Review- M&S NEW Spirit of Summer: Toffee & Honey comb Traybake

Happy July Folks! I trust you're all well and have had a fun filled fortnight - I have been so engrossed in Wimbledon, I found myself incapable of putting up a review for the duration.. But I'm back now.. Here I am! Everyone ready to crack on? You better be in the Spirit of Summer. 

Yes, it's trusty old M&S once again with another South American inspired treat - Toffee & Honeycomb Traybake. I picked up the dessert in the chilled section (Where it was situation along the plethora of cheesecake flavours) for £3. Sadly, this one isn't Veggie friendly thanks to the use of beef gelatine and it's also not advisable to freeze.. So don't do that.. Promise?! 

Bourbon biscuit topped with toffee mousse (52%) and toffee sauce (14%), finished with chocolate and toffee drizzles and chocolate coated honeycomb (2%). 

The packaging concerned me at first. No way did I think that by running a knife around the inside of the card tray before pulling the flaps down as instructed, would the whole thing not get torn to pieces! - It's a miracle!

Cutting also proved to be easier than expected with the dessert staying together pretty well and not cracking or crumbling despite the glorious oozing sauce. Taking a forkful, I was immediately in sweet, sticky, creamy toffee heaven with the crunchy and of good thickness biscuit base adding some "darker" signature bourbon tones. Pairing up perfectly and contrasting in texture was the dense yet light and whipped mousse which certainly delivered in terms of flavour! The toffee tones were spot on in both the aforementioned and the silky smooth, fairly liquid sauce to pack a real buttery, golden, sugary punch - Not cheap or artificial in the slightest! As for the honeycomb on top, I can't say the flavour was anything other than mild but once again, the harder pieces complimented the soft layers beneath with the drizzles of chocolate and toffee sauce only adding to the sticky delight! 

Wow-wee.. What a way to return with a bang - This Spirit of Summer Toffee & Honeycomb Traybake is out of this world good! Yes, it is fairly simple in its components but if indulgent, gooey, sweet, crunchy, soft, creamy and borderline sickly desserts are up your street, you will find it very hard to go wrong with one of these.. I do however have to mention that it is designed to feed 4 which I think would be a struggle if you're remotely into any of the things just listed! It's a 4 out of 5 from me - Well done M&S! 

Review- Asda NEW Bourbon Cake

Like a woman possessed after the epic, Custard Cream of a few weeks ago, I couldn't wait to try the chocolate cake version of a biscuit classic.. The Birthday Bourbon was purchased! Who decided that certain Cakes were meant specifically for Birthdays anyways? Surely that's Cake discrimination. 

Once again, the Whopper of a delight cost £7 and designed to feed 16.. Although I am sure it is overall larger than the Custard Cream despite the obvious shape difference - It is a shame Asda didn't include a weight on the boxes!*

What a whopper! This cake takes the biscuit.. our spectacular sponge sandwich flooded with chocolate flavour buttercream filling and topped with chocolate flavour icing - perfect with a cuppa! 

Tadaaaa! One slightly squiffy and buffed yet still effective looking, Bourbon Cake. I love the attention to detail - A sprinkling of sugar goes a hell of a long way in making or breaking said biscuit! 

Slicing up the Cake, a knife went through the layers with no real effort to reveal the chocolatey goodness which smelt nothing but delicious - Not of biscuits though as I had hoped!

Pro tip - Always go for the corner piece of a cake.. You get double the icing! Speaking of this rolled chocolate fondant, it was a lot harder than the soft, malleable kind of the Custard Cream Cake as well as being noticeably thinner - Thankfully, this didn't effect the taste and was still as sweet and chocolatey. A good squidgy texture came from the sponge which I would say was a cross between cake and brownie with a rich flavour and absolute zero in the way of dryness. Sandwiched between the 2 layers was of course the buttercream. Again, although less than I expected, it was beautifully light and whipped with further sweet, chocolate tones and generally scrummy! Sadly no Bourbon flavour transpired but this didn't take away from the Cake being enjoyable.. Not to mention almost tasting homemade!

OK, so this NEW Bourbon Cake may just be a chocolate cake dressed as a biscuit but it is a very yummy one.. And not to mention, very aesthetically pleasing! No, it doesn't come anywhere close to the Custard Cream but I have never had a supermarket chocolate sponge (Cake/Brownie hybrid) quite like it or anywhere near as good so it isn't a complete fail for Asda. A difficult one to mark - It's a 3.5 out of 5 from me!

*I did some maths and worked out that each of the cakes if meant to weigh 800g (I think). I don't believe it. 

Review- Asda Chosen by You Custard Cream and Bourbon Ice Creams

Wednesday saw the review of the amazing, Tesco Giant Bourbon and Custard Cream Biscuits.. Today, its Asda's turn with their twist on our favourite biscuit tin treats, in the form of these ice cream bars.

The boxes of 6 individually, wrapped ice creams, cost £2 each.

Custard Cream

Vanilla flavoured ice cream with custard cream biscuits

The looked very cute and cut well! Unfortunately, I can't say they tasted much like a Custard Cream. The biscuits did have a subtle buttery flavour with a pleasant crunch which was nice against the soft, cold ice cream. The positives ended there sadly.. It tasted very much like a cheap supermarket ice cream - I wouldn't say it was vanilla-y what so ever, either! Its a disappointing, 1 out of 5 from me. 

Bourbon

Chocolate ice cream with cocoa biscuits 

I hate to say it but the Bourbon wasn't any better. The biscuits were much softer in this bar with a chewier texture. They did have a slight (I repeat, SLIGHT) chocolatey, bourbon biscuit taste to them though. The chocolate ice cream sandwiched in the middle was mostly bland and again tasted like a generic, sweet, supermarket branded one. Absolute pants! - Its another 1 out of 5. 

I have to say these are a massive waste of money. I can't imagine anyone really enjoying them.. I guess they would be quite good for kids as they are easy to eat without getting sticky - Not to mention the fact, they will pretty much go for anything remotely sweet! Big kids should steer clear and just crumble up actual Bourbon and Custard Creams on a good quality ice cream for a cold biscuity treat - I know thats what I will be doing!