Zuppa Inglese (Italian Trifle)
How to make Zuppa Inglese, a classic Italian trifle made with Savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers) soaked in liqueur and layered with heavenly vanilla pastry cream and a rich and fudgy chocolate custard.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 480kcal
Ingredients
- 10 egg yolks
- ⅔ cup sugar (140g)
- 5 cups whole milk (1180ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup cornstarch (60g)
- 5.5 oz dark chocolate (150g) roughly chopped
- 28 to 30 Savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers) see notes
- 1 cup Alchermes liqueur 240ml (see notes for substitutions)
- 1 cup Water (240ml)
- cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
Make the pastry cream
- Heat the milk and vanilla until hot but not boiling then turn off the heat.5 cups whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Meanwhile, add the egg yolks to a large bowl (big enough to hold all the milk) and add the sugar, mix until combined. Add the cornstarch and mix together until smooth.10 egg yolks, ⅔ cup sugar, ½ cup cornstarch
- Whilst constantly whisking, gradually add the milk to the egg yolk mixture until all combined. Transfer everything back to the pot and turn on a low heat.
- Stir the milk and egg mixture until thickened, it should be thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon without dripping.
- Transfer just over half of the pastry cream (about 3 cups/690g) to a bowl keeping the remaining in the pot. With the heat off add the chopped chocolate to the pot and stir until melted and completely combined with the remaining pastry cream.5.5 oz dark chocolate
- Transfer the chocolate pastry cream to a separate bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap (cling film) ensuring that it’s directly on top of the pastry cream to stop a skin from forming, allow to cool completely.
Assemble the Zuppa Inglese
- Add the Alchermes liqueur and water to a wide container or bowl. Dip the Savoiardi one at a time for a second on each side into the liquid then arrange on the base or your trifle dish or serving bowl (you can break some of the Savoiardi to fit the edges if needed).1 cup Alchermes liqueur, 1 cup Water, 28 to 30 Savoiardi biscuits
- Once you have a layer of biscuits, add half of the chocolate pastry cream and spread it all over in an even layer. Top with a second layer of Savoiardi dipped in liqueur then top with half of the plain vanilla pastry cream. Repeat this another twice so you have 4 layers of pastry cream 4 layers of Savoiardi making sure the top layer is vanilla pastry cream.
- Let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours then dust with cocoa powder before serving.
Video
Notes
- Let the pastry cream cool - make sure the pastry cream has cooled before assembling the Zuppa Inglese or the ladyfingers will turn soggy.
- Variations - some recipes add in a layer Maraschino cherries and/or whipped cream.
- Alchermes substitutions - instead of Alchermes which can be hard to find you can use half liqueur such as amaretto, rum or Strega mixed with half pomegranate juice. Then add the water as stated in the recipe.
- Don't want to use alcohol? - you can swap the alcohol for pomegranate juice if prefered.
- Storage - the Zuppa Inglese will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing.
Nutrition
Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 280mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 321mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 640IU | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 4mg