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Dessert

English Trifle

A layered dessert of sponge cakes, macaroons, custard, whipped cream, sherry, brandy, almonds, and jelly.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Sherry and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,209 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

English Trifle

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the base

  1. Split the sponge cakes and spread them with jelly or jam.

  2. Heap the cakes and macaroons in a deep dish.

Soak and layer

  1. Mix the sherry and brandy, then pour it slowly over the cakes.

  2. Pour the cooled custard over the cakes and sprinkle the chopped almonds on top.

Chill and serve

  1. Set the dish in a cool place or refrigerator until serving time.

  2. Just before serving, add the sweetened whipped cream and top with dots of red jelly or cherries.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

  1. Sherry + brandytop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,209 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Almond + sherrytop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together517 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

  3. Cream + brandytop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,635 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).

  4. Almond + creamtop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,130 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).

  5. Almond + brandytop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,969 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Sponge cakes
Absorb the sherry and brandy and form the soft, moist body of the trifle.
Macaroons
Soften as they soak, adding chewy texture and a concentrated almond flavour.
Rich custard
Adds moisture and richness, setting the layers into a creamy, spoonable dessert.
Whipped cream
Forms the light, airy topping and adds fat for a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
Sherry and brandy
Flavour the cakes and macaroons with sweet, boozy aroma and depth.

The step that matters

Pouring the sherry and brandy slowly. Pouring slowly lets the cakes and macaroons absorb the liquor evenly instead of pooling at the bottom. Dry spots stay firm while soggy areas turn mushy, so the texture of the whole trifle depends on this step.

“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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