Zuppa inglese (Italian Trifle)

It is called Zuppa Inglese but it is an all-Italian dessert. There are several legends relating to its birth, in which its invention is attributed to various regions of Italy, or others that give it a foreign origin, its diffusion is attested since the nineteenth century in Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Tuscany . It is a spoon dessert, made of sponge cake, soaked in alchermes, the red liqueur typical of sweets, and covered with delicious vanilla and chocolate custard, often prepared in glass containers to show its beautiful layering.

Time of realization: 2 hours
Degree of difficulty (from 1 to 5): 2 
Portions: 8

Ingredients

For the sponge cake
3 medium eggs (150 g)
120 g of sugar
120 g flour
Vanilla extract

For the wet
200 g of water
100 g of sugar
50 g of alchermes

For the cream
375 g of milk
105 g of sugar
55 g of egg yolks (3 medium)
35 g of corn starch

For the vanilla cream
300 g of the prepared cream
25 g of butter
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the chocolate cream
250 g of the prepared cream
50 g of chocolate
30 g of cream
3 g of cocoa

For the Italian meringue
100 g of egg whites (3 medium)
180 g of sugar
40 g of water
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Procedure for making the English soup

sponge cake
Beat the eggs well with the sugar, add the flour, turning gently with the spatula with a movement from the bottom up to avoid disassembling. Flavor with vanilla. Cover the oven tray with parchment paper and distribute the dough over the dough in a regular layer about 1 cm high. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 170 ° C. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and remove from the paper. Cut discs of the diameter of the cups where the cake will be mounted.
Alternatively, if you want to make a whole cake, bake the sponge cake in a 20 cm mold and then divide it into three discs.

Wet
Combine the ingredients cold and turn until the sugar dissolves.
For a non-alcoholic alternative, use raspberry syrup instead of liqueur.

Crema
Bring the milk to the boil, except for two tablespoons where the starch is dissolved. Mix the egg yolks, sugar and dissolved starch. Pour the milk over the top, stirring with the whisk. Put back on the heat and let it thicken. Divide the cream into two bowls, one 250g and one 300g.

Vanilla cream
Add the butter to the 300 g of cream, melt it in and flavor with vanilla. Cover with cling film and allow to cool.

Chocolate cream
Heat the cream with the cocoa, melt the chocolate and add the cream inside, turning with the whisk to obtain a smooth and thick ganache. Pour the ganache into the cream and mix well.
Cover with cling film and allow to cool.

Italian meringue
make a 118 degree syrup with water and sugar. Whip the egg whites and while they are whipping, pour the syrup slowly inside, continue whipping until cool and flavor with vanilla.

Editor

• Put a disc of sponge cake in the cup and wet with the syrup
• put the vanilla cream on top
• another disc of sponge cake and wet
• chocolate cream
• third disk of wet sponge cake
• seal on top with a drizzle of cream and decorate with the meringue

Before serving, flame the meringue.
The recipe was made by Lyuba Radeva.