to the fridge for at least 2 hours and when serving, dust the surface with plenty of unsweetened cocoa.
Enjoy your meal.