The four seasons of
Trifle and its
timeless secret to reduce bakery waste.
The origins of the Trifle date back to 18th century England, where pieces of stale cake were soaked in alcohol and then assembled with fruit, custard and sometimes jelly in three layers in a round bowl.
Fast forward to the 21st century, Trifles continue to be hugely popular, with a 2020 YouGov poll revealing that 41% of respondents see ‘Trifles’ as the UK’s all-time favourite Christmas dessert. The major retailers always have a trifle in their Christmas range and have focused in recent years on adding new flavour twists through using different alcohols to soak the sponge, chocolate, caramel and white chocolate custards and even complete reinvention such as the M&S Trifle Baked Alaska from Christmas 2023.
However trifles are not just a festive treat and sold as an individual pot dessert are perfect for consumers looking for a sweet treat at any time of the year. For creative bakers they are a fantastic way to reduce waste by using up offcuts of sweet bakes, cakes or even pastries, adding layers of fruit filling and custard to produce a delicious added value dessert.
As Courtenay Jones, Test Baker at Zeelandia UK explains;
“What I love about this delicious dessert is that it is perfect for using bakery leftovers and, therefore, an ideal solution for bakers looking to reduce food waste at a time of rising costs.
“From using up chocolate, caramel or vanilla sponges to brownie bites, bakers can flex their creativity by transforming day-old cakes into profitable products.”
We tasked Courtenay to create a selection of Trifles inspired by the different seasons of the year to demonstrate just how easy this is to do.
Spring – Lemon and Blueberry Trifle
Made with Zeelandia Biscamix Complete Sponge, John Morley Blueberry filling, fresh cream and Roma Cold Patisserie Custard flavoured with lemon extract.
Summer – Jelly and Cream Trifle
Made with Zeelandia Biscamix Complete Sponge, Flemings Zeelandia Strawberry Topper Jelly, fresh Cream and Roma Cold Patisserie Custard.
Autumn – Caramel Spiced Apple Trifle
Made with Zeelandia Biscamix Complete Sponge (flavoured with speculoos spice), Apple (Flemings Zeelandia Apple Filling mixed with Homestyle Caramel & speculoos spice), Roma Cold Patisserie Custard (mixed with Homestyle caramel), Rosette Cream and Homestyle Caramel.
Winter – Black Forest Trifle
Made with Zeelandia Biscamix Chocolate Complete, John Morley Black Cherry Filling, Chocolate Custard (Presta Choco) fresh cream.
Inspired by our Trifle and cost-cutting bakery ideas?
Contact our talented team of industrial bakers today to explore how Zeelandia UK can support your craft and industrial bakery needs.