We are typically big fans of the Costco bakery’s new creations. We loved the Maple Butter Pecan Bar Cake released earlier this season. Every layer of that dessert was well conceived and executed. We also went crazy for the food court’s Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies when they hit the warmer in the spring.
But being fans of Costco’s baked goods means sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. Their newest release, well, it’s in the latter category.
I found their nine-inch White Chocolate Raspberry Round Cake in our suburban Birmingham, Alabama, warehouse store earlier this month. I snatched it up, as I do all new things, and brought it to the Southern Living offices for all our editors to try and enjoy. But this one, well, we just did not enjoy.
Our Tasting Process
At each tasting, I ask editors to send me their thoughts about the new products, both good and bad, and I weigh them to determine if we liked the food overall, or perhaps didn’t. We generally share the ones we love the most and not the ones that received a lukewarm reception. However, in this case, the votes were so strongly in the “do not buy” direction that we felt compelled to share that news, too.
Listen, we know that every group of people has different tastes and expectations, and someone out there right now, possibly reading this with steam coming out of their ears, will have tried and loved this cake. But for those of you on the fence about picking one up for your holiday parties or meals, we just think you’d be best served by skipping it entirely. (Besides, there are plenty of other delicious options.)
Our Reviews on The White Chocolate Raspberry Round Cake
Presentation: A vanilla cake is topped with varying layers of raspberry jam, white chocolate ganache, mascarpone mousse, and a white chocolate topping. It is a beautiful cake, we will give it that. The ruby red raspberry jam positively glows in the layers and when shining through the decorative cut outs in the white chocolate topping.
Taste & Texture: But the taste is where you lose us. The mousse was far too gelatinous and gooey for a real mousse texture, and the raspberry lacked that true fruit flavor. We know, because we make a lot of desserts every year, that raspberry is a hard fruit to work with. The flavor isn’t necessarily as pronounced as other fruits, but this jam came across nearly artificial. One editor likened it to the fruit gummy Gushers.
Cost: The cake is also $23, which is a touch higher than we’d typically expect from Costco. (Their pumpkin pies are $6—and it is our favorite store-bought pumpkin pie.) Yes, there are a lot of layers here, and the time it takes to build these is more than, say, the loaf cakes, but our expectations and hopes just weren’t met.
Never fear. We’ll be at Costco weekly looking for new bakery items, and we know the warehouse giant will soon redeem themselves. They always do.