noshing

Act II kettle corn

It’s dessert’s dirty secret: the proportion of flavor to eye appeal is almost always inverse. The more polished and elaborate the decoration on, say, a cake, the less exquisite — or even detectable — its taste. Likewise, the messier, the yummier. Case in point: Flour Bakery and Café’s chocolate-raspberry trifle ($2.50). Elegant it isn’t; haphazard dollops of chocolate mousse, raspberry filling, and whipped cream alternate with crumbling layers of devil’s-food and sponge cake. In short, it’s made from scraps, which puts it in such fabulous company as pâté and French toast. The result is that every bite brings something new, a shifting swirl of flavors and textures. An added charm: it’s served in a plastic to-go cup, so you can eat it right out of the container — like the Cup O’Pizza Steve Martin loves in The Jerk, only much, much better.

Available at Flour Bakery and Café, 1595 Washington Street, in Boston. Call (617) 267-4300.