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 Mix: Cherrybrook Kitchen Fudge Brownie Mix - Product Review #78

Gluten Free Mix: Cherrybrook Kitchen Fudge Brownie Mix

PRODUCT NAME:                    Fudge Brownie Mix

BRAND:                                   Cherrybrook Kitchen

COST:                                     $5.99

SIZE:                                       14 oz.

COST PER OZ:                         $0.43/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:       NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        N/A

ORGANIC:                                NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        N/A

VEGAN:                                    OPTIONAL

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:          UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:          Massachusetts

*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:
"The sweet solution for food allergies," is the motto for Cherrybrook Kitchen, the company that created the mix for these fantastic brownies. Not only is the mix gluten free, but completely vegan and nut free as well. According to their Web site, all equipment is dedicated solely to products that never touch dairy or nuts, and all goods are batch tested for traces of dairy, nuts and gluten for consumer safety.

I'm always in awe when something this good is made out of ingredients like cocoa butter and tapioca starch, but Cherrybrook Kitchen has turned my baking world upside-down once again.

I used a square 9x9-inch pan, one medium-sized bowl for mixing and a large spoon. To stay vegan, use 1/3 cup of a butter substitute, 2/3 cup of water and two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Cherrybrook's Web site recommends Fleischmann’s™ Unsalted Margarine and Earth Balance™ as dairy-free alternatives. I used real butter in the test kitchen.

The butter has to be completely melted, and since we're not dealing with eggs, I poured the freshly melted liquid straight into the mix. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well (don't bother getting out the electric mixer, it's not necessary), and you've got yourself fresh batter in a matter of minutes.

Pour batter into your pan and place on the bottom shelf of a preheated oven. The box says "12 minutes for fudge-like brownies or 14 minutes for cake-like brownies." I'd have to argue that 12 minutes produced more of a liquid-like brownie, so set your timer and check on them after 12 minutes. Another five did the trick for me, and produced a combination fudge-cake brownie that melts in your mouth.

I'm not a huge fan of dense, decadent brownies, so these were really my style. They're so light, they verge on crumbly, but I was still able to eat them in square chunks with my hands. There are great little chips of vegan chocolate mixed in that melt to create sweet little surprises as you chew, which complement the not-so-sweet brownie base.

The foundation of the mix is rice flour, and I have to say, you can definitely tell. The chew that is created when using wheat flour is replaced with an airy texture that dissolves almost as quickly as it hits the tongue.

Nutritional facts say there are 140 calories in 1/12 of the tray, without the added butter or oil. If you stay vegan, chances are you're staying in a decent calorie zone. There are only 16 grams of sugar per portion as opposed to last week's chocolate cake, which contained 23 grams without frosting. My only concern is that they're so weightless, so neutral on the sugar spectrum, you'll eat them all at once.

As a side note, I left the tray at a friend's house and was informed that they actually got better the next day, so you have that to look forward to – if they last that long!

Taste: The taste was light, a cloud of chocolate that isn't too sweet at first bit, then hits your tongue with little blasts of sugary goodness from the chocolate chunks blended in the mix. Chocolaty without being overwhelming is nice, but be careful not to eat the whole tray in one sitting – this is very possible.

Labeling: The labeling is adorable and easy to follow. They used graphics and copy well, providing company information on one side, directions on the back and super cute animations.

Packaging: Box with a plastic bag inside to hold the mix.

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:            2
OVERALL:      4

Reviewed 022511 by Mallory L.