Review- Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding is an all year round dessert, right? I see no reason why something so delightful should be limited to the winter months.. The sun appears to have seen August coming and done a disappearing act in exchange for rain anyways so I say, now is as good as time as any to indulge! 

It was Sainsbury's where I bought my 450g, Taste the Difference Sticky Toffee dessert, currently on offer at £3.. I haven't tried any of their "premium" puds before but the selection is vast and they all looked mighty tasty so it's worth a browse if you're a newbie like me! 

All butter and Delget Nour date sponge pudding with a sea salt toffee sauce and decorated with whole Delget Nour dates. 

Designed to feed 4, the Veggie friendly and freezable treat got a slightly bit smoshed in transit - I was pretty lucky not to lose all the sauce considering the thing was practically upside down by the time I got home! I chose not to heat mine up in the oven or microwave out of the fear of it having the horrible "nuked" sponge pudding taste and texture but if hot things float your boat.. Go for it*. 

How good does the golden toffee look? That thick, gooey texture would be lost to a liquid puddle had I heated it! Taking a forkful, the sponge proved to be light and soft despite its chilled state with zero in terms of stodge and beautifully buttery in flavour. I found the date aspect not to be all that overpowering as the main taste was nothing short of full on toffee! - Not to dissimilar to Werther's Originals in taste, the abundance of sauce added oodles of sweetness, felt silky smooth in the mouth and generally, something I could eat by the bucketful given the chance! The date on top was a substantial finishing touch being soft and squidgy, adding further to the toffee tones and almost feeling like a treat itself - Yum!

Well, I for one am very pleased I stumbled across this Sticky Toffee Pudding in Sainsbury's - It's absolutely smashing and without a shadow of a doubt, the best supermarket bought version of the classic dessert, I've ever had! Serve with ice cream or custard and you'll be on to a winner.. It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

*Heat at 160ºC fan oven for 25 minutes or zap in the microwave for 2.. Or appreciate the full flavour by having it cold with hot custard.. I promise you, it's the way forward! 

Review- Sainsbury's NEW Lemon Curd Filled Iced Buns

Easter may be over for another year but this does not mean we can't carry on with the spring like flavours, especially since said flavour didn't feature here last week. I give to you, Lemon - Sainsbury's Lemon Curd Filled Ice Buns to be precise!

I was very excited to see this NEW pack of 6 Iced Buns in the Bakery aisle and showed no hesitation when chucking them in my trolley, ready to pay £1.20. If you are a long time reader, you might recall the almighty M&S Whitby Buns that I banged on about for the majority of last year.. Given that they cost a whopping, 2 for £1.30, you can't knock Sainsbury's pricing here at all! 

Lemon flavoured finger bun filled with lemon curd and topped with a lemon flavoured icing. 

One, slightly sweaty but very delightful looking, beautifully iced, Bun.

I have to say, the dough itself looked questionable from the start - Cutting through, it was most apparent it wasn't going to be light and fluffy as I envisaged. My fears proved to be correct when taking a bite.. Although palatable, it was a tad dry and almost stale despite being well within the Use By date. Thankfully, things improved greatly with the flavour - The curd was plentiful, smooth and surprisingly, reminiscent of something homemade with its super tangy, citrus kick. As for the icing on top which was also fairly generous, a much subtler and sweet flavour came through helping cut any chance of things becoming over tart or a potential pucker face! 

Overall, these NEW Lemon Curd Filled Iced Buns do lack a decent dough but the lemon aspect ain't to shabby at all. Don't get me wrong, by no means are they anywhere near as spectacular as the Whitby Bun but they do hit the spot when a zesty treat is required on the cheap - It's a 3 out of 5 from me. 

Review- Pâtisserie De France Baked Alaska

Since dessert is the best part of any meal, we have a right fancy number today.. Baked Alaska! A trio of fairly simple elements, sponge, ice cream and meringue, you would think it would be most common but I have only ever had 1 AMAZING version of this pud and can't say I've seen it on many menu's let alone in a supermarket! Thankfully, Sainsbury's have saved us all.. 

Vanilla ice cream and sponge cake topped with a meringue covering 

I picked up this Pâtisserie De France Baked Alaska back in November, right when all the festive frozen desserts were starting to take over the shelves. I paid a reasonable £4 for the 320g pud then but they are still in store and have £1 off currently. 

Although "Baked" is in the name, this little oblong treat can be eaten straight from the freezer as long as given 10 minutes to soften.. 

But that would be foolish when you can "flambè" such a thing! As instructed, I whacked it in a 180ºC oven for 5 minutes until the meringue was golden and although I didn't personally, drench mine in booze and set the thing a light, that too is an option if you are feeling super bold! 

As you can see, popping it into the oven worked a treat! The meringue was toasty with a crunchy exterior, fluffy mallow like centre and a flavour that was surprising similar to a fresh equivalent in being sweet and ever so slightly "eggy". A generous chunk of thick, smooth, vanilla-y ice cream was hidden within that I would have sworn was Häagen Dazs - It really was uncanny in both taste and consistency! The relatively thin layer of sponge supporting everything was very soft and once again similar to something else.. Ladyfingers! - The slightly sweet, absorbing biscuit of Trifle and Tiramisu! The 3 elements went perfectly together and produced one very melty, very sticky, very gooey, sweet deliciousness of a dessert! 

Overall, this Pâtisserie De France Baked Alaska is pretty much the best thing to grace the Frozen Aisle since Chicken Nuggets.. No, I am not joking - It is that good! I can imagine it going down a treat at a dinner party but be warned, you will have to buy 2 as the serving suggestion of 4-6 people is a load of rubbish.. Me and MSW polished it off between us! It's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Snackmas Day 13- The Battle of the Yule Logs

The time has come. It is the thing that Christmas dreams are made of.. It is the highlight of the season.. It is mine and Hannah's main talking point from January until its arrival in stores.. It is of course, the Chocolate Swiss Roll, the Yule Log, the Bûche De Noël! Call it what you will and hold on tight as we've got a trio of the cocoa rich, sausage shaped delights as I bring you the battle of the Supermarket, Yuletide Cakes!

Asda Extra Special Hand Finished Belgian Milk Chocolate Yule Log

Asda are well are truly in my good books - They were the first of the Supermarkets to release their version at the very beginning of November! I managed to refrain from buying one until recently when things got all to much and I caved at the expense of £3.

Indulgent, buttery sponge smothered in glossy milk chocolate and creamy Belgian milk chocolate ganache, finished with a sweet snowfall.

Guess how this smelt? You've got it it - Chocolatey! I cut myself a good chunk and although it didn't crack or crumble, I was a bit confused as to where the spiral of the roll was - It was all a bit flat and lack lustre! The texture of the cake was superb in being very soft and squidgy, which I can only assume is why it had collapsed slightly, but nothing to write home about in terms of flavour other than a very muted chocolate. Thankfully the ganache was the star of the show and boy, did it shine.. Rich and full of cocoa, surprisingly not too sickly or overly sweet, the gooey "icing" both inside and out of the log was heavenly. There was also a thin layer of set chocolate boosting the intensity further as well as adding a contrasting bite to all the soft elements. How crucial the snowflake sprinkling of powdered sugar was, I am not sure given its purely aesthetic purpose but aside from that, this was pretty brilliant - A 3.5 out of 5!

Sainsbury Luxury Chocolate Yule Log

I was uncertain if Sainsbury's actually did their own "premium" range Yule Log - I can't ever remember seeing one previously so was very happy to find a stack of these plonked at the end of an aisle with a big "Manager Recommends" sign plastered above it. Who am I to argue with the Manager so off to the express checkout I went with my £4 in hand.

Chocolate flavoured sponge filled with chocolate flavoured buttercream, covered with milk chocolate and Belgian milk chocolate fudge icing with a sweet dusting.

Folks, we have a spiral! It may not be that easy to distinguish but you can certainly see that things were much more structured that the squat offering above.. And I know exactly the reason why - The sponge was so much drier! It really was like eating the sort you use when washing up rather than the edible type and this time, even the chocolate filling couldn't rescue it. Although it was fudgy as stated, it wasn't anywhere near as smooth and tasted ridiculously cheap and artificial with a horrible sweetness that was a struggle to get down considering the lack of overall decent flavour. I am not sure if Sainsbury's just decided to ice their regular, cardboardy Swiss Rolls or what but this really was a poor excuse of a Yule Log - Its a 1 out of 5 from me.

Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Yule Log

I won't lie, this is the Yule log that has changed lives - It has been about for a few years now and has always blown me away. The packaging this year is different which unsettled me slightly when buying it for £2.50 as more often than not, when the design changes as does the goods!

Our chocolate sponge is made to an all butter recipe for a deeper flavour. It's rolled with chocolate buttercream and covered in milk chocolate, then hand finished by our skilled bakers. Rich and creamy Belgian chocolate makes the perfect glossy ganache frosting.

Now that is what you call a Yule Log - The roll was tight with a visable concentric spiral which hadn't been squished or forgotten about all together. As half expected, both texture and taste of the sponge itself was perfect in being moist and buttery with chocolatey tones. Complimenting this was the thick, smooth ganache with its rich, indulgent tones that were creamy but not to much to handle. The quality of the Belgian chocolate was second to none and made the cake feel very "real" and homemade verses an obvious shop bought equivalent. As seen in the Asda version, thin bits of chocolate were apparent throughout, once again, topping up the flavour as well as contrasting the textures. Its a 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

We have a winner.. The Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Yule Log reigns almighty! Who would have thought that the cheapest would be the closest to a Fairytale of New York? Not me thats for sure! Asda have done a mighty fine job in coming a close second so if you can't get to Tesco then that is also a good route to go down.. Just please don't bother with Sainsbury's - Clearly their Managers know nothing!

One thing I also have to note is that each of these Yule Logs are designed to feed 8 people which I can assure you won't happen especially since either end consists of about 1 inch of icing. I encourage you to fight over this part on our Winner and then continue to brawl over your size portion of cake itself - What is Christmas without a domestic after all? Personally, I can't think of a more worthy cause.. 

Review- Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Blackcurrant Ripple Cake

I was meant to be holding out on buy this Taste the Difference Blackcurrant Ripple Cake until it came on offer but I saw it a few weeks back when popping into Sainsbury's for something totally cake unrelated and couldn't stop myself.. As usual. 

Sitting next to the EPIC Caramel Brownie Cake on the shelf, this too cost £6 - Not the cheapest but I was blown away the former so didn't mind to much! 

Plain and Blackcurrant sponges sandwiched with Blackcurrant jam, covered in buttercream and topped with a swirl of Blackcurrant jam. 

I sliced the beauty up to reveal the 3 distinct layers inside - I do like the deep purple colour, I have to say! 

A perfect slice, no matter the size, was produced each time the knife slid through the cake - Handy if you don't want a huge portion! I am greedy so I did have a big slice with much regret unfortunately.. Not one to ever be fussy when it comes to cake and things alike but after 1 mouthful, I was done - It was absolutely vile! The Blackcurrant jam was ridiculously strong to the point where it was all I could taste. It wasn't super sweet or sour just really synthetically potent and not to my liking at all. The buttercream didn't mask the flavour whatsoever but tasted separately it was nice enough in being sweet and creamy. Texture wise, it was pleasantly soft and squidgy but given it's disgusting flavour, nothing was going to save it! Yuck!

So I have had the best and the worst, supermarket bought cakes I have ever had, from the same range in the same shop - Got to love consistency! The Blackcurrant jam that goes in this thing needs to be disposed of on an industrial scale and Blackcurrant cake should never be made by anyone, ever again. Please, no one buy this - It may look pretty and smell nice but it will leave you gargling water to get rid of the taste. Its a 0 out of 5, from me!

Review- Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Caramel Brownie Cake

What happens when a fellow snack blogger decides to go sugar free? Apart from losing the plot.. They pass the buck and you are forced into buying all the delicious things they can't! This purchase is entirely down to the enabler that is @kevvieguy, the once sugar fiend turned Paleo preacher behind http://kevssnackreviews.blogspot.co.uk. 

Being ever so obedient AKA easily swayed, I hopped on down to Sainbury's and picked up the Taste the Difference Caramel Brownie Cake for £6 - Quite pricey for a "everyday" cake! 

Plain sponge, toffee flavoured sponge and chocolate brownie sandwiched with caramel buttercream and salted caramel sauce, covered in caramel buttercream and topped with a dusting of sweetened cocoa. 

As promised, the 3 layers of the cake were very distinct and cut easily with a sharp knife.

Now, doesn't that look inviting?! The smell of a buttery caramel, treacle and chocolate concoction almost had me scoffing the lot before I had even taken a picture! It tasted heavenly! The bottom layer of brownie was just how all good brownies should be - Dense and fudgey with rich chocolatey taste. A thick layer of salted caramel sat upon it, full of sweet butteriness and miraculously, was actually salted! The cake layers were soft, moist and sweet with treacle undertones coming from the middle layer of caramel sponge. I wouldn't have been able to identify the buttercream as being any particular flavour - It mainly tasted creamy and sweet but with all the other flavours going on, it didn't make much of a difference. The cocoa on top was a nice finishing touch to give a slight boost of overall chocolate flavour to what was one, very sticky, squidgy, delicious cake!

Overall, I am pretty much in love with this Caramel Brownie Cake.. And in turn, Kev, for making me buy it! All the layers go perfectly together but I have to say, this is definitely one for the sugar fanatics who aren't deterred by lots of different elements in a cake. There is another relatively NEW, Taste the Difference triple layer cake, Blackberry Ripple, which as always, I am eager to try next. I am sure it won't take much of a push from anyone for me to buy it.. Its a 4 out of 5 for todays, sweet delight!