There are the Christmas traditions that belong to all of Italy, and then there are the ones that belong to individual families. Panettone may be a national institution, but it’s often the less universal dishes, the ones made by a particular grandmother or brought out only once a year, that make the festivities feel like home.

As part of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ festive campaign, Wonder in a New Light, we’re exploring these more personal traditions through the story of Margherita, a pastry chef in Montalcino, whose Christmas memories revolve around a dessert originally made for someone else: zuppa inglese.

Her grandfather was a devoted lover of sweets, but because he suffered from diabetes, his indulgences had to be few and far between. Her grandmother’s zuppa inglese was the exception, reserved for Christmas and Easter. “Zuppa inglese was his ‘cheat,’ so to speak,” Margherita recalls. What began as her grandfather’s special holiday treat became one of her own most enduring memories of Christmas.

Despite its name, zuppa inglese is neither a soup nor particularly English. Instead, it’s a wonderfully extravagant combination of sponge soaked in bright-red alchermes liqueur, vanilla custard, and chocolate cream. Its origins are almost as confusing as its name. According to one theory, it originated in 16th-century Ferrara, at the court of the Este family, where cooks supposedly attempted to recreate an English trifle using local ingredients. Tuscany has its own version of events, involving an English household near Florence and an inventive cook who turned leftover biscuits, custard, and chocolate pudding into something new.

Neither story has been definitively proven. What we do know is that zuppa inglese appeared in Vincenzo Agnoletti’s culinary writings in the 1830s, before finding its way into Pellegrino Artusi’s celebrated La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene in 1891.

One of its most distinctive ingredients is alchermes, the intensely red, aromatic liqueur long associated with Florentine confectionery and the Medici court. It gives the sponge its unmistakable colour and lends a little theatricality to an otherwise wonderfully comforting dessert.

But as with so many Italian recipes, the most interesting variations are often the smallest ones, passed down without ever being written into a recipe book. In Margherita’s family, it was her grandmother’s habit of adding scaglie di cioccolato, chocolate shavings, between each layer. “That gives it a little crunch that I think is missing in traditional Italian desserts,” she explains. A seemingly insignificant addition, but one that made all the difference.

Perhaps that’s the beauty of these family recipes. The exact birthplace of zuppa inglese may still be up for debate, but for Margherita, it will always be inseparable from Christmas and the traditions of her grandparents.

Despite its name, zuppa inglese is neither a soup nor particularly English. Instead, it’s a wonderfully extravagant combination of sponge soaked in bright-red alchermes liqueur, vanilla custard, and chocolate cream. Its origins are almost as confusing as its name. According to one theory, it originated in 16th-century Ferrara, at the court of the Este family, where cooks supposedly attempted to recreate an English trifle using local ingredients. Tuscany has its own version of events, involving an English household near Florence and an inventive cook who turned leftover biscuits, custard, and chocolate pudding into something new.

Neither story has been definitively proven. What we do know is that zuppa inglese appeared in Vincenzo Agnoletti’s culinary writings in the 1830s, before finding its way into Pellegrino Artusi’s celebrated La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene in 1891.

One of its most distinctive ingredients is alchermes, the intensely red, aromatic liqueur long associated with Florentine confectionery and the Medici court. It gives the sponge its unmistakable colour and lends a little theatricality to an otherwise wonderfully comforting dessert.

But as with so many Italian recipes, the most interesting variations are often the smallest ones, passed down without ever being written into a recipe book. In Margherita’s family, it was her grandmother’s habit of adding scaglie di cioccolato, chocolate shavings, between each layer. “That gives it a little crunch that I think is missing in traditional Italian desserts,” she explains. A seemingly insignificant addition, but one that made all the difference.

Perhaps that’s the beauty of these family recipes. The exact birthplace of zuppa inglese may still be up for debate, but for Margherita, it will always taste like Christmas at her grandparents’ house.

Margherita’s Zuppa Inglese Recipe

Ingredients

For the savoiardi-style sponge

• 144 g egg whites
• 88 g sugar
• 80 g egg yolks
• 48 g cornstarch
• 48 g rice flour
• Extra granulated sugar and icing sugar, for dusting

For the vanilla and chocolate pastry creams

• 1,000 g milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 260 g sugar
• 300 g egg yolks
• 85 g rice starch
• 100 g dark chocolate, melted

For the alchermes syrup

• 500 g water
• 100 g sugar
• 150 g alchermes liqueur

Optional, Margherita’s family touch

• Extra dark chocolate shavings, for layering
  

Method

1. Prepare the sponge
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

1. Whip the egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks form.
2. Gently incorporate the egg yolks, taking care not to deflate the mixture.
3. Sift together the cornstarch and rice flour, then gradually fold them into the egg mixture using a spatula.
4. Spread the batter evenly over the prepared baking tray, smoothing the surface with an offset spatula.
5. Dust first with granulated sugar, followed by a light coating of icing sugar.
6. Bake at 170°C for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
   

2. Make the pastry creams

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan with the vanilla bean and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, and rice starch until smooth.
3. Gradually pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking continuously.
4. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens and comes to a boil.
5. Remove from the heat and divide the pastry cream into two portions.
6. Stir the melted dark chocolate into one portion until completely incorporated, leaving the other as vanilla pastry cream.
7. Transfer the creams to clean containers and cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill rapidly before using.

3. Prepare the alchermes syrup

1. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
2. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool completely.
3. Once cold, stir in the alchermes liqueur.
4. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

4. Assemble the zuppa inglese

1. Cut the cooled sponge into pieces to fit your chosen serving dish.
2. Arrange a layer of sponge across the bottom and brush generously with the alchermes syrup.
3. Spread a layer of vanilla pastry cream over the sponge, smoothing it evenly.
4. Add another layer of sponge, brush with more alchermes syrup, and cover with chocolate pastry cream.
5. Continue alternating the sponge and creams until the dish is filled, finishing with a smooth layer of pastry cream.
6. For Margherita’s family variation, sprinkle a little dark chocolate between the layers to add a delicate crunch.
7. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, ideally for a few hours, before serving.
   

The result should be soft, creamy, fragrant with alchermes, and, if you follow her grandmother’s example, with just enough chocolate to give each spoonful a little crunch.