Casey Cardone
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Ms. McGee
AP Literature
February 22, 2012
Trifle
Appealing to the eye with its many different colors, textures, and flavors, the trifle has
come a long way from the first ever made trifle in England which included four simple
ingredients: cream, sugar, ginger, and rosewater (Viola). The trifle is one of the oldest, most
popular dessert recipes that has been spread and changed throughout the centuries making it
enjoyed in multiple household around the world (History of trifle).
The beginning of the famous trifle started in England in the middle of the eighteenth
century, approximately around the year 1751. The trifle first started as a technique to deplete old
stale cake, where the sponge cake was soaked in sherry topped with fruit, real egg custard, and
whipped cream. Before the trifle, the British had a similar dessert called a “fruit fool”, which was
made with cream and pureed fruit. The two dessert words fool and trifle were substituted for
each other for a long time. The recipe started to travel from England to the United States to all
over the world when British settlers settled in the Coastal South to live on plantations, and
brought the trifle recipe with them (History of Trifle). Since the United States at the time was so
diverse in culture, and many of the settlers would work together on the plantations, other cultures
would learn about the trifle dessert, brought the recipe back to their home country, and altered it
to make it their own.
There are multiple names for this dessert, but the most commonly used name is trifle. The
word trifle originated from the old French word “trufle,” meaning an object that is
inconsequential, insignificant, whimsical, or of little importance. Over the years, the trifle
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acquired numerous nicknames from the English such as: Punchbowl Cake, Tipsy Hedgehog,
Tipsy Squire, Tipsy Pudding, Tipsy Parson, and Tipsy Cake. One of the most popular nicknames
was Tipsy Parson, because when preachers would visit houses on Sundays, they would be
tempted to have a piece of this alcohol-soaked snack (History of Trifle). Another popular
nickname, Tipsy Cake arose from the two countries, Scotland and Ireland. Scotland renamed the
trifle Whim-Wham, while Ireland stayed true to the original name, trifle. Both of the countries
slightly modified this layered dessert by soaking the cake with more alcohol that was called for,
giving it the nickname Tipsy Cake (Viola). In Italy, there was a very similar dessert to the trifle
called Zuppa Inglese which translates into “English Soup.” Spain was one of the other few
countries that renamed the trifle. Interpreted into “Drunken Cookie,” the Spanish had a
comparable dessert called Bizcocho Borracho (History of Trifle).
As many different variations as there are of this dessert, every trifle is the same in the
sequence they are arranged. Mostly everyone agrees the bottom layer is some type of cake. The
next item added is alcohol poured or brushed on top of the cake to be soaked in, preferably an
alcohol that compliments the further flavors. After the alcohol is soaked into the cake, the next
ingredient is fruit, followed by custard, and topped with whipped cream and a decoration. What
many people disagree on is what type of each ingredient should be used. Sponge cake, pound
cake, ladyfingers, and macaroons are the most commonly used for the bottom layer. As for the
alcohol, any type would suffice as long as it complements the other flavors in the trifle
(Jaworski). If one would want more alcohol soaked in to the cake of the trifle, an older cake
would be used to absorb more of the liquid, while a fresh cake would be used to absorb less
alcohol (History of Trifle). As for the fruit layer, one could use fresh fruit, jam, fruit puree, or
preserves. If using fresh fruit for the third layer, several people would add the similar-flavored
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jam to accentuate the flavor. The custard layer has changed quit dramatically over the years since
the first trifle was made. Some trifles substitute the custard with a pastry cream, a cream filling,
or a pudding, while some trifle recipes call for no custard layer at all. Traditionally, the trifle is
made in a large, deep, glass bowl called a trifle bowl (Jaworski). The bowl is glass so the many
different layers can be shown. A trifle can also be made in a punchbowl, creating the nickname
Punchbowl Cake (Pellegrinelli). Depending on the size of the bowl and the portion of each layer
determines whether or not there will be an extra set of layers. When the trifle bowl is filled and
finished, the final step is to determine what decoration or garnish will be put on top. Any type of
decoration will do as long as it endorses the other flavors in the trifle. The most common
decorations used are: shaved chocolate, the same fruit used in the below layers, crushed Amoretti
cookies, toasted nuts, and candied fruit (Jaworski).
There are multiple types of trifle recipes including: the basic trifle, the chocolate peanut
butter trifle, the strawberry fruit trifle, the English trifle, the fruity angel food trifle, the banana
trifle, the chocolate gingerbread trifle, the three berry trifle, the coconut trifle, and the Irish
crème chocolate trifle (Pellegrinelli). Over the years that the trifle has been around, multiple
people have changed the recipe of the original trifle far from what it used to be. Now, one could
make a trifle with chocolate pudding instead of custard, and brownies instead of cake, and
coconut as the fruit, and the dish would still be considered a trifle.
As history shows, the trifle dessert has been changing for centuries; getting better and
better each year. The trifle changes in ingredients, tastes, nicknames, resemblance, and what
country it is in. Every country the beautiful layered dessert travels to, the more it changes. One
country might add a layer while another country might discard a layer, and name it something
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else. Regardless of what type of ingredient each trifle has, as long as the layers are in the same
sequential order, it will always be a trifle.
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Work Cited
Jaworski, Stephanie. "Tested Trifle Recipes & Videos." Joy of Baking. Web. 21 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.joyofbaking.com/EnglishTrifle.html>.
Pellegrinelli, Carroll. "The Trifle." About.com Desserts / Baking. The New York Times
Company. Web. 21 Feb. 2012.
<http://baking.about.com/od/triflerecipeindex/a/about.htm>.
"The History of Trifle." SimpleDessertRecipes.org. 2007. Web. 21 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.simpledessertrecipes.org/Dessert-Articles/dessert-history/history-oftrifle.php>.
Viola, Diana. "British Desserts - Trifles." Inmamaskitchen.com. Web. 21 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART_II/British_Food/British_desserts.
html>.