What Is The Weight Of A British Trifle Sponge And What Can I Use As An Alternative?

Our answer

Nigella's Raspberry And Lemongrass Trifle (from NIGELLA SUMMER) is an English Trifle that has been updated with the addition of lemongrass flavour for the rasperry "jam" and the also for the custard layer.

The base of the trifle is made with trifle sponges. These are fairly unique to the UK but are light, dry rectangular sponge cakes that soak up liquid well. The closest alternative is savoiardi biscuits (also known as ladyfingers or sponge fingers). One trifle sponge weighs about 20g, so you would need 320g of savoiardi biscuits. Savoiardi weigh 10-15g each, so you would need around 22-32 biscuits. If you also can't find savoiardi biscuits then a plain sponge cake, such as a madeira or pound cake, would be the next best alternative. You should use the same weight and cut the cake into slices approximately 1cm (½ inch) thick. The cake should be slightly stale so that it soaks up the raspberry sauce more easily, so if necessary lay the slices of cake on a wire rack and leave overnight to let them dry out a little.