Cheat Mini Trifles with Ganache Topping

I love the look of a beautifully decorated trifle, but I've never got the idea of eating it. By the time you scoop it into your plate, it's all mashed and crumbled I just lost my appetite. I just like my food tidy and nice 😀

As I've never made a single trifle in my entire life, and I'm not the most hard working or skilled baker in the world, I can't be bothered to go through the hassle of baking the sponge then making the trifle. So I had this idea of making a cheat version of mini trifles which we can have each pudding straight out of the glass, without the mess.

After a little research through several recipes, here's what I used:

• 1 shop-bought Swiss roll, thinly sliced
• Decaffeinated coffee (instant or freshly brewed is fine), about half a cup
• Half a cup of canned pear in syrup (I used Waitress Essential's), chopped in small cube and save some syrup aside
• 200ml custard sauce (I made mine with Bird's Eye), make this last so that it's less likely to form a skin
• 100ml chocolate sauce (melting 100g cooking chocolate with 50ml milk, there may be some leftovers)
• A handful of blanched almonds, halved and lightly toasted

What follows next is rather painless:

1. In each dessert glass, divide evenly and line the base with the chopped pear, adding 2 teaspoons of the syrup
2. Place a slice of the Swiss roll over and lightly press it down
3. Pour a few teaspoons of the coffee so that it soaks into the sponge
4. Top it with a layer of custard sauce
5. Repeat the sponge slice - coffee - custard process till the glass is about 70% full
6. Finish off with the chocolate sauce as top layer, evenly spread to make a ganache; then decorated with the toasted almond halves

I believe you can pick your own combination of ingredients and order of layers. After all, it's what you like to eat that matters. And I call mine the cheat mini trifles.