Estratto Finissimo di Zuppa Inglese
Elenka product code 303
Elenka's first product, invented at the turn of the 1960s and still made: a highly concentrated extract that gives gelato the aromatic, Alchermes-scented character of the Italian trifle it is named after. Thirty grams per litre of mix is enough, which is why the pail lasts.
Specification sheets are supplied to trade customers on request.
About Estratto Finissimo di Zuppa Inglese
Every manufacturer has one product that explains the rest of the range. For Elenka it is this one: the company's first, invented at the end of the 1950s or the start of the 1960s, and still in the catalogue sixty-odd years later. It has been copied often enough that the copies are part of its reputation.
What it is
A highly concentrated aromatic extract that carries the flavour of zuppa inglese — the Italian layered dessert of sponge soaked in Alchermes, a spiced, rose-scented liqueur, built up with custard. What reaches the gelato is that aromatic signature rather than a reconstruction of the dessert.
The flavour has no equivalent in the Australian repertoire, which is both the commercial argument for it and the reason it needs to be sold at the counter. Customers who have not met it will not order it from the name.
Thirty grams is the whole story
At 30 grams per litre of finished mix, this is one of the most concentrated products in the range. Two consequences follow.
The first is economic: a 2.6 kilogram pail is around 86 litres of finished gelato. Measured per litre of product rather than per kilogram of pail, it is inexpensive, which is the comparison that matters and the one most operators skip.
The second is operational: at this concentration, weigh it. A ten-gram overshoot is a third of a dose, and the aromatic character that makes the flavour distinctive at 30 grams becomes soapy at 40. This is not a paste you adjust by eye.
The figure is quoted per litre of mix, not per litre of milk.
Where it goes
The obvious use is a plain white base carrying nothing but this, which is how it is usually sold in Italy. It also works as the aromatic layer in a more complex build — under a cream ripple, or alongside a sponge or biscuit inclusion that references the original dessert.
Elenka also produces a ripple version of the same flavour, which is a different product from this one and is not currently on the Australian list. If a variegate would suit your build better than a mixed-in flavour, ask and we will put the question to the manufacturer.
Selling it in Australia
Give it a description on the board. "Zuppa inglese" tells an Australian customer nothing, and the flavour is unusual enough that a sample spoon converts far better than a name does. Sites that have made it work tend to position it beside the familiar cream flavours rather than among the fruit, and to let staff explain it as an Italian trifle rather than translating it literally.
What we do not publish
Ingredients, allergens, shelf life and storage conditions are absent from this page because no Elenka specification sheet is held for the Australian range. Absent means the data is not held, never that the answer is no. Given that the flavour originates in a liqueur-soaked dessert, both the alcohol question and the allergen question should be answered from the sheet rather than inferred — request it and we will obtain it.
Technical specifications
| Recommended dosage | 30 g per litre of mix — A concentrate. Thirty grams is a full dose, not a starting point. |
|---|---|
| Format | 2.6 kg pail, 6 per carton |
| Applications | gelato, semifreddo, mousse, pastry cream |
| Elenka product code | 303 |
Full specification on request
The ingredient list, allergen declaration, shelf life and storage conditions for Estratto Finissimo di Zuppa Inglese are provided on the Elenka specification sheet. We supply it on request — please do not rely on the product name when answering a customer allergen enquiry.
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Frequently asked questions
What does zuppa inglese taste like?
Aromatic and faintly spiced, with the rosewater-and-spice character of Alchermes liqueur over a custard base. It is closer to a perfume than to a fruit or nut flavour, which is why so little of it is needed.
How much do I use per litre?
Thirty grams per litre of finished mix, and that is a full dose rather than a conservative one. At this concentration a ten-gram error is a third of the recipe, so weigh it rather than estimating.
Does it contain alcohol?
We cannot tell you, and that is the honest answer. No specification sheet is held, so no composition is published here. Alchermes is a liqueur, which makes this exactly the question to settle from the sheet rather than by inference — request it and we will obtain it from the manufacturer.
Can it be used in pastry?
Yes, and traditionally it is. The flavour originates in a layered dessert, so it sits naturally in creams, soaked sponges and semifreddi as well as in a tub.