Top 8: Which of these off-the-shelf birthday cakes is a wish come true?
Roz Crowley breaks down 8 birthday cake options to find what is right for the occasion
Once the kids go back to school, somehow birthdays multiply, and while we all want to be virtuous and make our own cakes (and a quick cream and jam sponge is hard to beat), on busy days, we often need help for parties.
An expensive purchase, this is the most popular cake in our house for the surprising rainbow colours of the sponge inside, made with concentrated colouring from natural sources. It’s super tall, and two mums said they would be happy to pay for the work-free glamour, the taste and fun of it. Twenty young birthday party guests have been fed with this one, each slice divided into three. We added the candle.
- Score: 10
From the best selection of supermarket cakes we found, parents of tasters agreed that any child would be thrilled with this. Pieces of Kinder Bueno bars decorate the smooth, light chocolate buttercream, while the sponge is made from real eggs — always a good sign. Overall, a good, short list of ingredients as the cakes are made in-house from scratch. The best value-to-quality ratio of the selection.
- Score: 9.5
This sponge is layered and covered with a good chocolate buttercream and topped with chocolate shavings and flakes. While the list of ingredients is long and includes lots of forms of sugar, there are also eggs and butter. Good-quality chocolate ganache, topped with chocolate curls, so the cake felt chocolatey without being too rich. Young tasters liked it.
- Score: 8.5
A prettily iced collection is topped with a thick layer of chocolate, finished with ‘Happy birthday’ lettering. We also looked at the much more economical Dunnes own-brand chocolate sponge traybake (867g €11.99), which tasters thought lighter and more suitable for younger children. Surprisingly, both are made in Britain. Individual cakes are ideal for outdoor parties. Tasters liked both.
- Score: 7.5
This Tipperary-based, sixth-generation bakery has 14 outlets countrywide, including Douglas Village Shopping Centre Cork, where I bought this cake. Good value. The vanilla-flavoured cake was deliciously light, and natural ingredients have obviously been used in these cakes, delivered fresh daily. Ideal for those who like to add their own decorations. See Quigleys.ie for the nearest outlet.
- Score: 8
Top-quality ingredients pay dividends, with organic eggs, butter, 36% cocoa solids and Belgian Callebaut chocolate delivering a chocolate lover’s sumptuousness that is not too heavy for older children, but might be overly rich for youngsters. It can be divided into at least 16 small brownie bites. Our tasters were well satisfied with their finger of deliciousness. We found the Ballincollig Wednesday farmers’ market in Cork. Can be ordered online at alisbakery.ie.
- Score: 10
The short list of ingredients is impressive, with just flour, eggs, butter, lemon, and sugar. While the loaf shape is not particularly festive, it’s easy to jazz it up, as we did with a simple greeting, but sprinkles and candles also go a long way. This is for party people who like a plain cake, that isn’t too heavy, sweet or creamy. The lovely lemon flavour is perfectly balanced. One of our young tasters preferred it to some of the chocolate samples.
- Score: 9
These almond-based treats make a popular choice among those who like meringue-style cakes or to avoid flour. While not a cake as such, they are neat and easy to serve, and 24 or more can be piled into an economical croquembouche-style tower, sandwiched together with whipped cream or chocolate ganache. Add candles, but use a gentle screwing motion to avoid cracking. Good individual flavours with raspberry and chocolate were the most popular.
- Score: 8
