This Italian dessert in a glass is a variation of the alcohol-infused cake Zuppa Inglese. Made with sponge cake, pastry cream and pomegranate seeds topped with whipped ricotta and sliced almonds, it's such a festive looking dessert that is perfect for the holidays!
Make the Italian sponge cake, wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Make the lemon pastry cream, cover properly and refrigerate until ready to use.
Toast the sliced almonds, allow them to cool to room temperature and store in a sealed container.
Remove the seeds from the pomegranate, place them in a sealed container and refrigerate.
The same day:
Make the whipped ricotta by simply using a blender to process it until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble the individual trifles:
Place 2 cubes of sponge cake in each of the ten 4-ounce serving dessert bowls or glasses. Add 1-1½ tablespoons of pastry cream, followed by a heaping tablespoon of pomegranate seeds.
Repeat this sequence one more time.
Place the top round piece of cake in each glass. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 3-4 hours.
To garnish:
To garnish this dessert, use a pastry bag fitted with a star tip to pipe small rosettes of whipped ricotta over the entire surface of the top piece of sponge cake.
Garnish with 1 teaspoon of pomegranate seeds, 1 tablespoon of roasted sliced almond and some of the leftover crumbs from cutting the cake.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes
When cutting the cake, there will be some crumbs left on the cutting board. Use them as a garnish and sprinkle them on the whipped ricotta.
The longer this dessert sits in the refrigerator, the softer the texture of the sponge cake becomes as it begins to absorb the pastry cream.
How to toast sliced almonds: Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Scatter the number of almonds needed on a baking sheet. Bake for about 5-6 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to turn a golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a shallow dish to prevent them from overbaking. Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.