Review- Tesco Finest Salted Caramel Cake

Another year, another birthday, another cake - It's the only good part of ageing.. Well aside from the presents obviously.. Who doesn't like presents? No one, that's who! 

I opted for something a tad "fancier" as my celebration sponge this time round, having eyed up the £10 Tesco Finest Cakes for months*. Swaying back and forth over whether the Red Velvet option should be the one.. Or Mocha.. Or Salted Caramel.. I eventually got a grip and settled on the latter and whacked it in my trolley, prior to speeding off so I couldn't change my mind for the 100th time. 

Indulgent toffee sponge filled with chocolate frosting and covered with a salted caramel buttercream, decorated with Belgian milk chocolate chips, fudge pieces and a salted caramel drizzle.

Designed to feed 14 as well as being suitable for vegetarians, the cake certainly looked the part with a swirly frosted top and not so expertly drizzled, drizzle.. But we can live with that.

Cutting with ease into neat slices, the sponge felt plenty soft with a decent/well proportioned layer of both the two fillings.. Not to mention, smelling absolutely divine! 

Ensuring I got a massive wodge, I got stuck in and was immediately greeted by deliciously sweet, buttery tones, just as its scent suggested. Super soft and tender, the 3 sponges were pretty decent texture wise, not dry in the slightest and provided the first whiff of caramel. This was only cranked up a gear by the smooth, thickly slathered buttercream which was sweet, naturally, but no overly sickly or cloying. The middle layer of chocolate, which I found to be more akin to a set custard than frosting, delivered a strong hit of cocoa and went a long way in helping diminish any potential overdose of sugar, but I did feel it took away from the overall caramel flavour.. Well, that was until hitting the drizzled sauce upon top which oozed salted, toffee flavour and even a lingering, pleasant saline aftertaste! A final measly scattering of fudge and chocolate hardly contributed any flare but if one was lucky enough to get some on their piece, there would be no complaints! YUM.

Overall, this Tesco Finest Salted Caramel Cake is a sheer delight. It's been executed superbly, tastes mouthwateringly good and delivers on the promised and oh so important, salted caramel aspect.. Even if only the case in the sauce opposed to the buttercream! If you've got a Birthday coming up (Or just a cake!) I highly recommend you opt for one of these beauties - I am sure Mum would be thrilled with one for Mother's Day come the 26th also! It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

*Not to mention the fact that I've somehow managed to exhaust all that Asda have to offer - Including last years almighty Flake Cake! 

Review- Nestle Fab NEW LE Birthday Cake Ice Lollies

Happy Birthday Fab! Congrats on making it to 50! To celebrate, Nestle have only gone and done something ingenious.. Not only have they supplied their own birthday cake but they've incorporated it into an Ice Lolly too! This has to be sorcery! 

My beloved Kevvie was the one to point me in the direction of this NEW Limited Edition flavour and I headed to Sainsbury's to pick myself up a box of 6 for £2. Suitable for vegetarians and without artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, the only thing, according to Kev The Gluten Free-er, that one has to worry about, is the use of maltodextrin which apparently is "suspect".. Whatever that means. 

Raspberry water ice and sponge cake flavour with a vanilla flavour coating and sugar strands.

My Lolly's raspberry had bled into the cakey part which was a shame.. But it smelt amazing so I got stuck straight in! Completely forgetting to picture the inside, the Fab had the standard layout of water ice coated in a creamy coloured layer, followed by the vanilla 'icing" with a finishing sprinkle of sprinkles. Taking a bite, taste wise, I pretty much fell into heaven - A sugary sweet crunch was the first thing to hit, moving to pure vanilla and an almost caramelly, condensed milk flavour which although wasn't exactly that of sponge, it wasn't far off and most certainly delicious! Fruity raspberry and nothing but came in abundance from the "iced" part itself which did somewhat remind me of the jam in an actual Birthday Cake.. Even if it was a lot more potent in this case! All the elements went superbly together and I soon found myself longing for another - Yummy yum yum!

Eek! Nestle certainly haven't let themselves down here.. These NEW Birthday Cake Fab are very tasty, indeed! I highly recommend you go grab yourself a box (Make it several as I reckon they're going to be dead popular!) whilst you can - Whether you are a cake fanatic like myself or not*, young or "old", a first time buyer or longtime lover, there really is nothing not to like!

Thank you Fab, for being my favourite Ice Lolly for the last 20 something years of this Snack Warriors little life and here's to another 50 together! It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me.

*Why aren't you a cake fanatic? Please go and take a long, hard look at yourself. 

Review- Patisserie Valerie NEW LE Madame Valerie Slice

Patisserie Valerie AKA the place of dreams, dropped a bombshell yesterday.. A NEW, Limited Edition flavour available in both 8" Celebration Cake form as well as individual sized portions, is gracing the bakery come café this January! Huzzah! The excitement! 

I didn't need much persuading when it came to getting myself a mysterious, pretty pink bowed box containing the Madame Valerie Slice this morning.. It's only bloomin' Chocolate, Caramel and Honeycomb Gateau, priced at £2.95 to take away or £2.50 if you go, quite rightly too, for the 4 slices for £10 option! The nice lady who served me also mentioned that there's to be a different NEW addition to the regular range every month this year which resulted in a high squeal from me, slap bang in the middle of the shop floor - Expect 11 more PV reviews this year, folks! 

Crikey, what a sight to behold.. Check out those layers of stickyness!

Grabbing a fork, the Gateau was as tender as expected with three layers of feather light, moist sponge, providing plenty of rich cocoa tones whilst making for a soft yet stable base for the thickly sandwiched, pale gold cream. Smooth like no other, not to mention far superior to all other crème pâtissière, the aforementioned tasted ridiculously buttery and sweet without being cloying or delivering a nasty throat burn - Not full on, overpowering caramel but extremely luxurious! Nibbles of crunchy honeycomb pieces were sprinkled throughout adding a nice contrast in texture to all the soft as well as a pop of sugary goodness, with a helping hand from the toffee tasting curls hiding up the side of the slice. Topping the lot was a indulgently chocolate version of the previously mentioned cream, that features in the usual Double Chocolate Gateau which was once again, all kinds of velvety deliciousness and a crisp choux profiterole that I wanted a dozen of. AMAZING! 

Overall, this NEW Madame Valerie Slice is pretty much the best thing I have eaten.. Not just this year or this decade but like, ever! From the flawless cake in terms of both texture and flavour to the silky cream, honeycomb and toppings, the entire confection is sheer perfection! Oo that rhymed! It's top marks from me, 5 out of 5 and I can't wait to see what else Patisserie Valerie have in store for us this year! 

Happy New Year- Tesco Finest Reveal Dessert

Happy New Years Eve, Snack Army! Did we all have a nice Christmas? I know I did and have been thoroughly spoilt on all fronts - Lovely presents, tasty food and a wild drink or 2! It has pretty much been the best.. But one final dessert can only make it better, right?! - It's a potentially shaky yet potentially sensational, Tesco Finest Reveal Dessert, to see out 2016!

And featuring a nice bit of questionable lighting thanks to my kitchen too - Sorry sorry! I picked up the 580g, serves 6, bang on trend pud off the end of one of the stores fresh aisles and was happy to see it had been reduced from £6 to £4.32 - It's yellow sticker heaven in there at the minute so definitely worth a looksee if you're on the hunt for a bargain. Although not stating in black and white whether suitable for vegetarians or not, the box does come with some extensive recycling information - The carton and sleeve are green all the way but you've got to check with your loyal recycling centre about the plastic pot, tray, lid and dome and heaven forbid, whatever you do, don't think about doing anything with the plastic window as it's a no go so just bin it as usual! Got it? You better have taken notes. 

Once again horribly hued but the flying saucer reminiscent dessert looked the part with it's sparkly festive come galactic appearance, ready to have the caramel sauce poured over top, which I followed the instructions of removing the lid and heating in the microwave for just less than the recommended 70 seconds.. 

Well that worked well didn't it. Welcome to the inside of my microwave, folks. Question - If I had zapped it for the full time, would I actually have any sauce left in the tub? I am going to say not. Nice one Tescy. 

A dome of Belgian chocolate encases a decadent chocolate brownie topped with Ecuadorian chocolate mousses, hand drizzled with white chocolate, sprinkled with popping candy and toasted hazelnuts. Pour over the hot caramel sauce.. Then watch and listen.* 

Pouring over the liquid gold caramel, I waited in anticipation..

Oo oo going..

Going..

Aaaaand it's gone! Check out all that ooey-gooey action!

Grabbing a spoon and getting stuck straight in, the sauce was still slightly warm, producing almost melted, but not quite, glossy pools from the chocolate shell. Taking a mouthful, an array of textures presented itself - A decently sized dense, fudgy brownie, whipped ganache like mousse followed by a crunch from the nuts, popping 'n' crackling of the candy and of course, the silky smooth, luscious caramel, chocolate mix. Taste wise, the combination of elements were ridiculous indulgent with nothing but the highest quality, rich cocoa paired with varying creamy sweetnesses from the other chocolate aspects as well as a buttery, toffee hit from the sauce - I can't say the hazelnuts particularly shone nor produce that "Nutella feel" but with so much going on already, I think anything stronger would have ruined it! A chocoholics dream and potentially, a heart attack in a saucer! - Yum! 

Overall and as you can probably tell, this Tesco Finest Reveal Dessert is pretty much a life changer. Yes, it may be the sort of dessert that you need to lay down after consuming and take an antacid or 3 but it's well worth it for the good of something which I am going to say is the best pud, I have had this year. It's top marks from me - 5 out of 5! ..Heck, I might even make it a 6 purely on the basis of the caramel not being salted! I am putting my cards on the table here!

Have a lovely night all, whether you're at home with a quiet cuppa or a crazy kid out on the town.. Be sensible and be safe, please. Here's to 2017! 

*It made no sound. 

Snackmas Day 15- The Battle of the Yule Logs II

The battle is back and very much on! Yes, the moment is upon us for another 2 of the supermarket Yule Logs to fight it out - Sponge vs sponge, chocolate vs chocolate.. Which will reign almighty? Only time will tell.. It's M&S vs Waitrose! 

M&S Christmas Hand Decorated Chocolate Yule Log

I shall start with the Bûche De Noël that I found first and coincidently, the most expensive of this Yuletides duo at an exceptionally pricey, £6. In all of it's 595g, festively red packaged glory, the log which is designed to feed 12, is also suitable for the Veggies and can be frozen, as long as used within a month and defrosted fully in the fridge before consumption - Would one ever really go to such effort? I get that the shops are manic come "Christmas Week" but surely, it's worth risking it all and going out for the good of a "fresh" Yule Log? 

A light chocolate swiss roll filled with indulgent chocolate buttercream and generously covered in milk chocolate and a chocolate fudge frosting & delicately sparking sugar snow dusting. 

I had a bit of a meltdown over choosing which Yule Log to buy from the selection stacking M&S's shelves. They all looked completely different in both shape and size with a noticeable weight discrepancy between the lot (As an avid baker, I am a bit nifty when it comes to guesstimating the mass of things so do pick me as a date on a trip to your local Fête - I will win the "Guess the cake weight" comp for you, no problem!). I ended up picking what I thought was the best of a bad bunch but even then, I can't say it was the prettiest thing in the world.. Or remotely centered on the silver cake board!

Smelling extremely chocolate-y, the Log cut into well into slices, with minimal mess thanks to being quite a bit firmer than the usual overly soft, no substance types, I've had previously - This helped when eating as for once, it didn't go everywhere! Cocoa rich and almost fudge like, the super thick, ganache like icing had a good bite to it yet was squishy enough to contrast against the set layer of chocolate before hitting the sponge. Fine, light and moist was that of the cake itself, with a good swirl from being rolled tightly and a slightly sweeter tasting buttercream spiralled throughout. Both of the elements brought different tones of chocolate-y flavour into the mix whilst preventing things from becoming overly sickly or cloying. Expensive.. But oh so good! A 4.5 of 5 from me.

Waitrose Christmas Chocolate Yule Log

Our second contender, coming with a delightful snowy box scene, this unbeknownst freezable Yule Log which is also available on Ocado, costs a whole £1 less at a fiver and once again has the nod of approval for vegetarians to consume.. Only 8 of them though given that it's approximate 480g is to feed an octet! 

Chocolate sponge filled with chocolate buttercream, finished with a chocolate frosting and sweet dusting.

I tell you what, I don't know who's been looking after all these Yule Logs this year but they aren't half doing a shoddy job! My Waitrose had boxes and boxes of the things, all with generous sell by dates but no word of a lie, they all looked like they had been thrown down the stairs a fair few times, with bashed in cardboard and frosting everywhere but on the actual Chocolate branches, to match! Thankfully, I found one which was quite neat but the struggle was very much real - You'd think they would take more care, no? 

Lobbing off the end of the Log, purely for the joy of excess of icing, I can't say it smelt as good as the above and was much "sloppier" with the chocolate going all over the place. Sadly, things didn't approve upon first bite with an immediate cheap/artificial taste being all to apparent - Nothing indulgent, buttery or something one would want to continue eating. Texture wise, things weren't all bad - The sponge was on the dry, claggy side but the buttercream itself was smooth and silky.. Even if totally one dimensional and lack lustre in taste. A 2 out of 5 from me.

We have a winner.. Standing out by a merry mile, the M&S Christmas Hand Decorated Chocolate Yule Log! It really is a case of chalk and cheese with the scrumptious aforementioned and the frankly, abysmal Waitrose offering - I am not even sure how the so called "top class" store is justifying the price tag when it lacks any sort of quality. Save up your pennies, stop being a freezer happy hermit and splurge on the real deal - Well done M&S!

Reaching for Reflection

Having also bought the winner of 2015's battle, The Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Log again this year, I have come to the realisation that it is a hell of a lot sweeter and overall, much more "ooey gooey, overkill of frosting, cake" than what perhaps a Yule Log should be. This isn't a bad thing by any means and it is as indulgent and delicious as ever.. But something to bear in mind if you are looking for a more traditional, richer option. Best bet is to go with M&S, I reckon, even if it is less attractive - Sometimes you do get what you pay for in terms of calibre, I'm afraid! ..Unless you're Waitrose, then naturally, you just take all kinds of liberties.

Snackmas Day 1- Chiostro Di Saronno Tiramisu Panettone

On the first day of Snackmas, John Lewis gave to me.. A severe case of deja vu-ey? Yes, Chiostro Di Saronno is back and back with a bang at that! We've moved on from the wonder and awe of the Al Cioccolato of last year to bigger and better things.. It's 2 of my favourites combined - It's Tiramisu Panettone! 

I was like a child on Christmas morning upon stepping foot in my local John Lewis at home store and  making a beeline for the Italian Cakes display - My little beady eyes can spot Panettone from a mile off at the best of times but put coffee into the mix and I charge! Rather disappointingly however, the ornate tin of last year has been done away with, in exchange for a rather lack lustre, albeit festively illustrated, cardboard box which I can't help but feel is a bit of a disservice and takes away that "luxury" feel.. Not to mention the fact that the change in aesthetics didn't reflect in the price! - The 750g Italian Cake was still a relatively costly £15! 

A twist on the classic Panettone, it is filled with a smooth Tiramisu cream and chocolate chips. 

The Panettone cut perfectly with a knife, slicing through as easy as anything to reveal an interior which was surprisingly nothing like the golden yellow dough seen previously. Thankfully, this didn't affect the texture and it delivered the same bouncy, fluffy and all round delightful quality that just can't be beaten. Nothing was hindered taste wise either with a pure, rich buttery flavour combined with sweet hits from the abundance of cocoa morsels. This was complimented by the pockets of silky yet sticky, smooth cream running throughout which provided an almost boozy, European feel that I would say to be more similar to ice cream than actual coffee.. Not that it mattered in the slightest - Amazing. 

Chiostro Di Saronno have done it again. This Tiramisu Panettone is almost faultless.. And that's when it doesn't even really taste that much of it's namesake! Perhaps I am bias given my sheer, undevoted love of the stuff but if you were to have it with a cup of coffee anyways.. Who cares? I certainly don't. It's a cracking start to Snackmas and a 4.5 out of 5 from me!

Review- The Co-op Irresistible Gingerbread Latte Cake

Gingerbread. Latte. Cake. Hell to the yeah? Lets do this! 

I stumbled across this rather autumnal, Veggie friendly sponge when nipping into The Co-op with the intention of buying milk and nothing else - It isn't often that I can go into a shop and not saunter up the bakery aisle so why I expected any less, I do not know. I made my purchase as part of a 3 for 2 deal, although I think their cakes are priced at £2 (Ish) each usually. 

Coffee cake, filled with ginger frosting, topped with a creamy frosting and decorated with a chocolate mocha sauce and ginger crumb. 

Rather annoyingly, The Co-op don't provide any sort of base for their cakes to sit on, not even a pathetic paper liner.. So I just plonked the entire thing on table as is and hoped for the best - Can't be doing with making a plate dirty, unnecessarily! 

The sponge cut very neatly for something that was super squidgy and moist with not a single crumb out of place or the chance of the whole thing falling to pieces. Coffee was immediately recognisable although relatively mild and not likely to offend anyone. The warmth of ginger came through which complimented the aforementioned perfectly with just the right balance of sweet yet creamy and a decent ratio of frosting to cake. A crunch came from the sprinkling of biscuit crumbs to break up all the soft textures whilst adding another spicy element.. But only to be pleasantly mellowed by the the sticky mocha swirl, enhancing the original coffee tones as well as the addition of chocolate - Marvellous! 

Overall, this Gingerbread Latte Cake is exactly what it claims to be.. Spicy, coffee-y and cakey - There is nothing not to love and I highly recommend you get yourself down to The Co-op if you're a fan of any of the things I just listed! It's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Review- Cadbury NEW Crunchie Cake

It may be Sunday but I've got that Friday Feeling, I don't know about you - The need for chocolatey goodness and nothing that cake can't fix.. The NEW Friday Feeling Crunchie has all of our names written on it! 

To be fair, I actually bought this Celebratory cake a few weeks ago - Not when it was first released along with the Mega Raspberry Roll and Caramel variety, as I would have liked, but as soon as it got the nod of approval from the October Birthday Girl that is Nibs. Purchased in Asda for £5 and designed to feed 10, the cake is suitable for vegetarians and does not contain dairy cream.. As it states in large letters.. For anyone concerned. 

Delicious layers of honeycomb flavour sponge and honeycomb flavour creme, enrobed in Cadbury milk chocolate and topped with Crunchie honeycomb pieces. 

As seen with the Flake, the rectangular, very much Crunchie shaped bar of a Cake was placed inside a rather finickity plastic tray opposed to being plonked on a traditional board. Beside from being pretty nifty at catching the cracking chocolate when cut, it did make it tricky to get a knife in.. Not to mention, hardly looking attractive or something you would feel inclined as having as centrepiece to your celebratory spread. 

Producing remarkably neat slices, the cake cut well to reveal the alternating and well proportioned layers of sponge and creme. From the feel of it, I expected things to be a little dry but sure enough, it was soft, light and squidgy, delivering a full on Crunchie flavour. Both honeycomb and caramel tones really shone with plenty of butteriness along with the anticipated hit of pure sugar. The chocolate itself was also very sweet but pleasant enough and making for a decent contrast - I doubt even Dairy Milk would have improved the quality given what Cadbury push out now. A final munch from the hard yet aerated honeycomb nuggets that we all undoubtedly know and love to be that of a Crunchie Bar, finished things off wonderfully - Scrumptious! 

Overall, this Cadbury NEW Friday Feeling Cake is really quite the treat and I am sure, will go down well with any fan of the chocolate it represents.. Heck, I think it tastes more of a Crunchie than an actual Crunchie! - There is nothing not to love! Get yourself one before Cadbury do something ludicrous like removing them from sale - It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- M&S NEW Red Velvet Cake

Mondays tend to be pretty rubbish with the post weekend slump and seemingly eternal stretch until Friday.. But things can change in a heartbeat when you find a NEW Red Velvet Cake gracing the shelves of M&S before 9am has even hit! The bakery Gods must be shining down on me! 

The 460g cake which is designed to feed 6 cost the usual £2.75 and doesn't specify whether is suitable or not for Vegetarians so best pop in store yourself if you're concerned. I can tell you however that it is not freezable or one for the Nut allergy sufferers due to manufacturing methods. 

A light and moist red chocolate cake, indulgently filled and topped with a tasty cream cheese frosting, finished with a delicate dusting of icing sugar. 

As you can see in the ever so slighty wonky picture, the cake cut well to reveal an abundance of both, off white filling and topping which looked pretty striking against the deep red hue - It also smelt most inviting!

Taking a forkful, the sponge proved to be sheer perfection with a light and moist feel yet was pleasantly dense and fudgy at the same time - Somewhat like a cakey brownie, I suppose but an extremely good one! A mild cocoa flavour was detectable although the signature tang of Red Velvet was amiss.. Luckily, what the sponge lacked, the frosting made up for! Very thick and super sweet, the cream cheese delivered a pure hit of indulgence that also came with what I think were lemon undertones to reinforce the zing. The two elements complimented each other wonderfully with great proportions to match - Scrumptious! 

Overall, this NEW Red Velvet Cake is most enjoyable, indeed. It ticks the boxes in terms of texture and taste with a glorious frosting as the star of the show, that I would only be too happy to eat by the pail.. Fair warning though, it won't hesitate in leaving you in a sugar coma! It's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Review- Asda NEW Boo! The Ghost Cake

BOO!! ..I scared you, didn't I? No? Alright but I can't be the only one to prefer the cuter side of all things Halloween opposed to the sheer terror of Killer Clowns and other hideously disturbing "tricks" - Where is the fun in any of that when you can just stay home, safe and sound whilst eating adorable, crowd pleasing cakes? I know what I'll be doing. 

Asda also seem to know what's good for us in having 2 NEW Celebration Cakes in their spooky bakery - A Petrifying Pumpkin to smash into if you're not quite content on passing up on the Halloween tomfoolery completely and this, Boo! The Ghost, priced at £5 and designed to serve 12 including the Vegetarians. You're welcome Vegetarians. 

Look at little Boo with his golf ball-esque figure! If he doesn't make your heart warm and fuzzy rather than palpitate in a fright, I don't know what will.

The story of Boo. A tale to behold.

Terrifyingly tasty! Our scrummy Madeira sponge is packed with frosting and plum and raspberry jam, all topped with a cloak of spook-ilicious fondant icing. 

The cake cut beautifully with a sharp knife, slicing through the soft layers to produce neat wedges which could have been the recommended 12 given the chance as it was certainly robust enough! Starting with the sponge, texture wise it was the semi dry and bendy type you tend to find with most supermarket bought cakes but it did taste pleasant enough with vanilla tones coming through. Sandwich in the centre was a rather measly slathering of frosting and jam which although did add sweetness a long with a generic fruity flavour, wasn't anywhere near enough for the quantity of sponge present.. Especially when the thick fondant icing on the outside was another relatively dry element, not to mention sweet and nothing but! 

Overall and despite my proportion complaints, this NEW Boo! The Ghost Cake isn't all that bad or offensive and certainly won't disappoint a crowd of sugar ravenous kiddos. Whack in a second layer of fillings and even the adults might be tempted.. Rather than being left to eat the abundance of icing on the board which could plague a whole army of zombies with diabetes. Have a lovely Halloween weekend all! It's a 3 out of 5 from me. 

Want a few more Treats? Check out Monster Munchies over at NibsnScribs to really get in the spirit! 

Review- Krispy Kreme NEW Pumpkin Spiced Cake

Happy Monday! It's a case of "last but by no means least" today with the final doughnut in Krispy Kreme's Vintage selection which would you believe it, has been keeping us busy (And well fed!) for the past 6 weeks - Time really does fly! 

Traditional American cake doughnut, flavoured with autumnal pumpkin spice and covered in our signature glaze. 

It seems as though people have gone off KK in my neck of the woods as once again, I was first to succumb to the Pumpkin Spiced Cake with not a single doughnut in my Tesco cabinet being MIA.. I doubt the staff hold some back and replenish them but surely the store can't be getting more than 1 delivery a day? It's a mystery.. As is the price as today I was charged £1.60. 

Cutting the heavily glazed ring-ish cake in half, I can't say the scent of pumpkin or spice was at all noticeable and certainly not what I had envisaged - Although deliciously sweet smelling, it could have been any old KK ring doughnut which didn't leave me too optimistic! With lingering faith, I took a bite and was pleased to be proven totally wrong! The crisp icing gave a satisfying crunch before hitting the soft, squidgy and remarkably moist "doughnut" which was miles superior to the dry, crumbly texture seen in the Cruller. A real warmth of spice* came through complimenting the sugary sweet tones perfectly - There was even enough potency to pleasantly tingle the back of the throat! As for the pumpkin aspect.. I can't say there was any but can say, it didn't need it! Yum! 

So I think Krispy Kreme may have left their best doughnut until last.. This Pumpkin Spiced Cake is amazing! I have no clue where the pumpkin part is meant to come into play as it lacked all likeness but what is in a name? If you like spices, this could very well be the one for you! - The texture a lone is a winner in my books. Get one in the next 2 weeks and reap in it's autumnal glory - A 4 out of 5 from me! 

*Which spice? Mixed? Cinnamon? I don't know but I liked it.. As did Nibs! Go read her review.

Review- Krispy Kreme NEW Cruller

It's time for another Vintage Krispy Kreme and this fortnight, the turn of the Cruller which allegedly is one of the most popular and very first products to be released in KK's UK history, way back when in 2003.. Before I knew better and prior to the start of my love affair with doughy delights!

Our iconic American cake doughnut, covered in our signature glaze. 

It looks like I got first dibs on the fresh batch at my local Tesco Cabinet today with the tray of twisty turn-y cake doughnuts being full and untouched - Perhaps this throwback isn't quite as "popular" anymore? Who is to say, I was happy to get my chance to try it and paid £1.75 at the till before skipping on my merry way. 

I cut the sweet smelling Cruller in half and was not all that surprised to find it relatively dense and crumbly - Similar to the Triple Chocolate Cake albeit not quite as "spongy". Taking a bite, the familiar sugary taste of KK's signature glaze was instant with its crunchy, almost sticky consistency. The "doughnut" itself was a weird one.. Extremely dry and "bitty" yet with air pockets and the flavour of something which I can only liken to being a bit stale - One might say it was a "needed to be eaten up" item opposed to a fresh and inviting treat! Together, the two elements were alright.. But only that.  

Overall, I can't say I am blown away with this Cruller.. I understand that it is meant to be a cake doughnut but the texture just doesn't do it for me - I can't see past the fact it reminds me of something stale! By all means give it a go before the 17th* but do have a hot beverage on hand to wash it down.. I don't want anyone choking on a rogue crumb! It's a 2.5 out of 5 from me. 

*The Pumpkin Spice will be covering the latter half of October and making for the last of Krispy Kreme's Vintage Doughnut range. 

Go read the Peanuts post too! She does like the Doughnuts muchly!

Review- Lindt Creation: Chocolate Cake

Lindt is up there with everyones favourite chocolate, right? I for one, don't know of anyone who doesn't like it.. Even if the Lindor Balls do leave you feeling a bit woozy after having eaten a dozen! Perhaps the solution is not eating 12 in one sitting.. Or maybe transition to a Creation Milk Bar instead? 

Extra smooth milk chocolate with a fine dark chocolate truffle and a melting heart. 

The eternally wonderful and my little Peanut Poo, NibsnScribs sent me the 150g Chocolate Cake inspired, Swiss treat and I was very excited to try another offering from the range after having received the Refreshing Lemon version at Christmas. This bar which is comprised of 30% cocoa solids also contains hazelnuts and almonds so a no go for any allergy sufferers out there! 

Look at that gooey centre! - Lindt weren't lying with their "melting heart" claim! As expected, this reflected in the texture with the sensational smelling chocolate slowly dissolving on the tongue producing a ridiculously silky smooth feel. Taste wise, the quality of cocoa was second to none - All rich, creamy tones without being overly sweet thanks to a hint of something darker in the background. A ever so faint flavour of hazelnut lingered but certainly not enough to tip the Bar into Nutella territory.. Although I expect that would have worked too! Delicious. 

Overall, this Chocolate Cake Creation is one of the best Chocolate Bars I have ever had - Lindt have managed to achieve that fondant-esque texture whilst not compromising on the flavour to produce something which can only be described as, out of this world good! I will definitely be hunting down another and I suggest you do the same! It's top marks from me, 5 out of 5! Thanks Peanut!