Gluten Free Cake: Jennie's Gluten Free Bakery Pound Cake Mini's - Product Review

Gluten Free Cake: Jennie's Gluten Free Bakery Pound Cake Mini's

PRODUCT NAME:                    Pound Cake Mini’s

BRAND:                                   Jennies Gluten-Free Bakery

COST:                                     $4.78         

SIZE:                                       7 oz. (5 cakes)

COST PER OZ:                        $0.68

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:      YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       GFCO

ORGANIC:                               NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       NA

VEGAN:                                   NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:        YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:         Pennsylvania

SHELF LIFE:                            2 Months          

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

This week I am reviewing Jennies Gluten Free Bakery Pound Cake mini’s.  Pound cake is one of those foods where I am never quite sure what it is and I feel like it falls into a wide range of what it could be.  Perhaps that’s just me.  I know that whatever it is, I love it.  It’s moist, sweet, and tasty.  I do a fair amount of gluten free baking myself and I know first hand how it’s tough to recreate anything that is made with regular flour.  Yet, it is possible to get a flavor that is pretty close to the original recipe and sometimes even better.  Event so, I went into this sampling optimistically knowing that whatever happened within my first bite, there was absolutely nothing that drenching in rum, whipped cream and berries couldn’t fix!

Gluten Free muffins can sometimes be a little tricky to make.  The flour is different and can sometimes be tough to work with.  It looks like this challenge has plagued this muffin.  After sampling a few of the muffins, I noticed inconsistency within the box.  All was not lost though, because there is always a remedy.  The first one I sampled was dried out a bit and while it could’ve been saved with a drizzle of honey and whipped cream, it couldn’t have held up on its own at all.  The second one I sampled was perfect.  It was light, spongy, squishy and soft with enough bounce-back when you touched it.  It could’ve easily accompanied an afternoon tea or a morning coffee all on its own.  The third one I opened just to see which one it would be, too hard, just right or is this one going to be more of a momma bear, somewhere in the middle.  And you guessed, it, it was somewhere in the middle.

While I really enjoyed the one that was just right, just what I wanted this little tea-sized pound cake to be, the quality of the other two left me a little wanting.  Still, I think this could easily be amended by adding a bit of flair to these otherwise plain cakes, which is pretty much what pound cake begs for anyway, gluten free or not.  So, my recommendations would range from jam, marmalade, lemon curd, fresh fruit, whipped cream, crème freche, nutella, drizzle of honey (with some crumbled pistachios, almonds, whatever you fancy), splashed with a touch of Gran Marnier or Nivan, then topped with afore-mentioned tastiness or any number of other things you can think to put on top of cake.  All in all, I think this is a decent product and one that if you are in a pinch and need some kind of dessert for guests or a party favor, could be dressed up fancy enough to hide the imperfections of the taste.  I think they would be perfect in trifle and pudding recipes too, where they would soak in the ingredients well and take on the flavors of its surroundings.

Nutrition Facts

Each one of these little cakes, which are roughly the size of two or three fingers put together depending of course how large your fingers are, is 130 calories.  Ouch.  But obviously, let’s keep in mind this is cake, not health food and you would want to eat these every day.  The upside is that it is not only gluten free, but dairy, soy, peanut and casein free so it’ll work for a majority of your food allergy conscious dinner guests. 

Taste:  Depends on each cake: can vary from soft, spongy, perfect cake texture, to more condensed that does not hold up without some kind of topping camouflage

Labeling:  homogenous coloring on package, nothing really jumps out and says, “buy me”

Packaging:  cardboard box with plastic container.  Each cake is individually wrapped in plastic as well.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                 3                             

Taste:                     2.5                         

Value:                    3             

OVERALL:              2.8         

Reviewed by Krisztina L

Gluten Free Cake: Shabtai Gourmet Raspberry Roll - Product Review #86

Gluten Free Cake: Shabtai Gourmet Raspberry Roll

PRODUCT NAME:                         Raspberry Roll

BRAND:                                        Shabtai Gourmet

COST:                                           $7.29

SIZE:                                             12oz                      

COST PER OZ:                              $0.61/oz        

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:            NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             N/A

ORGANIC:                                     NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             N/A

VEGAN:                                         NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:              YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:              New York

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.   

         

REVIEW:
Recently, Shabtai Gourmet sent us some treats to try.  One of them was their Gluten Free Raspberry Roll.  It came freshly baked sealed in plastic to keep it fresh.  Shabtai Gourmet’s Raspberry roll consists of yellow cake with raspberry filling which is then rolled in coconut. 

There is a lot going for this Raspberry roll.  It is gluten free, dairy free, peanut free, soy free, casein free, lactose free, corn free, certified kosher and contains no preservatives.  It’s just about all the things a health conscious person looks for in a product.  Those of you with severe allergies, you will be happy to hear that all the ingredients that enter their facility are gluten free, casein free, lactose free, soy free, and dairy free. 

When I think of a raspberry roll, I imagine a roll that is moist and spongy with a sweet filling.  Shabtai Gourmet did a great job with the filling.  It was sweet and sticky just like I expected it to be.  As for the cake, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.  It was powdery and flakey and just a tad dry.   

Shabtai has a lot to offer.  They have put a lot of care and effort into their baked goods.  If you have a sweet tooth and you like a healthy product you can count on, this is the product for you.  For a full list of retailers, visit Shabtai Gourmet’s website at: www.shabtai-gourmet.com

Taste: The filling was nice and sweet and the cake was powdery and flakey and just a little dry.  The moisture from the filling helped the overall texture to come together.  The coconut sprinkled over the outer layer was also a nice touch.  

Labeling:  The labeling was very simple however the font was not very clear and a little small. 

Packaging:  Shrink wrapped roll placed in a plastic bakery container. 

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                 2             

Taste:                     3             

Value:                    2

OVERALL:              2.3

Reviewed 030911 by Calvin C.

Gluten Free Pretzels: Glutino Sesame Pretzel Rings - Product Review #48

Gluten Free Pretzels: Glutino Sesame Pretzel Rings

PRODUCT NAME:                          Gluten Free Sesame Pretzel Rings

BRAND:                                         Glutino

COST:                                            $4.99

SIZE:                                              8oz

COST PER OZ:                               $0.62/oz 

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:             NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:              N/A

ORGANIC:                                      NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:              N/A

VEGAN:                                          YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:                UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:                Israel

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
Glutino is one of the biggest names in gluten free products. They manufacture and distribute over 80 different gluten free products. They have everything from baking mixes and snacks to frozen entrees and pizza. With such a successful operation, they must be doing something right. We have tried a few of their products in the past and have liked them a lot. When we saw these Gluten Free Pretzel Rings, we knew we had to try them.

There are a few things that jump out at us about these pretzels. Not only are they gluten free, but they are also milk free, casein free, and egg free. So that makes these good for people with gluten free diets as well as vegan diets. It’s nice that these pretzels are good for people with special diets, but really, how does it stack up to regular pretzels? I will say that I am personally not the biggest fan of pretzels. I don’t mind them, but they wouldn’t be me snack of choice. If all pretzels were like these, I might have to reconsider. These pretzels were great and got a unanimous two thumbs up from everyone in our office. They have the pretzel flavor, but are lighter and crispier than regular pretzels.

Since I’ve been paying attention to nutrition labels a lot more lately, I decided to take a more in depth look at the nutrition facts of these gluten free pretzels. I decided to compare them to the nutrition facts of pretzels from a large manufacturer. What I saw was surprising. I saw that these gluten free pretzels actually have more calories (150 calories vs. 110 calories) and fat (8g vs 1g) than traditional pretzels with similar serving sizes. These gluten free pretzels did have less sodium though (390mg vs 420mg). All of these numbers are relatively close though, but the sodium content is a little on the high side. That goes for both the Glutino gluten free pretzels as well as the regular pretzels. That just reminds us that we need to pay attention to the nutrition facts and make sure we don’t overdo it. Remember that everything should be used in moderation.

These pretzels are suitable for just about everyone whether you are gluten free or not. They have nice flavor and are really crispy. If you are allergic to soy or sesame, you might want to stay away as these pretzels contain both.

Taste: Great pretzel flavor, but with the added bonus of being lighter and crispier than regular pretzels. I actually prefer them to the regular pretzels full of gluten.

Labeling: Very attractive labeling on this package that is also informative. They have all of their bases covered as these pretzels are gluten free, milk free, casein free, and egg free.

Packaging: The packaging is your typical cellophane package with an air tight seal. Opening it might be a little tricky though because it tears pretty easily once it is opened. If you plan to keep these for more than one sitting, I would suggest have a bag clip on hand to keep it fresh.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:           5
Taste:               5
Value:              3
OVERALL:        4.3

Reviewed 011011 by CC