A Trifle
From the treasured pages of Cookbook of 1720
Unknown Author
A Trifle
"cover the botom of your dish with Macaroon or Savoy biskets or pour over them as much sack as you think will soak them well, then cover them with custard which must be pritty cool before you pour it over them, when the custard is quite cold, pour over it whip'd silabub as will fill the dish"
Note on the Original Text
This recipe, like most from its era, is delightfully vague and expects the reader to bring skill and judgement to key steps—quantities are seldom specified, and instructions address a cook already familiar with methods. Spellings such as 'bisket' instead of 'biscuit,' 'pritty' for 'pretty,' and words like 'silabub' for 'syllabub' reflect the phonetic spelling and fluid orthography of the time. The absence of standardized measurements and temperatures is typical; 'as much sack as you think will soak them well' hands power over to the cook—a blend of art and sensibility.
Title
Cookbook of 1720 (1720)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1720
Publisher
Unknown
Background
Step back to the early 18th century and discover a delightful treasury of recipes and culinary secrets, where traditional flavors meet timeless technique—a feast for curious cooks and history lovers alike.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This trifle recipe hails from early 18th-century England, around 1720, an exciting time for emerging fashionable desserts layered with cream, biscuit, custard, and wine. Trifles were a showpiece at upper-class and aspiring middle-class tables—rich, boozy, and indulgent. The use of 'sack' (a sweet fortified wine similar to modern sherry) and hand-whipped syllabub reflects luxury and the pleasure of entertaining. Recipes like this would often appear in handwritten manuscripts, compiled by mistresses of the house or their cooks, rather than formal printed cookbooks, and often relied on the baker’s intuition for measures and proportions.
Back in the early 18th century, cooks would have used a large shallow glass or china dish for layering the trifle. Whisking the syllabub would be performed using a bundle of birch twigs, metal or wooden whisk, or even a fork. Custard was cooked gently in a pan over a coal or wood fire, requiring close attention. Pastry and biscuits like Savoy biskets were baked in cast iron ovens, and all creams would be hand-whipped.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings
6
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 5 oz macaroons or Savoy biscuits (ladyfingers/sponge fingers as a substitute)
- 3.5 fl oz sweet sherry (sack; use more or less to soak biscuits)
- 1 pint whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 3.5 oz sugar (for custard)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional, for modern flavor)
- 7 fl oz double cream (for syllabub)
- 1.75 fl oz white wine (for syllabub; lemon juice can be added for acidity)
- 1.75 oz sugar (for syllabub)
Instructions
- To make a classic 18th-century Trifle, begin by layering the bottom of a glass serving dish with about 5 oz of macaroons or Savoy biscuits (ladyfingers or sponge fingers work well).
- Generously pour over approximately 3.5 fl oz of sweet sherry (sack) to fully soak the biscuits—use more or less according to preference and dish size.
- Prepare a thick custard using 1 pint of whole milk, 4 egg yolks, 3.5 oz of sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional for authenticity).
- Allow the custard to cool to room temperature before pouring it gently over the soaked biscuits.
- Chill until the custard is quite cold, about 2 hours.
- Finally, make a syllabub by whipping 7 fl oz of double cream together with 1.75 fl oz of white wine (or a mix of wine and lemon juice) and 1.75 oz sugar, until soft peaks form.
- Spoon or pipe the syllabub generously over the set custard and serve immediately.
Estimated Calories
430 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 20 minutes to prepare the ingredients and put everything together. The only cooking time is for the custard, which takes about 10 minutes on the stove. The trifle needs about 2 hours in the fridge to set before adding the topping. Each serving has around 430 calories, and this recipe makes 6 servings.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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