Zuppa Inglese
Zuppa Inglese, which means literally "English Soup", has nothing to do with England or soup. It is an Italian dessert which is like trifle.
There are many variations, but in general it consists of layers of pan di Spagna (sponge cake) moistened with a red liqueur called Alchermes (also spelled Alkermes) alternating with crema pasticcera, pastry cream. It can be served just as is or topped with fruit or sliced almonds or other decorative foods, and the dessert is chilled and served cold.
There is much nonsense about the history of Zuppa Inglese. Regions as diverse as Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Naples claim to have invented it. Its invention has been linked to people anywhere from Grand Duke Cosimo de Medici III to a woman named Lady Emma Hamilton (lover of Admiral Nelson). According to another theory, Zuppa inglese was made for the first time in the 16th century for Dukes of Este, residing in Ferrara. Legend has it that the dessert was created by the court chefs when a diplomat from Ferrara asked for a trifle, a typical British dessert made with a sweet ring cake, cream and wine, after returning from a trip to England.
The court chefs didn’t have access to the ingredients called for in the original recipe and ended up making substitutions. The Italian version is made with sponge cake, pastry cream and Alchermes to give the dessert color. Chocolate was probably added later.