IKEA Tarta Mandel almond cake: As part of my free meal at IKEA, I got a slice of their almond cake, the most harmless looking dessert on display. It consists of two thin layers of cake with butter cream in between; sliced almonds are sprinkled on top. While the portion size was not very large, it was difficult to get through given the over-sweetend and gummy icing. The nuts offered neither texture nor flavor. It was free, but I would not choose to eat it for free again. 1.5/5.0
avoid ikea tarta mandel almond cake 1.5
Mount Auburn Carrot Cake: Recently while I was at the ER at Mount Auburn, I was unable to eat anything until 5pm after being admitted at 9am. Given that I was much hungrier than usual, I let myself order from carrot cake from their dessert menu. The cake was much more substantial than any other portion of the meal, and while the cream-cheese icing was too sweet, the cake moist and quite good. Chopped walnuts were added as garnish. Sometimes in moments of uncertainty, it's nice to have something so familiar and co... (read more) 3.0/5.0
mountauburn carrot cake 3.0
Nice Choice Egg Soft Flour Cake: With a quintessentially lost-in-translation Chinese name, this brand of sachima is a great deal. The cakes are very substantial (you could share one with a friend) and have a satisfying chewy consistency. For those who have not had sachima before, it's a rectangular Chiense treat with fried dough and melted rock sugar that lends a chewy and slightly crispy texture. As one of the less expensive snacks at HMart, Nice Choice is indeed a nice choice. 3.5/5.0
hmart asian sachima nicechoice egg soft flour cake 3.5 recommended
Japonaise Bakery Green Tea Cake: Located on Beacon Street in Brookline, this small bakery has an assortment of pastries as well as packaged Japanese snacks. Their green tea cake is multi-layered, with green tea creme and a layer of gelatin on top. While the matcha flavor was not bad, the cake was a bit dry, and the gelatin was largely for texture (it didn't have much flavor). It looked better than it tasted. 3.0/5.0
matcha desserts japonaisebakery green tea cake 3.0
Fukusaya Cube Castella: From Nagasaki, this traditional Japanese cake comes in a thoughtfully crafted package that's a joy to open. The laminated paper box has perforations for bisecting the cube before pulling down its sides to reveal a cake further wrapped in textured waxed paper. The paper that encases the cake is precisely folded like origami. Finally, there is a small plastic "fork" that you bend to snap together to eat the cake. The cake I had was about a week past its due date, and according to the site, no ... (read more)
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Momofuku Milk Bar strawberry lemon cake truffles: Purchased in packs of three, these truffles have a cake-like candy coating and dense lemon interior. The strawberry crumble was too sweet, while the lemon truffle was tart. Overall, the flavors did not quite come together. 2.0/5.0
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