Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Trifle
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cakes
Slice the two six-square sponge cakes into squares.
Spread jam or jelly on the slices (use tart jelly if available).
Assemble the slices into sandwich-like layers.
Moisten the assembled cakes with a mixture of one third brandy and two thirds sherry.
Place the moistened cakes in a glass dish.
Make the custard
Prepare custard by mixing one pint of milk, three eggs, and three tablespoonfuls of sugar; cook as directed for boiled custard No. 2 (page 395).
Pour the custard over the cakes in the dish.
Decorate and finish
Blanch and cut one half cupful of almonds into fine strips.
Insert the almond strips into the top of the cakes, standing upright.
Cover the assembled trifle with a half pint of whipped cream.
Sprinkle the top with hundreds and thousands or colored sugar.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
| Cake | not in our table | 0 |
| Brandy | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Cream + brandytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,635 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Almond + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,130 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
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Milk + almondtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sponge cakes
- Form the base layers that soak up the brandy, sherry and custard.
- Eggs
- Thicken the custard as their proteins set during gentle heating.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, setting it with the eggs.
- Whipped cream
- Adds a light, rich topping that softens the sweetness of the custard.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavor that moistens and perfumes the sponge layers.
The step that matters
Cooking the custard gently. Egg proteins thicken the milk as they heat, but too much heat makes them scramble and curdle. Cook slowly and stir so the custard thickens smoothly instead of turning grainy.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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