Trifle facts for kids
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| Course | Dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | England |
| Main ingredients | Variable: Sponge biscuit (ladyfinger), Sherry, custard, fruit, whipped cream |
Trifle is a yummy dessert that comes from England. It's also popular in other countries!
A trifle is usually made with layers of different tasty things. You'll often find fruit, soft sponge cake (sometimes soaked in a special sweet liquid), and creamy custard. These ingredients are stacked to make three or four colorful layers. Often, the dessert is topped with fluffy whipped cream.
The word trifle was first used for a dessert way back in the 1500s. By the 1700s, it looked a lot like the trifle we know today, even including jelly. Some people think trifle cakes might even be the early versions of modern sandwich cakes!
The History of Trifle
The first time the name trifle was written down was in a recipe from 1585. This recipe was for a thick cream flavored with sugar, ginger, and rosewater. It was in a book called The Good Huswifes Jewell by Thomas Dawson.
Trifle grew from a similar dessert called a fool. For a while, people used the names trifle and fool to mean the same thing.
Jelly became part of the trifle recipe later on. This was first written in the 1700s in a book called The Art of Cookery by Hannah Glasse. She explained how to make jelly using things like hartshorn or bones from calves' feet. These ingredients helped the jelly set.
In the early 1800s, a popular cookbook by Maria Rundell shared a trifle recipe. It used macaroons or ratafia biscuits soaked in a sweet raisin wine. This was then topped with custard, raspberry jam, and whipped egg whites.
Different Kinds of Trifle
Trifles can have many different flavors! Sometimes, a small amount of a special sweet drink, like port or sherry, is used to moisten the sponge cake. This adds a unique taste.
If you don't want to use those drinks, you can use sweet juices or fizzy drinks like ginger ale instead. These are just called fruit trifle. The liquid is important because it makes the cake soft and moist.
One popular way to make trifle is to soak the sponge cake in jelly. When the jelly cools down, it sets and holds the cake pieces together. This makes a fun texture when you eat it!
In Scotland, there's a dessert similar to trifle called tipsy laird. It's made with Drambuie or whisky. In the Southern US, a type of trifle is known as tipsy cake.
Trifles are often very pretty to look at. Their bright, layered colors from the fruit, jelly, jam, and the creamy yellow custard with white cream make them a great decoration.
Trifles are often served during Christmas celebrations. They can be a lighter choice compared to the heavier Christmas pudding.
Desserts Like Trifle
A Creole trifle is a different but related dessert. It's made by mixing pieces of different cakes together. These pieces are then soaked in a sweet syrup or fruit juice and chilled. The finished cake has many different colors and flavors. A similar dessert in Germany and Austria is called Punschtorte.
In Italy, there's a dessert that's very much like trifle called zuppa inglese. This name literally means "English Soup."
See also
In Spanish: Trifle para niños
