She Loves Biscotti

Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Maria
  • My Store
  • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

Home » Desserts » Zuppa Inglese -Italian Dessert in a Glass

Zuppa Inglese -Italian Dessert in a Glass

December 31, 2020 , Updated January 15, 2021 Maria 4 Comments

Jump to Recipe  ↓ Print Recipe  ❒
Zuppa Inglese in a glass topped with whipped ricotta.

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 just perfect for the holidays! 

Zuppa Inglese in a glass topped with whipped ricotta.

Throughout the year, most Italians prefer to end their meal with a fruit dessert.

Crostata, whether made with berries, apples, jam, or peaches, is undoubtingly everyone’s favorite easy Italian dessert to make. 

A platter of seasonal fruit, macerated strawberries, or a simple fruit salad is also considered a wonderful way to end a meal, especially in the summer. 

Special festive occasions and holidays, on the other hand, require elegant and rich desserts such as tiramisu, Italian Rum Cake, and struffoli to name but a few.

Zuppa Inglese is also considered one of the most popular Italian desserts. This non-traditional recipe combines an Italian cake (brushed with liquor), lemon pastry cream, and pomegranate seeds with a garnish of whipped ricotta, sliced almonds and more pomegranate seeds prepared in individual glasses. 

A close up of the garnishing of an Italian Christmas dessert.

What is Zuppa Inglese?

In Italian, Zuppa Inglese literally translates to English soup. According to the Oxford Companion to Italian Food by Gillian Riley, it was probably not an English invention. 

It usually consists of alternating layers of sponge cake (Pan di Spagna) or Italian ladyfingers (brushed with alchermes), pastry cream (both vanilla and chocolate) and topped with grated chocolate. 

Typical to Italian regional cuisine, there are countless variations. In Emiglia-Romagna, the Italian liquor Alchermes is used to douse the sponge cake, layered with both chocolate and vanilla pastry cream. A Roman version introduces candied fruits. Whereas in Naples, a ricotta mixture replaces the custard. 

The traditional combination of the individual components can take the shape of a cake, or layered in one big trifle bowl.

In this non-traditional version, not only are we using individual glasses, but the inclusion of pomegranate arils makes this the perfect Italian Christmas dessert.

Mise en place

The great thing about this dessert is that you can begin to prepare it a few days before you plan to serve it. 

1-2 days before serving

  • make the Italian sponge cake, wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature
  • toast ⅔ cup of sliced almonds, allow them to cool to room temperature and store in a sealed container. 
  • make the lemon pastry cream, cover properly and refrigerate until ready to use. 
  • 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 3 cups of ricotta until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

To cut the cake

Place the cake on an even surface. Using a ruler, identify the center of the side of the cake with a toothpick. Continue to insert toothpicks all around the cake. With a long serrated knife, and using the toothpicks as a guide, simply cut the cake in half horizontally. You now have two perfect layers of cake. 

Alcohol being brushed on a sponge cake.

If desired, brush the cake with rum. Depending on how generous you are, you need about ¼ cup. I added a little pomegranate juice to imitate the color of Alchermes. 

Round pieces of cake being formed with a glass.

Using a cookie cutter or a glass that is ½ inch shorter in diameter than the glass you plan on using to serve the dessert, cut out 10 round pieces of cake. This creates the top final layer of our dessert, which will be covered with whipped ricotta rosettes.

Sponge cake cut into cubes.

Cut the rest of the sponge cake into 1-inch cubes. Reserve the crumbs.

There will be some leftover cake.

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.  

Individualized portion of Zuppa Inglese.

Repeat this sequence one more time. 

Top round piece of sponge cake for an individual trifle in a glass.

Place the top round piece of cake in each glass. Cover and refrigerate for 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. 

The top layer of the Italian sponge cake is being garnished with whipped ricotta.

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! 

Tips

  • 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.  

Substitutions

  • Replace the Italian sponge cake with angel food, chiffon cake or even savoiardi, Italian ladyfingers. 
  • The whipped ricotta can be replaced by whipped cream.

the creamy interior of a Zuppa Inglese.

Recipe Inspiration

It’s such a blessing to live in a friendly neighborhood. 

My mom started making tiramisu and Zuppa Inglese for special occasions when she befriended a new neighbor and started exchanging recipes with her. 

As a young adult, I immediately fell in love with these desserts, probably because they were so similar to one of my favorite cakes, Italian Rum cake. 

Who could resist the combination of all these wonderful ingredients, no matter what shape they take?

I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for your continued support of She Loves Biscotti. I am extremely grateful to all of you.

Wishing all of you and your dear ones many blessings of health and happiness for 2021!

Happy New Year!

Bonne Année!

Buon Anno!

 

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

And if you are new here, welcome! You may want to sign up for my weekly e-mail newsletter. You can unsubscribe any time you want.

Ciao for now,

Maria 

★★★★★ If you have made this Italian dessert recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Zuppa Inglese in a glass topped with whipped ricotta on a silver platter.

Zuppa Inglese

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! 
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 4 hours
Refrigeration Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 7 hours
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 179kcal
Author: Maria Vannelli RD

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe Italian sponge cake
  • ¼ cup rum optional
  • 1 recipe Lemon pastry cream
  • ⅔ cup sliced almonds roasted
  • 1 pomegranate arils
  • 3 cups ricotta whipped
  • crumbs left from cutting the cake

Instructions

1-2 days before:

  • 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!
Scroll UP for the STEP by STEP PhotosDon't miss the process shots and videos included in most posts. Simply scroll up the post to find them. Those were created especially for you so that you can make the recipe perfectly every single time you try it.

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. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 37mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @shelovesbiscotti or tag #shelovesbiscotti!

Desserts

About Maria

Maria Vannelli is a registered dietitian who lives in a suburb just outside Montreal, Canada. She's the founder of the food blog She Loves Biscotti. Maria hopes to inspire you and bring you and your loved ones closer together at meal times enabling you to create some memorable moments.

Comments

  1. Renee says

    January 3, 2021 at 04:18

    I made this for my family, and loved it! Thank you, Maria!!!

    Reply
    • Maria says

      January 3, 2021 at 08:42

      How wonderful Renee! Thanks so much for sharing!

      Reply
  2. Mrs Alice Ewart says

    January 1, 2021 at 18:41

    Looks delicious.

    Reply
    • Maria says

      January 2, 2021 at 09:39

      Thank you kindly! Happy New Year!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Maria

Maria headshot

Hello and Welcome to She Loves Biscotti!
I'm Maria: dietitian and full time content creator. Join me as I share traditional Italian recipes from my youth, to modern twists on classics using fresh and seasonal ingredients.

Read More…

Subscribe and Follow

Popular Posts

Banner of sites featuring She Loves Biscotti including Buzzfeed, Huffpost, etc.

Looking for something …

Links on this blog are affiliate links, which means I’ll earn a commission if you use those links. (There’s no extra charge to you).

PRIVACY POLICY | DISCLOSURE

Copyright © 2021

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoRead more