Zuppa Inglese

zuppa inglese, an Italian version of English trifle, is a typical Italian holiday dessert for Christmas, New Year’s, or Easter. Found in a number of regions of Italy, its name means “English soup,” in recognition of its similarity to trifle. The dessert belongs to a category of sweets known as a dolce al cucchiaio, or a “spoon sweet,” meaning that it is soft and eaten with a spoon. Zuppa inglese consists of génoise cake (pan de Spagna, or sponge cake) soaked with liqueur, pastry cream, jam, and chocolate.