Zuppa Inglese Recipe (Best Italian Trifle Recipe)

Guido Pedrelli
Guido Pedrelli
Italian Cuisine Expert and Food Blogger
Guido Pedrelli
Guido Pedrelli, the mastermind behind Nonna Box, has honed his culinary expertise for decades, inspired by family feasts in Emilia-Romagna. Mentored by his restaurateur nonna, he mastered Italian classics and furthered his skills with professional culinary studies in desserts and gelato making from Mec3. Today, he shares this rich legacy and authentic recipes through Nonna Box.
Expertise: Italian cuisine, Pasta, Pizza, Pastry, Dessert

If you know a bit of Italian, you may expect this to be listed as a soup in the starter section on the menu, as Zuppa Inglese literally translates to “English Soup.”

Zuppa inglese in a small cup

But, in fact, it’s actually a delicious classic traditional Italian trifle dessert that is made by layering delicate ladyfingers dipped in liqueur with smooth vanilla and chocolate pastry cream that is then chilled to perfection and dusted with cocoa powder. It’s a sinfully good dessert found in many authentic Italian cookbooks and restaurants.

Equipment needed to make Zuppa Inglese

  • medium-sized saucepan for making the pastry cream
  • lemon zester to make lemon zest
  • bowls including one large and several medium and small bowls
  • whisk to stir the ingredients and the cream when cooking
  • one large or several small single-serving glass bowls or cylinder-shaped dishes
  • plastic wrap to cover the dessert to chill it before serving

Ingredients for Italian trifle dessert

  • Milk (4.23 cups | 1 liter) – you can use regular whole milk from cows. If you choose to use a vegetable substitute like soy or oat milk, be aware that the pastry cream might not come out the same as it would with cow’s milk and that you made need to add a little more flour for it to set up properly.
  • Sugar (1.75 cups | 350 g) – white granulated sugar is fine for this recipe.
  • Alchermes liqueur (0.85 cups | 200 ml) – this is where the dessert gets its beautiful crimson color, but if you can’t find it you can use cherry juice or sweet Marsala, brandy or rum with some food coloring or grenadine to make it crimson.
  • Flour (0.64 | 80 gr) – this recipe calls for all-purpose flour which helps the cream thicken.
  • Egg yolks (9) – use room-temperature egg yolks.
  • Cocoa powder (6 tbsp | 30 gr) – a good quality cocoa powder is recommended for a richer flavor.
  • Vanilla bean (½) – you can either use half of a vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
  • Lemon (1) – as this will be used for zest, we highly recommend an organic lemon that has not been treated with chemicals.
  • Ladyfingers (24) – these should be the large style ladyfingers. You can use twice as many small ladyfinger cookies or substitute with a sheet of sponge cake that you shape to fit your dish if you prefer. Make your homemade ladyfingers.

How to make Zuppa Inglese step by step

Make the pastry cream base: The first step is to make the pastry cream. To do this, bring the milk to a very low boil in a medium-sized saucepan with the vanilla bean and a bit of lemon zest. While the milk is coming to a boil, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl until well combined.

zuppa inglese preparation steps - bring the milk to boil,  mix the eggs and the flour together


Then add the flour and whisk well once more. Remove the vanilla bean before the next step. Now, while whisking constantly, slowly add the hot milk to the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. You must continue whisking the entire time and add the milk slowly a little at a time for the pastry cream to be smooth. Then pour the egg yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan and return to low heat while continuing to whisk until the pastry cream has thickened up a bit, but is nice and smooth. This should take about 5 to 6 minutes.

step by step instructions to make zuppa inglese, add the milk to the egg and flour mixture while continuing mixing

Flavor the pastry cream: Remove the pastry cream from the heat and separate it into two bowls. Sprinkle one bowl of the pastry cream with a bit of sugar, then mix, and cover. Then add the cocoa powder to the other bowl of pastry cream, mix until smooth, and cover. Now, allow both bowls of pastry cream to cool.

step by step instructions for zuppa inglese, flavor the pastry cream with sugar and cocoa

Assemble the dessert: Pour the Alchermes into a low bowl. Dip the ladyfingers (or sponge cake) into the Alchermes for about 2 seconds on both sides to sop up the color and flavor. Place a base layer of the dipped ladyfingers into one large or several small single-serving glass bowls or cylinder-shaped dishes.

assembling italian trifle, dip the ladyfingers in alchermes and place them in a bowl then cover with the pastry cream

Then cover the ladyfingers with a layer of some of the chocolate cream. Now, add another layer of ladyfingers and cover with some of the vanilla pastry cream.

assembling zuppa inglese by adding layers of savoiardi cookies and layering with pastry cream

Then continue to alternate layers of ladyfingers and pastry cream until you fill the dish. It’s a good idea to place the ladyfingers perpendicular to the previous layer to help with stability.

Chill the Zuppa Inglese and serve: Once all the layers have been formed, seal with plastic wrap, and put the dish(es) in the refrigerator to chill and set for about 2 hours.

assembling italian trifle, plate with alchermes, pastry cream and bowl with zuppa inglese

To serve, top the dessert with whipped cream or dust with cocoa powder.

bowl of zuppa inglese (italian trifle) on a plate with a glass containing alchermes liqueur in the background

Expert tips for making Zuppa Inglese

  • Change it up: for best results, it’s a good idea to place the ladyfingers perpendicular to the previous layer to help with stability.
  • Chocolate lovers rejoice: If you’re chocoholic, go ahead and add a layer of chocolate shavings, chocolate chips or chopped chocolate in your Zuppa Inglese. You can never go wrong with more chocolate.

Regional Variations of Zuppa Inglese

  • Emilia Romagna – includes the addition of coffee flavoring, plum jam and rum, or layers of chocolate and vanilla pastry cream separated by Alchermes soaked sponge cake.
  • Modena – uses ladyfingers or gallette instead of sponge cake, as well as sugar syrup and white vermouth instead of Alchermes, and layers of chocolate or chocolate custard.
  • Napoli – sponge cake may be replaced with Margherita cake or pan di Spagna, rum and limoncello may join or replace the Alchermes, and the whole dessert is covered with meringue and then baked to set instead of chilling.

However, for this easy Zuppa Inglese recipe, we will be focusing on the Emilia Romagna style of this classic Italian dessert. It is the most traditional variation with the longest history.

More Italian desserts:

Make your own homemade lady fingers or your own Italian sponge cake if you decide to use this instead.

zuppa inglese served on a small plate

Zuppa Inglese (Italian Trifle)

This recipe is one of the most traditional Italian desserts throughout the country. Easy to make and absolutely delicious, Italian Zuppa Inglese is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
4.48 from 17 votes
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Course: Dessert
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 364kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 l (4.23 cups) milk
  • 350 g (1.75 cups) sugar
  • 200 ml (0.85 cups) Alchermes liqueur
  • 80 gr (0.64 cups) flour
  • 9 egg yolks
  • 30 gr (6 tbsp) cocoa powder
  • ½ (½) vanilla bean
  • 1 (1) lemon
  • 24 (24) large ladyfingers can be replaced with a sheet of sponge cake

Equipment

  • medium-sized saucepan
  • lemon zester
  • bowls including one large and several medium and small bowls
  • Whisk
  • one large or several small single-serving glass bowls or cylinder-shaped dishes
  • Plastic wrap

Instructions

  • The first step is to make the pastry cream. To do this, bring the milk to a very low boil in a medium saucepan with the vanilla bean and a bit of lemon zest.
  • While the milk is coming to a boil, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl until well combined. Then add the flour and whisk well once more.
  • Remove the vanilla bean. Now, while whisking constantly, slowly add the hot milk to the bowl with the egg mixture. You must continue whisking the entire time and add the milk slowly, a little at a time, for the pastry cream to be smooth.
  • Then pour the egg yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan and return to low heat while continuing to whisk until the pastry cream has thickened up a bit, but is nice and smooth. This should take about 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Remove the pastry cream from the heat and separate it into two bowls.
  • Sprinkle one bowl of the pastry cream with a bit of sugar, then mix, and cover. Then add the cocoa powder to the other bowl of pastry cream, mix until smooth, and cover. Now, allow both bowls of pastry cream to cool.
  • Pour the Alchermes into a low bowl. Dip the ladyfingers (or sponge cake) into the Alchermes for about 2 seconds on both sides to sop up the color and flavor and follow the assembly directions below.
  • To assemble, place a base layer of the dipped ladyfingers into one large or several small single-serving glass bowls or cylinder-shaped dishes.
  • Next cover the ladyfingers with some of the cocoa infused pastry cream. Now, add another layer of ladyfingers and cover with some of the vanilla pastry cream. Then continue to alternate layers of ladyfingers and pastry cream until you fill the dish. It's a good idea to place the ladyfingers perpendicular to the previous layer to help with stability.
  • Once all the layers have been formed, seal with plastic wrap, and put the dish(es) in the refrigerator to chill and set for about 2 hours.
  • To serve, top the dessert with whipped cream or dust with cocoa powder.

Notes

This recipe uses ladyfingers, as they are the most common way to make this dish. However, a layer of sponge cake cut into the shape of the serving dish can be used to substitute the layers of ladyfingers when building the dessert. If you decide to use sponge cake, follow the directions in our sponge cake recipe.
Quantities can be reduced by ratio to make a smaller amount to serve fewer guests.
Serving: 150g | Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 227mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 458IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 2mg
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Why “English Soup”?

But why is this elegant Italian trifle dessert made of ladyfingers, liqueur and custard called Zuppa Inglese? Truth be told, there is no easy answer.

There are many stories of how this yummy dessert came to be called “English Soup,” from celebratory dinners for Admiral Nelson in Naples, to English housemaids throwing together leftovers in Tuscany. So there are plenty of possible explanations, but no one really knows.

One idea in John Mariani’s Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink even suggests that it could simply be a breakdown of the word inzuppare which means “to sop”, as the ladyfingers in Zuppa Inglese sop up the liqueur.

But all stories aside, most people believe that a dish similar to modern Zuppa Inglese began being developed in the Emilia Romagna and Tuscany regions of Italy sometime in the 1500s.

What Probably Happened…

Not as exciting as some of the other stories, but the most likely explanation, is that Victorian-era English expatriates were craving something similar to an English trifle and ended up substituting typical trifle ingredients for the local Italian equivalents. So pound cake became sponge cake, English custard became Italian pastry custard (or crema), and so on.

Over the years as the dessert spread throughout Italy many regional and even city-specific variations were developed. This created a dessert that is quite versatile and a decadent ending to a wide variety of meals.

What is Alchermes? – Medicine of the Medicis

Alchermes is a spicy-sweet Italian liqueur that is a key ingredient in most traditional Zuppa Inglese recipes. It is a medium-strength liqueur (21% to 35% abv) made by adding cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, and other herbs and flavoring agents to a neutral spirit.

Its striking red color was originally created by adding small insects known as Kermes to the ingredient mix in a similar way that is done with Campari and many other Italian amaro liquers. This too was the source of the name, an Italianization of the Arab al’kermes.

Nowadays, these insects are rarely used when making Alchermes. They have very little impact on the flavor, so you aren’t missing out on anything if you opt for Alchermes, or another substitute, without them.

One recommended substitute is rum with grenadine (for color) or simply grenadine syrup if you want to make an alcohol-free version of Zuppa Inglese.

How to Make Alchermes at Home

If you can’t find a bottle of Alchermes, you can always make your own. It will come close to replicating the original if you have a couple of weeks to wait.

  1. Infuse vodka (~500ml) with the following flavoring elements for at least 14 days: 3 cinnamon sticks, orange peel from 1 organic orange, 1 Tbsp mace or nutmeg, a pinch of saffron and/or ½ vanilla bean, and 1 heaping Tbsp of fennel, coriander, and cardamom. All of these ingredients are to your preference, so you can leave out any you don’t like.
  2. Once the infusion is finished, make about 750ml of simple syrup by heating a 1:1 ratio of granulated sugar dissolved in an equal volume of water. Then allow it to cool and add coloring. Cochineals are traditional, but red food coloring works just as well (½ tsp as needed for color) and high-quality rose water (1 to 3 Tbsp, to taste).
  3. Mix the red simple syrup with the infused vodka, then strain it very well to remove any solid elements and store in a sterile bottle. It is now ready to use, but you can let it settle for a few days for the flavor and consistency to even out. Because of the high alcohol content, homemade Alchermes will keep indefinitely when properly stored.

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