The English trifle is a classic dessert of Italian tradition with alchermes liqueur, custard, and chocolate custard. The original recipe from Emilia uses sponge cake, but the version with ladyfingers is also highly appreciated. Today we will see how to make English trifle using leftover pandoro or panettone from the Christmas holidays (or Easter dove if it’s Easter!).
If you like recipes with leftover panettone or pandoro, don’t forget to check out the recipe
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 409.45 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 61.73 (g) of which sugars 44.83 (g)
- Proteins 12.78 (g)
- Fat 14.08 (g) of which saturated 7.72 (g)of which unsaturated 2.57 (g)
- Fibers 5.30 (g)
- Sodium 231.94 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 175 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 for 4 people:
- 2 cups Custard
- 5 tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 slices Pandoro (or panettone)
- 2 oz Alchermes
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/3 cup Sugar
Here’s what you need:
- 1 Pot medium, 1 qt
- 2 Bowls medium
- 1 Bowl large
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Spatula silicone
Preparation
To make a perfect English trifle, you need to make a good custard. Read my tips for a perfect custard without lumps.
Once the cooking of the custard is completed, divide it evenly into the two bowls. The first bowl will be used for the light layer; put it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap to cool it down, preventing a surface crust from forming.
Take the custard in the second bowl and put it back on the stove with 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (10 grams). Stir the mixture gently so that the cocoa can dissolve and color the custard, giving it the classic dark color.
Put the chocolate custard in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it cool in the refrigerator.
Tricks: Plastic wrap prevents the formation of a hard skin on the custard and avoids lumps. If you don’t have plastic wrap, you can dust the custard with sugar, which will absorb moisture, leaving the surface soft.
Tips: If the custard “smells” like raw egg, it has been cooked too much or at too high a temperature; next time, lower the heat and cook it more gently.
While the custards cool, it’s time to make the alchermes soak to flavor the leftover pandoro or panettone.
In a 1 qt pot, put the water, sugar, and alchermes and bring to a boil so the sugar dissolves.
Trick: For a non-alcoholic soak, light the soak with a flame so that the alcohol evaporates, leaving the taste of the liqueur.
When the soak has also cooled down, it’s time to assemble the English trifle with pandoro.
Cut the panettone or pandoro into thin and even slices about 3/8 inch thick. To allow the soak to be absorbed, it is advisable to remove the brown outer part, which is cooked and prevents absorption.
For a proper English trifle, arrange a layer of pandoro (or panettone) with alchermes, a layer of chocolate custard, another layer of pandoro (or panettone) with alchermes, and a layer of classic custard.
Now you can work on as many layers as you like. I recommend finishing with classic custard and a generous sprinkle of cocoa powder.
Tip: Custard tends to “absorb” cocoa powder, making it mushy. I recommend sprinkling the cocoa only shortly before serving the English trifle.
Your English trifle with pandoro is ready!
Which wine to pair:
If you want to serve the English trifle with a good glass of wine, I recommend a dessert wine. Its intense flavor will balance the components of the dessert well. My first suggestion is a classic Vin Santo. Alternatively, you can serve it with a passito from Pantelleria or with a sweet Orvieto.
