Flashback!

When Birthday Cake goodies first got popular, I loved the flavor. What’s not to like, right? Sweet vanilla, creaminess and sprinkles…yum. In a pretty short period of time, this flavor was over utilized and slammed together with some of the most awful sweetners and other ingredients that I have ever tasted and the innocent Birthday Cake became a sickenly sweet imitation of what birthday cake should taste like. To tell you the truth, that’s what I expected from these cakes. It’s not what I got! This Birthday Cake flavor is about perfectly done.

Nutrition

The first thing that I noticed when I bit into the first cake was the excellent, chewy texture. It is nice and satisfying with just the right elasticity to the chewy cake. It does seem a little more like a candy than a cake, a nougat, but it is instantly filling. It has 12 grams of protein and 170 calories for the two cakes in the package. While I really like these dainty little treats, there are 11 grams of sugar alcohol in them and that sugar alcohol is maltitol. I usually avoid maltitol because it can cause gastric distress. The single package that I ate did  not cause me to have any symptoms but if you are particularly sensitive to maltitol, you need to take note. There is a syrup blend in them and they contain 1 gram of sugar. While the sugar is not labeled as “Added Sugars”, the syrup blend definantly adds sugar to this product. It is  minimal and is probably insignificant but I avoid all added sugars normally. You never know where that threshold is that will trigger the sugar craving.

Overall Presentation

One of the most pleasant things about these cakes is the creamy coating with multi-colored sprinkles. It adds a decadent note to the cakes. If you love Birthday Cake flavored goodies then you will most likely really go for these little snack cakes. The foil packaging gives you the feeling of opening a special treat so if you are choosing to eat these as a rare indulgence, they just might fill the bill nicely.

Availability

These cakes appear to be in limited supply. I paid only $2.59 for the single package that I bought at a local Walgreen’s. I live in Alabama and have been able to buy these cakes here for quite some time. From what I understand, they are not available everywhere. You might want to check your local Walgreen’s if you’re interested in trying them. Every time that I have bought them over the last year or so, I found them at Walgreen’s. I don’t think that I have ever seen them anywhere else. Originally they came in Birthday Cake, Chocolate and Red Velvet. I have tried the Chocolate and the Birthday Cake and like them enough that if I ever see the Red Velvet again, I will give them a try.

Bottom Line

If you are looking for a little something on occasion to treat yourself, these may be just fine. I don’t believe that there is enough sugar in them to spur a sugar craving. The drawback to these for me is that they are 170 calories of a processed food that is made almost entirely as a treat. The 12 grams of protein would be better gleaned from whole foods. You may be able to fit these into your program seamlessly but I try to spend my calories wisely, gettin the most nutritional bang for my buck. While they seem innocent enough and they’re good, unless I find the Red Velvet flavor, I’ll probably not buy them again. I do believe that they are better than a regular snack cake, but only marginally so. For pure enjoyment, they’re great, but I perceive food as fuel and for my 170 calories, I want more.