trifle

A trifle is an old English dessert that is composed of layers of cake, cream and fruit. Trifle recipes began appearing in English cookbooks in the 17th century. It is commonly served at the holidays. Allegedly, it was George Washington's favorite dessert.

The cake layers may be made of sponge cake, chiffon cake, ladyfinger cookies, or even meringue. The cake usually brushed with some sort of sweet liquor, such as brandy, Cassis, or Grand Marnier, to moisten them. This lead some cookbooks to call trifle "tipsy pudding." The cream filling may be custard, whipped cream or creme Anglaise. And the fruit filling cane be berries or stone fruits, such as peaches. With this much variation, many people disagree about what is a proper trifle and what is not. But suffice to say, that there is a lot of room for creativity and experimentation. Trifles can be served in a large, deep glass dish — often called a trifle dish — which creates a striking effect, or in a more modern twist, served in tall individual glasses, such as a parfait glass. Some people confuse trifles with fools, but a fool lacks the cake layer that a trifle has. The Italians call trifle zuppa Inglese, which means "English soup."

The food blog Joy of Baking has numerous trifle recipes here. The food blog Fork and Bottle featured a recipe for raspberry trifle made with homemade sponge cake layers here.

by Emily Paster Are you a writer, passionate about this or any other topic? Join Blogcritics!

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “trifle”

 

• Demivierge 101

  
  The Unreliable Narrator — Authority: 115
  Angelina Jolie, eating a strawberry. Successfully intriguing. Artistic. Like a mannequin. Very sensual, in a classy seductive way. Not trashy at all. I saw her photo somewhere on the net and thought of trying to impersonate her, since I had strawberries left in the fridge. But ...
  3 weeks ago

• King Cake Trifle

  
  foodgawker — Authority: 149
  King Cake Trifle: A festive dessert layered with Chantilly custard, blueberries and topped with whipped cream.
  3 weeks ago

• Meyer Lemon and Mascarpone Trifle

  
  SPCookiequeen — Authority: 393
  My husbands family celebrates Christmas on January 6 and my husband roasts a pig for us every year.  I make plenty of side dishes, but the party isnt complete without a couple of decadent desserts.  Part of the pig gets shredded to make  Tamales , I made 5 dozen and they were demolished that night.  My ...
  3 weeks ago

• Dining Down Under: Mini Trifles and Robert Frost

  
  Honest Cooking — Authority: 124
  Christina Soong-Kroeger starts the year with a delicious dessert and some great poetry. By Christina Soong-Kroeger At the beginning of 2012 I’m feeling optimistic. Onwards and upwards will be my mantra this year. However, I am a realist: I understand that we don’t get the highs without the lows. Moreover, ...
  3 weeks ago

• Pretty Rhymes with Empty

  
  The Unreliable Narrator — Authority: 115
  Because I’m lazy. Untalented. And you’re nowhere to be found, darling love. How is my poor heart supposed to ache for you? And Blog.com hasn’t marked my stupid blog as delivering mature content. So. For now I can only post ohsocute doll pictures from those mindless make-up games on Roiworld . I do love ...
  3 weeks ago

• Black-Eyed Pea Curry (Lobria Tariwaala)

  
  The Carolina Epicurean — Authority: 111
  By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ When I saw this recipe, I knew it was the way I was going to make my traditional New Year Black-Eyed Peas this year. The recipe comes from a small cookbook I got for Christmas, which is part of the “Quick & Easy Indian” series, called Simply Vegetarian. I love the way this ...
  3 weeks ago

Comments about trifle