Chocolate Cake
Little Venice Triple Layer Couture Chocolate Truffle Cake
€16.95
Sorry, what is going on here? This looks less like a cake and more like something to be found atop a woman’s head on Ladies’ Day at the Galway Races. It is so elaborate that it almost seems like a pity to eat it, but eat it we must. We start with the truffles on top – not all six of them, obviously, that would be greedy – and then move on to the chocolate roses, which would taste as sweet by any other name. By the time we got to the actual cake, we were kind of full, but we soldiered on. The sponge is okay if a little dry, and the butter cream icing is incredibly rich. And rich is probably what you’d need to be if you could afford to buy this cake on a regular basis.
Verdict: Terribly upmarket.
Star rating:***
Corner Bakery Chocolate Cake
€4.95
Talk about love at first sight! This cake had us at hello. It comes from a small bakery in Dublin’s Terenure and is definitely the one we’d choose to celebrate any occasion, big or small. It is not as fancy as the other cakes, perhaps, but we liked its simplicity, and what it lacks in high end toppings, it makes up for in overall gorgeousness. The sponge is light and airy and wonderfully chocolatey, while the icing is creamy, buttery, luxurious and sweet, with just the merest hint of cocoa sharpness. It also looks homemade, so you could pass it off as your own if you had a particularly shameless streak. Which we do.
Verdict: The one for us.
Star rating: *****
Avoca Ultimate Chocolate Cake
€14.95
Avoca makes some lovely stuff and this cake is definitely in that category. It is rich and buttery and incredibly creamy and was the second cake to disappear from The Irish Times newsroom after we had had our share. The topping is fancy without being over the top, the sponge is light and airy and the icing is beautifully chocolatey. It is on the expensive side and, while there are occasions when it would certainly be worth splashing out on this, if you are looking for a cake for a birthday party, going away do or just to gorge on while you watch The Only Way Is Essex, this might be a little too rich.
Verdict: Lovely, pricey.
Star rating: ****
Aldi Chocolate Celebration Cake
€4.95
Right, well, this cake, which is made for Aldi by an Irish baker, is okay, but it did struggle to compete with the high-end options we pitted it against. The sponge was a little on the dry side and the icing lacked the rich, creamy freshness we had grown accustomed to throughout our cake-fest. It does look nice, is very reasonably priced and goes perfectly well with a good strong cup of tea. It will also do quite nicely at a children’s birthday party when all the focus tends to be on the candles and the cocktail sausages and the like.
Verdict:Cheap.
Star rating:**
Tesco Chocolate Celebration Cake
€6.79
Um, were not ones to criticise (that’s a lie, obviously we criticise all the time), but we do think that Tesco lost the run of itself when it came to the chocolate stars here – we lost count after 40. We did like the dark chocolate star, although the white chocolate one we could take or leave. While it looks impressive and is good value for money, we weren’t that mad about the actual cake. It lacks the freshness and homemade authenticity of the Corner Cafe cake and has little of the luxury of the cake from the Little Venice or Avoca folk. It will be readily accessible for most people, however, and tastes absolutely grand while lacking the wow factor.
Verdict: Just about grand.
Star rating:***
