Half-Baked Cake Co. Scrumptious Chocolate Cake
I’m not really one for instant cake mixes – the resulting sponge usually tastes artificial and it takes away the joy of the baking process for me. However I was curious when I was contacted about Half-Baked Cake Co. Scrumptious Chocolate Cake.
What is it?
You get a cake case filled with uncooked batter, ready to sling in the oven. Once it’s out there’s a sachet of chocolate buttercream ready to go for slathering on top. Easy.
I thought it’d be interesting to compare it to my classic and quick chocolate fudge cake.
How long does it take?
Start to finish my recipe takes 10 minutes to weigh, measure and mix, and about 30 minutes to bake. The Half Baked version by-passes the prepping, but takes 50-55 minutes to bake – so it’s not saving me any time.
Value for money
It costs a fiver for the convenience. Of course it saves time, but it’d be quicker and cheaper to rattle around in my cupboards for ingredients than pop to the shops to buy one of these.
Was it a looker
I’m afraid I didn’t have time to take a picture, but the promotional image above does in fact represent how it turned out. The sponge cracked with baking but was soon covered up with the fluffy buttercream, which you can swirl around in an attractive fashion.
The scoffing
It did get a unanimous thumbs up from the watch at Heathrow Fire Station whom I donated it to – it was still warm when they got stuck in and they didn’t leave a single crumb. The ingredients include free-range eggs, proper patisserie flour and real butter so that should mean the flavour is good.
When would it be useful?
If you were off on a short break to a country cottage it’d be good to pack for your arrival so you can enjoy some freshly baked cake and a cuppa. It’d also be nice to take around to someone’s house if they’ve just had a baby or been ill. You could bake it for them while you’re there to fill their house with yummy chocolate cake smells 🙂
The verdict
Not something I can imagine people who like baking engaging with, but for the laziest of lazy cooks or as an edible gift it’s a winner. I’m assured by my husband it tasted great and it certainly looked and smelt delish.
Where can I get one?
Half-Baked Cake Co. Scrumptious Chocolate Cake (600g, RRP £5.00) is available from selected Tesco Extra stores and online at Tesco.com.
Check out their website for more info
Thanks very much for my sample cake – the Heathrow firefighters were most grateful!
