Innovation and Tradition in Confectionery

Research and development of these silicone molds was a long process with many prototypes, research in silicone production, development of injection machines and, of course, the creation of cake and filling recipes. The project won European Union R&D funds, and the molds were exclusively developed by Zila and his team. He wanted to create a cake which is similar to bonbons, filled with liquid fillings.

Five types of molds exist today, of which three are for making eight-slice, 12-slice and 16-slice cakes. There are two other molds, one of 25-cubes and the other of 40-triangles for plated desserts and finger foods. With each mold, one can make baked or frozen products of dough or mousse.

Zila leaped one step forward and created a cake in which there is a creamy heart. No matter where the line of cut falls, the cake’s side shows a heart shape.

Combined with the innovative Zila Cake Molds, this makes for the perfect surprise – a cake, each slice filled with different liquid fillings, which hides a heart inside.

With this new heart silicone mold set and the technology, one can easily make any kind of flavored cake, whether it is baked or frozen, of dough or cream mousse. This is a unique technology not found anywhere else in the world.

New shapes, such as clouds, squares and triangles are under development as well. These new silicone molds, like the original Zila Cake Molds, are design patented.

Every year, Zila Cake Molds exhibit at the major expos in Europe, such as IBA in Munich, Sigep in Rimini, Italy, and Südback in Stuttgart.

The team has found at these exhibitions that visitors from Arab countries show above average interest in the molds, therefore at the end of last year it was decided to move one step further, and in February 2017 the molds were introduced to the Arabian region at Gulfood Exhibition in Dubai, sharing the national Hungarian booth with several other companies from the food industry.

The Gulfood Exhibition is one of the largest of its kind and is held every year in the business and commercial center of the Arabian region, in Dubai, UAE. More than 100,000 visitors attend from all around the world seeking for new ideas and trends.

On applying for the exhibition, the team was introduced to Gulfood Awards, a forum and competition for new ideas and products. They knew at once that their brand new product – the heart inside a Zila cake – must enter this competition. They won first prize award in the Best Food Service Innovation category. The winners were announced in a fabulous award ceremony on the first day of the Gulfood Exhibition, in a luxurious five-star hotel.

The award-winning product soon became very popular, and they quickly focused on the final development of the new technology to start standardized production as soon as possible. Until the final heart silicone molds become available on the market, the award winning I ♥ Cake can be tasted in Zila Coffee House, Budapest. The cake is a fine combination of white chocolate mousse, with raspberry mousse inside as a heart shape, and raspberry sauce liquid filling on top.