The English trifle is a dessert typical of the Emilian and Tuscan tradition consisting of layers of sponge cake or ladyfingers soaked in alchermes, alternated with classic custard and chocolate cream.
Its origins are not entirely certain; it is said to have originated between Emilia Romagna and Tuscany in the eighteenth century as a tribute to the gastronomic habits of the English, great admirers of the “trifle“, a layered dessert consisting of a soft base soaked in sweet wine enriched with layers of cream, cream, and fresh fruit. What is known for sure, among the various legends that are told, is that the English trifle is an Italian reinterpretation of the trifle that has spread over time throughout central Italy.
In every region, there are small variations; some use only custard, others add a layer of jam or soak the cookies with coffee and liqueurs such as rosolio, amaretto, or rum. As you can understand, there are many variations, and surely all of them are delicious.
In Emilia Romagna, sponge cake is often replaced with “brazadela” (a soft but firm ring-shaped cake usually soaked in wine), sliced thinly, but the most curious variation born in Emilia in the area between Modena and Ferrara alternates ladyfingers soaked with alchermes with others soaked with liqueur and mint syrup.
For me, it’s a dessert that tastes like home and shared memories; everyone loves it, young and old, and it belongs to that precious category of recipes passed down from mother to daughter and carries with it more than one tradition: it carries stories.
Today I’m sharing my recipe, richer than the traditional recipe of my family but truly excellent. Try it if you like.
Try also other recipes from the Bolognese tradition
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 12People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 302.17 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 39.07 (g) of which sugars 31.40 (g)
- Proteins 9.27 (g)
- Fat 11.00 (g) of which saturated 5.39 (g)of which unsaturated 5.15 (g)
- Fibers 0.92 (g)
- Sodium 94.81 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 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
To prepare the English trifle, I use Luca Montersino’s creams. If you find them too rich in eggs, you can use your recipes, but it’s important that the consistency is quite firm.
- 8.82 oz ladyfingers (or sponge cake)
- 5 cups custard
- 3 1/3 cups custard (chocolate)
- 7 fl oz alchermes
- 1.4 oz dark chocolate, 60%
- 3 1/4 cups milk
- 7 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup rice starch
- 1 pod vanilla
- lemon zest (in large pieces)
- 2 cups milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2.8 oz dark chocolate, 55%
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Tools
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Scale
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Baking dish 8×12
- 1 Grater
- 1 Whisk
- Plastic wrap
Method
Open the vanilla pod, slicing it in half, extract the pulp and place it in a pot along with the milk and lemon zest in pieces.
Bring the milk to a boil, turn off and let rest while you work on the eggs.
Place the egg yolks in a bowl, add the sugar and mix, no need to whip them.
Incorporate the cornstarch and rice starch by mixing with a whisk to blend the mixture well.
Remove the lemon zest from the milk and pour it gradually over the eggs, continuing to stir with the whisk.
Transfer the mixture to the saucepan, place it on the heat, continuing to stir until the cream thickens, it should never boil but cook slowly, the correct temperature is around 181/184°F.
Pour the cream into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it cool in the refrigerator.
Place the egg yolks in a bowl, add the sugar and mix. Sift the cocoa, the cornstarch, and add them to the egg yolks, incorporating them with a whisk to avoid lumps.
In a saucepan, heat the milk to a boil and turn off.
Pour it gradually, over the egg yolk mixture, stirring with the whisk to blend everything well.
Put the mixture back in the pan and cook the cream over low heat, let it thicken and turn off.
Add the dark chocolate cut into small pieces and stir until completely melted.
Transfer the cream to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool in the refrigerator.
To soak the ladyfingers you can use natural alchermes (mine is 19°) or you can prepare a syrup of water and sugar and dilute the alchermes (find the recipe at the end of the article) according to your taste. I use it pure.
Quickly dip the ladyfingers in the alchermes on both sides, without soaking them too much.
Place the ladyfingers at the bottom of the baking dish creating the first layer.
Spread half of the chocolate custard over the cookies, smooth it, and continue with half of the classic custard, continue with a layer of ladyfingers soaked in alchermes, a layer of chocolate custard, and finally one of classic custard.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a few hours, even better overnight.
The English trifle is ready, remove the plastic wrap and decorate with grated dark chocolate.
Tips
Storage
The English trifle, if made correctly, can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 days. Keep it in a fridge container with a lid.
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FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What liqueur is used in English trifle?
Traditionally, alchermes is used, a very aromatic red liqueur.
How do you make the soaking syrup for English trifle?
The alchermes soaking syrup is made very quickly, just bring 100 g of water to a boil with 50 g of sugar, as soon as the sugar is dissolved, turn off and add 150 g of alchermes, your syrup is ready.
How to replace alchermes in English trifle?
If you don’t like alchermes, you can replace it with rosolio, rum, or amaretto, although the taste will be different
