We have got the UK to thank for the decadent-looking pudding called a trifle. A trifle is equivalent to its smaller cousin, the parfait, in that both use layers of fruit, cake, custard and double cream. A standard English trifle nevertheless is intended for decoration as much as for consumption, meaning it frequently appears as a center-piece on formal dinner tables.

In reality lots of the more complicated trifle recipes are designed to be served in specifically designed trifle bowls. These bowls are significantly outsized, looking like huge brandy snifter glasses. A standard English trifle uses cubes of rancid sponge or pound cake, which may later be dunked in alcoholic sherry or port wine. Non-alcoholic fruit juices might be used as substitutes. These cubes are layered with fruit compotes as well as jams in the trifle bowl.

A kind of vanilla custard can also be stirred into the layers - some recipes call for awfully firm or solidified custard. Nuts or layers of whipping cream may be added for variety. The cook should carry on building up the trifle till the bowl has been filled fully. Over the passage of time countless diversifications on the first trifle theme became well-liked. Some recipes call for chocolate or other tastes of cake as a replacement for the rancid pound or sponge cake.

The flavour of the custard can be modified to enrich the flavour of the cake. It isn't rare to see mixed berries or other fresh fruits replace the jams of the traditional trifle. A trifle may not be featured as a center piece for the dinner table, but it makes an impression on the pudding table. A trifle is generally served with the help of a huge serving spoon and individual bowls. There's often no necessity to make really deep cuts into the trifle, since all the ingredients are present across the dish.