NEW! Soft Centre Chocolate Macaroons (M&S)

M&S updated their 'Dessert Menu' collection this week. Well there's got to be an upside to the darker mornings and chillier days hasn't there? You might've noticed that most of the supermarkets have also launched Christmas sections too - but don't worry, I've not been struck by mince pie mania like last year. Yet. Giant chocolate macaroons though? Count me in!

"French almond chocolate macaroons - just warm for a soft chocolate ganache centre."

The new desserts in the range are all part of a 20% introductory offer. This double pack was still a pricey £3.20 though. Macaroons are always expensive but can they be spectacular enough to warrant the £3.80 (non-offer) price tag? Let's find out...

Each macaroon was about 10cm ish in diameter, and could be eaten warm or cold. To be honest, it was the idea of the molten middle that persuaded me to prise apart my usually tight purse strings. Call me simple but I really don't understand the fascination with macaroons. 25 seconds in the microwave and it was ready to go.

Microwaves have a habit of making crispy food soggy but the shell remained crispy on the outside and soft on the insider. There was a fair amount of cocoa flavour to it too, with the almond aftertaste following through. As for the ganache, it was, of course, undeniably decadent due to the dark chocolate (11%) and whipping cream (19%) and once warmed became more like a sauce. In fact, the whole experience was like eating a lighter warm chocolate fudge cake. 

The new giant Macaroons are great for the novelty factor, however  I can't help but feel they pale in comparison to the Gold Bullion bars in terms of creativity and innovation. That said, I'd happily pick them up as part of the Dine In for £10 meal deal (if and when they're ever included) but would never pay the full price for them. 

8/10. 

NEW! Chocolate & Caramel Pyramids (M&S)

I couldn't help it, ok?

After I tried my luck with the banoffee semifreddos at m&s I went back to see if any of the other frozen luxury desserts would work in the Dine in for £10 promotion. They all looked delicious but it was these chocolate and caramel pyramids that caught my eye. Not because they were particularly ground breaking in terms of flavours, or elements, but just because they looked so damn pretty. Fancy clothes might not tempt me, but pretty food? Always. 

"A cocoa sponge base topped with a Belgian dark chocolate pyramid mousse, a caramel ganache centre and caramel decoration."

I found myself thanking M&S once again for their clever packaging and thankfully, unlike their fresh banoffee cheesecake slices, the pyramids had remained perfectly intact - please ignore the freezer burn caused by my freezer blip. M&S suggests that they require defrosting for 5 hours, but I hadn't been that well organised and took mine out of the freezer a couple of hours before serving. 

That cocoa mousse was rich and fluffy with a deep flavour that I imagine would please most dark chocolate lovers, whilst remaining sweet enough to avoid offending us who prefer their chocolate milkier. Where was that sponge base at though M&S? I thought Waitrose's version was stingy but this was none existent.

Things got worse as I hunted for that supposed caramel ganache. At first I refused to panic, having been initially disappointed when digging into the Waitrose salted caramel mousse (before finding the pocket at one end), but as I got towards the last spoonful I realised I'd been duped. At best there had been a slightly sweeter mouthful, but where was that oozy caramel sauce or sticky dulce de leche?

I thought perhaps I'd got a duff one - but if I did then so did Bert. He didn't even realise that it was meant to contain caramel, and actually asked me not to buy them again as he found them too rich. Admittedly, he's not as chocolate obsessed as I am though.  Meh. Another case of style over substance, that is, unless you're after a show stopping chocolate mousse - in which case, head to Marks and knock yourself out! 

7/10

Banoffee Cheesecake Slices (M&S)

My sister and I were talking about how good the banoffee digestives are again the other day when she asked me why no-one does banoffee cheesecake. I then reminded her of the M&S banoffee cheesecakes that used to be part of the dine in meal deal. "You know, the ones that were designed for two that you used to munch by yourself." "Ah... yes, I remember." 

This jogged my memory back to a conversation I had with a lady called Zoe following the Sicilian Lemon & Ricotta cheesecake slice review. I remember Zoe asking me if I had got the M&S Banoffee cheesecakes to review, but I hadn't - thinking that they had been out for years, and that I'd had them many times before. What I hadn't realised (until Zoe informed me) was that they've been re-imagined. I put them on my mental list of items to review... and then promptly forgot all about them. The banoffee chat with my sister prompted me to pop into Marks & Spencer on my way home from the train station on Sunday afternoon, where I found a packet with a yellow reduced sticker on. It was fate!

"A baked banana and muscovado sugar cheesecake topped with a Belgian chocolate ganache and toffee mousse on a digestive biscuit base."

One of the cheesecakes looked a little worse for wear, which was unusual for M&S, who are normally very thoughtful with their packaging.

First up, I sampled the mousse, which was beautifully light, with a sweet toffee flavour to it. I still think that a mousse topping is an odd (and unnecessary) choice, but admittedly it worked better here than in Waitrose's new mocha cheesecakes.

Underneath this layer was the chocolate ganache, but I'd be hard pressed to comment on the flavour of it as it was so thin. In fact, I hadn't properly read the product description until I came to type this, and until a few moments ago I thought it was another toffee layer. This may sound like a complaint, but actually it's not. You see, I can see why M&S would want to provide a barrier between mousse and cheesecake (and it served that purpose well) yet I'm glad it didn't overpower either of the more traditional banoffee elements that the ganache was sandwiched by.  

As for that banana and muscovado mousse... well. It was a work of art. It was fluffy like their chocolate orange cheesecake, lacking the stodginess that 90%+ of supermarket cheesecakes suffer from. The banana flavour was authentic and omnipresent (as it had been with the Banoffee Semifreddos), shining through the toffee mousse layer to take centre stage. A delicious caramel undertone followed the banana; which was every bit as delightful as you can imagine. 

As for that biscuit base, it was thick, buttery and utterly scrumptious. You'd think that would be an aspect that is easy to perfect, when actually so many cheesecakes fall (and fail) on that final hurdle. 

There is very little, if anything, that I'd change about this dessert. It's the best banoffee cheesecake* I've ever had, and one of the best cheesecakes I've had in a long time. Bravo M&S, and thanks Zoe for giving me the nudge to try this new formula! They're worth every penny, full price** of not!

10/10

*I'm sure that will change when I get to try this one day.... (fingers crossed!).

**I can't remember the exact price, but it was less than £3.

NEW! Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Slices (Waitrose)

Isn't it funny how thoughts and ideas wheedle into our brains and lodge themselves into our subconscious? Only yesterday morning was I talking to Nat about cheesecakes, and by yesterday evening I was tucking in to one (admittedly it was never going to be as exciting as her talk of a Biscoff banana cheesecake creation). Despite the fact it was a warm day, all of a sudden ice cream just wasn't going to cut the mustard, and so I popped to Waitrose on the hunt for the new desserts that have started to crop up on Instagram this week. 

Argh, they were all on an introductory offer too. Cookies and Cream or Mocha? Bert doesn't like mocha.. but damn they looked good. But so did the Cookies and Cream... bugger it. Both went into my basket. Oops. 

Cookies and Cream were up first....

"A baked cocoa biscuit and vanilla flavour cheesecake on a chocolate flavoured biscuit base, decorated with chocolate ganache."

They were much cheaper than the Mocha at £1.67 for two (they will be £2.20)  and looked rather pretty with their ganache, which was definitely more of a drizzle than a topping. The amount of visible cookie pieces was a promising start too. I really hoped they wouldn't be another disappointingly dull cookie product and that this was a case where I could tell a book by its cover. 

Oh. The cookie pieces looked pretty, but I'll be damned if you could taste them. A look at the ingredients list indicates why: they only make up 4% of the desserts. The vanilla cheesecake itself was fairly good though, but it was sweet and lacked the sour tang of a New York cheesecake. Also on the plus side, it lacked the horrible gelatinous edge that so many supermarket cheesecakes seem to have and I would say it was on a par with the vanilla topping of the Rhokett. Unfortunately it seems that the ganache was only purely for decoration too, for there wasn't enough of it to taste on its own -and believe me I tried!

Thankfully the biscuit base however was a work of art. The deep cocoa flavour worked wondrously well against the vanilla topping, and was the only real nod to the Oreo type flavour that we've come to associate with cookies and cream. Like the base of Rhokett's cheesecake, it held together well until bitten in to -when it started to melt in the mouth perfectly. 

They're good, but not outstanding and I'd still rather have an ASDA white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. 

7/10

NEW! Extra Special Belgian Chocolate & Almond Dessert (ASDA)

I'm not happy with ASDA. They've pulled their amazing peanut butter millionaire's desserts from shelves. What's a girl to do? Fortunately they've replaced it with something that sounded almost as good: a Chocolate and Almond Dessert. The pots are £1.50 each or two for £2 (mix and match with the Strawberry Senga Trifle and Triple Chocolate Dessert.

"Layers of almond flavoured sauce, brownie slices, dulce de leche and dark chocolate ganache."

Chocolate and almond is vastly under appreciated in the U.K., in fact the only time I usually have the combination is when I make chocolate truffles at Christmas time (and even then they tend to be heavy on the rum). It's a gorgeous pairing though and so I hoped ASDA had done it justice.

It was hard to tell which layers were which from the container, but I rightly guessed that the topping was the ganache. As to be expected it was rich and silken; perhaps a touch too sweet for those with a preference for bitter dark chocolate -i.e it was perfect for me. 

Next up was a golden sauce which I presumed was the dulce de leche, however it had a very strong almond flavouring. I ended up confused, was this the almond sauce? I couldn't see anything else that remotely looked like caramel, so I guess the almond flavours had leeched out and overpowered the leche. This wasn't necessarily a problem, it just wouldn't have passed Ronseal's mark of approval. 

Underneath the golden layer was a couple of mixture of brownie pieces and darker sauce. Now this, ladies and gents, was where the magic happened; a recurrence of the peanut butter millionaire's dessert pleasure groans. The combination of soft but squidgy chocolate cake pieces strongly flavoured with what I can only describe almost amaretto made my tastebuds dance with glee. It was sheer heaven. Fortunately there was an ample supply of this final tier. I eeked out every last mouthful, not wanting it to end, and thereby making the small 105g pot last a full ten minutes. 

Well done ASDA, another full mark dessert!

10/10

NEW! Extra Special Black Forest & Amaretto Desserts Review (ASDA)

I've recently outed my addiction to buying chocolate and ice cream on instagram in an attempt to remind myself that I really need to stop buying more and instead work through my admittedly impressive collection. The trouble is, whilst I love both chocolate AND ice cream, occasionally I'm just not in the mood for either, or I spot something different that I'd rather have. This is especially true when it comes to ice cream, and since promising myself that I'd not purchase any more, my non-frozen dessert cravings have fully kicked in. BAM! All of a sudden I just needed to have the Black Forest & Amaretto Pots that I've been contemplating for weeks.

Even my price conscious nature gave way to the compulsions to try these little desserts. In ASDA Gü are currently on offer for £1.50, yet I still chose their own brand desserts. I must be mad. In my defence, previous experiences with ASDA's Extra Special desserts* have thus far been remarkably positive.

"Amaretto-infused sponge layered with black cherry compote and Belgian dark chocolate ganache."

C'mon ASDA, you seem to have fallen foul of Cadbury's usual trick here and only half filled the pots! The Peanut Butter Millionaire's Dessert was full to the brim, and had much more distinctive layers too.

Digging in to the top I first tasted the dark chocolate ganache, which was as silky and as delicious as expected -there just wasn't very much of it. The little that there was had kind of sunk into the custard below. Talking of which, the custard was a bit of a let down. The flavour was weak against the ganache and so I wished that ASDA had just done away with it and filled the tub with more of the good stuff.

Fortunately the black cherry compote was delicious, offering a sweet tartness against all the chocolate, but again the pot could have done with more. Boo.

The final layer was the main reason why I wanted to try these desserts so badly - the amaretto soaked sponge. The cake was in keeping with the Black Forest theme and was therefore chocolate flavoured. It was a good sponge with a decent amount of cocoa -but I just couldn't taste the amaretto or even almond. Now this might be partly because I was drinking a glass of red wine alongside it, but nonetheless I was disappointed.

I'm aware that I've done a lot of complaining in this review, and perhaps it's not entirely necessary considering I scraped the sides of the tub and really enjoyed it. The trouble is, I know that ASDA sell a much better version of this, and it's cheaper too: their Black Forest Velvets.

7/10

*such as their White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake which was one of my first reviews, and remains my favourite supermarket cheesecake!

Festive Mini Macaroons (M&S)

We should all probably be sick of the sight of Christmas food, but I just can't help myself from buying more -especially when I spot a bargain or two, or three, or four..! Anyway, I had reached breaking point with my marketing report late yesterday afternoon when I decided to give my brain a breather and pop into town. I couldn't resist heading into M&S before coming home, and there I spotted these festive mini macaroons in the food-to-go section. If M&S offered a meal deal like Boots do, I'd be far more inclined to pick up my lunch there more often. Instead I usually bypass the sandwich aisle unless it's reducing time. I'd seen these glittery little macaroons a few times though, but was disinclined to spend £1.50 on them. Reduced to a mere 55p yesterday afternoon however, I decided to give them a whirl.

Now I have an embarrassing confession to make: I'd never tried a macaroon before. Shocking, right? I'm not sure why either as I like meringues and love almonds. I think I'd just got them down as expensive little dainty morsels, and as such will always opt for something more substantial (and usually more chocolatey) when choosing dessert. These macaroons were special though, because not only where they shimmery, but they were a triple whammy of chocolate flavours.

"Chocolate ganache and hazelnut, chocolate ganache and salted caramel, chocolate ganache and orange flavoured French Almond macaroons." 

Mmm, in my head I imagined nutella, chocolatey dulce de leche, and Terry's filled almond flavoured meringues. The trouble began though when I realised that there was no way of working out which was which! I tried smelling them, but I couldn't distinguish any difference. There was only one way to find out....

Biting into the first, bronze coloured, one left me puzzled because I couldn't really tell what flavour it was meant to be .The macaroon wasn't even particularly chocolatey, and all I could taste was the almondy meringue. The texture was enjoyable with its soft chewy interior and crispy outer shell, but I was very underwhelmed by the lack of hazelnut, salted caramel, orange or cocoa. Humf. 

The purple-escent macaroon was next up, and when I munched into the edge I started to think that M&S were pulling my leg. Are macaroons the Emperors new clothes of delicacies? Again, the flavour was completely lacking and I felt rather put out. 

Fortunately, somehow I'd saved the best until last. The golden macaroon contained a hidden gem of chocolate orange ganache that shone from within. The flavour was impeccable, and worked wonders with the sugar almond exteriors.This was a real treat -I just wish the box contained 3 chocolate orange macaroons. After all, chocolate orange is arguably the only festive flavour combination in the combination, and was the tastiest by a couple of clear country miles. 

If you spot these festive macaroons reduced then I suggest you pick them up, but otherwise they're not worth your pennies. 

6/10

NEW! Melting Chocolate Domes (M&S)

I've had my insatiable and greedy chocoholic eyes on the Melting Chocolate Domes since Nat (of a lot-o-choc blog) told me about Marks & Spencer's new dessert collection line up at the beginning of September. Despite my temptations I stupidly picked up their new muffins instead (you can reviews of their banana choc chip here, and rhubarb, strawberry & custard here). Before I knew it, the Domes were removed from their introductory offer price, and I just couldn't being myself to fork out the full whack for them (approx £4!) even after viewing Nat's spectacular food porn video of their preparation on Instagram.

This week the trains to and from uni have been useless -abandoned trains, cancelled trains, last minute platform changes, extremely delayed trains, you name it. However, the disruption has had one perk -a lengthy delay last night meant that I had a spare few minutes last night to pop into Marks & Sparks at reducing time, yippee! I didn't have much room in my rucksack, and realised that any treasures would have to suffer a 50 minute train followed by a 2 mile cycle ride in the rain, but when I saw the Domes reduced to £1.40 I just had to have them! 

"Chocolate brownie on top of a feuilletine biscuit layer, filled with milk chocolate ganache and topped with a milk chocolate dome. Served with a milk chocolate pouring sauce." 

These hot melting dome style domes have become quite popular in higher quality restaurants (so Instagram leads me to believe anyway)! Of course trusty Marks & Sparks have harnessed the opportunity to turn it into a commercially available dessert, and who am I to complain, it both looked and sounded fantastic.

Despite my trek home, the desserts were still in tip-top shape by the time I got home. The instructions informed me to bring a pan of water to the boil before turning down the heat to a simmer. Then it told me to place the chocolate sachet in the water and simmer for 5 minutes. What's wrong with making the sauce microwaveable M&S? Despite my grumbles about the faff (and enforced extra wait) I wasn't about to mess up what could potentially be the most perfect dessert, so I obliged and followed the guidelines. 

Now I have to admit that I felt like a bit of a failure when I didn't make my domes collapse in the way that Nat had managed to. Mine took a bit of prodding before they begrudgingly caved. Still, they looked beautiful and I immediately got stuck in. 

The first part I tasted was the brownie, which was rich and chocolatey, but a little on the dry side. I imagine that M&S might have made it that way so that it held the domes properly, but it didn't taste like a fresh homemade version. The second component that reached my mouth was the feuilletine base, which offered up a beautifully crispy texture. and crackled away pleasingly. In the centre was the ganache, which was cool, creamy and slightly lighter than expected -a bonus given how heavy the dessert was. Of course the domes had mostly melted, but the remaining chocolate was of good quality (although I expected nothing less from the premium supermarket). The chocolate sauce that had pooled around the dessert was delicious, but very runny, which complemented the brownie and injected the required moisture. 

I really enjoyed M&S' Melting Chocolate Domes, but I do warn you that they are extremely rich and chocolatey so therefore advisable only for serious chocoholics! My only real issue was with the temperature of the dessert -I tend to like mine either piping hot or freezing cold and of course the hot sauce on top of cold domes resulted in an lukewarm effect. For this reason alone I'm afraid I can't give the Domes the top marks that I awarded M&S's Billionaire Bullion Bar, but I still recommend that you pick yourself up some when you're in need of a chocolatey treat. 

9/10

NEW! Peanut Butter Millionaire's Dessert (ASDA)

Social media. What's your stance? I both love it and hate it. I'm basing my career on it (not through the blog I might add), but it's addictive and my other half regularly finds himself sighing when I inevitably stop in my tracks to reply to a follower on instagram, a tweet, or my work's facebook enquiries. I thrive on the instantaneous and constantly evolving nature of the various platforms, and also grumble about their reluctance to pause for a moment. I was plunged into this mixture of emotions when the lovely Ellie (Ellie Is In The Soup) tweeted the following:

No. No I hadn't had it. And Yes! I needed it NOW. Fortunately Wednesdays are the only day I don't have lectures, and I'd finished my job for the day, so about an hour later I'd got my coat on and was on my merry way to ASDA -desperate to get my greedy mitts on this fabulous sounding new dessert.

Whaaaat! Where were they? ASDA was taunting me. There was the shelf. There was the label. But where, oh where, were the Peanut Butter Millionaire Desserts? I momentarily baulked at the price too, but my heart over-ruled my head and the desperation lingered.

Then I had a thought: what if the staff had bunged them in with the cream cakes (at the other end of the store) instead of the desserts with their label? 

Hurrah! There they were. Isn't it wonderful to see their new products so highly respected? Ha! Not to worry my peanut butter dream, I'd look after you.*

"Peanut butter mousse and peanut butter caramel with a Belgian chocolate ganache, chocolate honeycomb pieces and a digestive biscuit base."

Luckily, ASDA had the foresight to protect its new dessert with a domed lid, so despite its mistreatment in store, the pot looked every bit as perfect as it did when leaving the factory. The layers were impressive, and I was glad to see a chunky biscuit base. 

I delved into the chocolate topping, which was every bit as silky as Gu's ganache. Rich and decadent, it delivered a powerful dark chocolate hit. The chocolate balls were a nice decoration I thought, although there wasn't a great deal of them. I was surprised at how thin the top layer was, but then I remembered that there were so many more layers of potential deliciousness to get through yet. 

Next up was the mousse, which tasted more like super light and fluffy whipped cream. I couldn't taste the peanut butter though, and my face dropped. My other half caught on to my disappointment and asked what was up. I explained my non-nut related sorrow, and offered him a spoonful to taste. He agreed, and then instantly pulled a disgusted face back at me. I was then accused of becoming peanut butter immune -yep, apparently it was that potent. Confused, I waited a minute or so before continuing, and then I realised what he meant. The ganache had overpowered my tastebuds and once I'd let them recover from the chocolate, I could taste and fully appreciate the peanut butter flavour in all its glory. My, it was wonderful! ASDA have wisely used 8% peanut paste within the mousse, which is perhaps why it's so delicious -and doesn't taste in the slightest bit artificial.

Peanut butter cravings now satisfied, I was more than ready for a lacklustre caramel layer ("Double Peanut Butter" Magnums mark two). I was therefore not expecting the sheer scrumminess that lay in wait. It was very sweet -of course- but the peanut butter was even more powerful (the caramel consists of 40% peanut paste). Wow, I'd never tried a caramel like it. If I was to nitpick I would perhaps have preferred it slightly more dense (more similar to Ben & Jerry's cores) but it was incredible all the same. Bravo ASDA!

Last up was the biscuit base. To begin with I was slightly gutted that it was a puddle of crumbs rather than the buttery concoction at the bottom of a cheesecake. But then I discovered the hidden treasure at the bottom of the pot and realised exactly why it was so loose...

Balls! Balls galore! Hidden between the biscuit crumbs were a number of malteser-esque malt balls. I love a good surprise, and this has to be one of the best I've uncovered (literally!) in a dessert. What a wonderful end to a fantastic pudding. 

Initially I thought that £1.49 was steep for an individual dessert, but it's nothing compared to what restaurants charge -and it's worth every penny. Yum yum yum. Peanut butter lovers harass your local ASDA for this new Millionaire's dessert quick smart!

10/10

*Is peanut butter madness a condition? It must be. 

NEW! Godiva Double Chocolate Bar (B&M)

As you may be aware, today is World Chocolate Day! Isn't every day chocolate day? Still, I can't think of a better excuse to review this double chocolate Godiva bar. What I hadn't realised when I reviewed the Chocolate & Creme version was that both products are in fact new to the USA. 

"Layer of Cocoa Biscuit & Chocolate Ganache in Milk Chocolate."

The chocolate and creme bar was simply divine, and so I imagined that a double chocolate version would taste even better. From the outside they looked identical, but slicing it in half revealed both chocolate flavoured layers. 

Once again the quality of the chocolate casing was impeccable, and the biscuit was short and delicious.

I expected high quality ganache from luxury chocolatiers Godiva, but that's unfortunately not what I tasted. Perhaps I should blame Gü puds for setting the standards so high; instead of the silky soft ganache that I've come to love so much, I found a chalky, super sweet, almost gritty substance. It wasn't unpleasant -just not what I was hoping for. 

The sickly nature of the second chocolatey layer also knocked the flavours off balance, and I wished that I'd just bought two of the creme bars. Oh well. Lesson learned.

7/10

Billionaire Bullion Bar (M&S)

I've had my beady eye on the Billionaire Bullion Bars since their release in late Autumn, but seeing as I'm a cheap-skate, I've not forked out the £4 to try them.  I received an M&S gift card recently, which provided a good excuse for finally treating the other half and I to these devilishly indulgent desserts.

'Layers of salted caramel sauce, caramel flavour mousse, chocolate ganache and shortbread crumb encased in a golden chocolate shell.'

The bars looked beautiful with their shimmery gold coating. I turned it upside down to discover that it was full of chocolate covered shortbread balls.

The chocolate casing was super thick which meant it took quite a bit of effort to crack into, but boy it was worth the effort! The caramel mousse was light and fluffy whilst the salted caramel sauce had a wonderful depth of flavour. The chocolate ganache was very smooth and rich, and the chocolatey balls added a crunch that made the dessert all the more texturally interesting. The gold chocolate casing was consistently thick all the way round, and M&S didn't slack on its quality either -It was rich, creamy and indulgent.

This dessert by M&S is for sweet-toothed chocoholics only; all of the components are of the best quality but the bar can become quite sickly. For me, I adored the bar in all its chocolate and salted caramel glory...

I'd better get that first at Uni so I can afford to shop at M&S more regularly in the future!

10/10

Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Yule Log

Now, just on the slightest off-chance that you've not eaten yourself into oblivion, and are still inclined to read about chocolate (even if you can't eat anymore), today's post is a follow-up to the lacklustre Cadbury's Mini Yule Logs. I'd been hankering after something a bit more decadent, any I was toying between buying the Co-Op's Chocolate & Amaretto Yule Log and Tesco Finest's version. The Co-ops bûche de Noël sounded more appetising, simply due to the Amaretto content, but Tesco's finest had resounding praise from bloggers Hannah & Lucy.

I decided to opt for the Tesco version, as these girls know their chocolate. It looked devilishly delectable, with a thick Belgian Chocolate ganache frosting smothering the entire cake. It sliced wonderfully, revealing the tell-tale chocolatey swirl. 

The chocolate ganache was beautiful- perfectly rich and chocolatey in an 'I'll lick the bowl when no-ones looking' way. The cake however was disappointingly dry, lacking the fudge-like stickiness that I expected (my personal quality indicator of homemade chocolate cake). Perhaps it needed lashings of double cream, but I'm afraid I didn't have any. The chocolate buttercream tasted decent enough, but I found that the ratio was a bit off-kilter. Although Tesco were generous with the ganache, they could have been a bit kinder with the internal buttercream swirl.

It might just be me, and my experience of home-made Yule Logs combined with the sky high expectations I had of this cake that led to my disappointment; although it was definitely a damned sight better than the Cadbury's minis. With that in mind, I'd be keen to know if any of you have tried it this Christmas, and if so what did you think?

7/10