Zuppa Inglese is a simple peasant food dessert that consists of layers of a pudding like cream and cookies dipped in coffee. An easy last minute treat that requires no baking and made with ingredients you probably have on hand!
What is Zuppa Inglese?
Zuppa Inglese is basically an Italian style trifle. It consists of layers of cream and cookies dipped in espresso coffee. Growing up we referred to this dessert as crema meaning cream. It can be made with a sponge cake or even savoiardi cookies (as used in tiramisu).
My mother’s version uses store bought tea cookies, which is what they used back in Sicily. We use these “Village” cookies (not sponsored) which are available in most grocery stores.
The cream is made with milk thickened with cornstarch, very much like a pudding. Some versions use a pastry cream or custard made with eggs.
Zuppa inglese is the simplest dessert you can put together at the last minute. Well, almost last minute since it needs to set for a while in the fridge. It’s even better the next day as the cookies become softer having absorbed the coffee mixture.
This delicious combination of cookies and cream is a comforting dessert that brings me back to my childhood!
Origins of this recipe:
This is the dessert that my mother ate when she was a child in Sicily. Unless there was a special occasion to be celebrated and cannoli or pignolata were prepared, desserts were quite simple and plain. They were actually quite rare!
Another good example is these breakfast cookies which were made to be dunked in coffee or warm milk for breakfast.
My mother always adds a touch of color to the cream with colored sugar crystals. The colors may vary, but it’s usually pink or green. One of the layers of cream is chocolate flavored using either cocoa powder or chocolate chips. She explained that, of course, they did not have chocolate chips or colored sprinkles in Sicily and their crema was usually just plain white.
The recipe I’m giving you is a scaled-down version and enough to fit into a 9 -inch pie plate which will make about 8 servings. My mother always doubles the recipe and makes hers in a large shallow serving platter.
How to make Zuppa Inglese (Crema)
You’ll find the complete printable recipe at the end of this post. The following are step by step images to guide you through the recipe.
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan add milk, cornstarch, sugar and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Add a strip of lemon rind.
Place on the burner on medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower to a simmer and stir until the mixture has thickened, very much like a pudding. Remove from heat and remove the lemon rind.
Divide the mixture evenly into two bowls. Add colored sugar sprinkles to one bowl and stir to dissolve. Add chocolate chips to the second bowl and stir until melted.
Combine cooled espresso coffee and Marsala or rum in a 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 with a spatula.
Place another layer of cookies dipped in coffee on the cream and spread the remaining bowl of cream over the cookies.
Sprinkle with cinnamon or cocoa powder, if desired. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours before serving. 
Tips and suggestions:
Zuppa Inglese can be varied in several ways:
- 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.
If you try out this recipe please let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3 inch piece of lemon rind
- 2 tsp colored crystal sugar sprinkles
- 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips
- 18 tea cookies may vary depending on size of cookies
- 1 cup brewed espresso coffee cooled
- 1 tbsp Marsala or rum (optional)
- Cinnamon or cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
- 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
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
My grandmother used to make it, my mom as well and I still do it, even though my kids are older everyone still asks for it. We put the colored sprinkles on top, lol. They all called it cassata for some unknown reason and we put social tea cookies from Christie, only those will do for us. What memories! Thanks for posting.
Hi Pina, there are not many people who make this so I appreciate your feedback! I’ve also heard of this being made with the social tea cookies but my mom always uses the Village cookies. Cassata is usually a type of cake made with ricotta but of course everyone has their own version of recipes. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Hi Nadia, I’m not familiar with this Sicilian dessert but it looks so good! ????
I’m not sure if it is only Sicily but my nonna made it French back in Sicily. It’s a nostalgic thing for me as my mom always made it!