NEW! Mr Kipling Trifle Cake Slices (ASDA)

Does anyone have a dislike for Mr Kipling? It seems to be one of those favourable brands that doesn't seem to get a lot of stick. Maybe that's because they make cake, and everyone in their right mind loves a bit of cake. Thankfully Mr Kipling are helping to mix things up a little with some terribly British summer editions to grace your afternoon tea. I was pleased to see that they haven't just rehashed the old editions this year (although the cocktail fancies are back) but have brought out a new cake slice and tart. The Eton Mess tarts do appeal -and I'm sure I'll get round to buying them soon- but it was the trifle slices that initially caught my eye. 

There's something about trifle that makes me cringe a little, perhaps it's the sad Bird's mix one that's always hanging around on Boxing Day and beyond, gradually looking more and more worse for wear. Maybe it's the thought of my nan's one which was always left at birthday parties in favour of the chocolate cake. What am I getting at here? The trifle is classed as a British classic, yet it's often the poor, retro sibling of the more decadent desserts. It's nice to see Mr Kipling giving it some love, I guess. They've been making the trifle bake wells for a while, but how on earth do you transform fruit, jelly, sponge, custard and cream into a cake slice? 

"Strawberry flavour sponge with a raspberry flavour filling (12%), topped with decorated custard flavour icing (26%)."

They're funky little slices, and although the more ecologically friendly among us might disagree, the individual packs make them easier to eat on the go because, lets be honest, who has the time to sit down the aforementioned afternoon tea? 

To me, the strawberry sponge tasted like watermelon flavoured sweets. Very odd. I expected a milkshake flavour (like their milkshake cake slices) but it didn't really taste wither of the standard strawberry artificial flavour or of fresh fruit. To be honest, I couldn't really taste the sauce in the middle against the cake, but the resulting texture was fairly moist so I can't complain about it either. As for the custard icing, it was neither here nor there -It was just a standard sweet icing. 

Now I felt a little let down by the slices -despite not knowing what to expect- but Bert really enjoyed them. At £1 for 6 from ASDA, the Trifle cake slices aren't likely to break the bank so are worth buying if you're intrigued by them. 

6/10

NEW! Mr Kipling Dark Chocolate & Coconut Oat Slices (ASDA)

Mr Kipling have hustled into 2016 with a couple of new products to their well established range of individually wrapped cake slices. The new treats are different to their existing confections, as they are Oat based, and come in two flavours:  'Dark Chocolate & Coconut' and 'Cranberry & Orange.' If you've ever even glanced at my blog before, you'll know that (as a dedicated chocoholic) of course I opted for former variety. 

Unwrapping the slice, I couldn't smell the tropical aroma that I hoped for. I bit into it, and felt the rustic, chewy texture that was half way between cake and flapjack. They were dense and sticky, which made the slice satisfying to munch on.

The taste however was lacking- the cake missed out on the rich cocoa tones, whilst the coconut flavour was very understated - certainly not reminiscent of a retro dessicated covered sponge! I broke the slice apart, and searched for the dark chocolate chips but they were very far and few between. I microwaved the second half of my slice for 20 seconds to see if it fared any better warm, and it did, the chips melted into the cake slightly, bleeding out the promised cocoa flavour.

These cakes weren't as special as they could have been, but at the current offer price of only 75p for 4 at ASDA, they're not bad little lunch-box treats. 

7/10

Mr Kipling Winter Whirls

It's got to that time of year where I'm a little bored of the standard mince pies. Didn't I say that would happen when I reviewed Tesco's Mince Pie Cookies just over a month ago? Anyway, I've seen the Winter Whirls on the shelves for a while now and as I was visiting my sister this weekend (who's also a Christmas maniac) I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try Mr Kipling's variation on the classic festive treat. 

Winter Whirls, for anyone who hasn't seen or tried them are 'Scrummy shortcake swirls filled with rich buttercream and Christmassy mince pie-flavoured filling.' The box cost £1 from the Co-Op and contains six whirls. 

The biscuits are just as crumbly as I recall -although admittedly I can't remember the last time I bought Mr Kipling's standard Viennese Whirls. The biscuits melt in the mouth with a delicate butteriness that I remember fondly. The buttercream filling is very sweet and soft, and would probably be more enjoyable refrigerated. My gripe however was the mince pie element, which was just a mere smudge of jam flavoured with the traditional Christmas spices*.  The whirl could've benefitted from a better filling ratio, as the jam was almost completely lost against the decadent biscuits and rich buttercream. 

It's such a lovely idea, and it feels like a lovely dainty Christmas treat. It might be one for those who aren't so keen on the richness of mince pies, or who like the flavour but not the raisins! 

7/10

*I Read the ingredients later and realised that it's in fact just a spiced apple jam- how misleading...