Zuppa Inglese (Crema)

This simple dessert consists of a pastry cream layered with cookies and is definitely comfort food!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Sicilian-Italian

Keyword cookies and cream, Sicilian crema, crema e biscotti

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 302kcal

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, add milk, cornstarch, sugar and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Add lemon rind.
Place on the burner on medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower to a simmer and stir until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and remove the lemon rind.
Divide the mixture evenly in two bowls.
Add sugar sprinkles to one bowl and stir until dissolved.
Add chocolate chips to the other bowl and stir until melted
Place cooled espresso coffee and Marsala (if using) in a wide shallow bowl. Cover the surface of a 9 inch round or square baking dish with cookies dipped in the coffee mixture. Break cookies to fit corners if necessary.
Spread chocolate cream over the cookies and smooth it out with a spatula.
Place another layer of cookies dipped in coffee over the cream and spread the remaining bowl of cream over the cookies. Sprinkle with cinnamon or cocoa powder, if desired.
Let rest in the refrigerator at least 4 hours before serving

Make a basic pastry cream with eggs (crema pasticciera) instead of the pudding like cream in this recipe.
Low fat milk may be substitued however whole milk is preferable in this recipe.
Use sponge cake or a different variety of cookies such as savoiardi (as used in tiramisu) instead of tea cookies
Vary the color of your cream with different colored sugar crystals.
Zuppa inglese can be topped with cocoa powder, grated dark chocolate or even finely chopped nuts.
Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Please note that the nutritional information is approximate may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.