The Original Cake Company’s advent calendar is a top-tier treat for a festive countdown
You’ll find either a slice of delicious chocolate or fruit cake behind each door
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November is officially in full swing and – don’t judge us – but we’ve already started our Christmas shopping. That’s right, we’ve begun purchasing stocking fillers for the whole family, baubles for our tree and even had a nosy at Aldi’s Christmas jumper selection.
But while it may seem like we’re ahead of the curve, there’s just one very important essential we hadn’t been able to make our mind up on. And that’s, of course, the humble advent calendar.
Perhaps the most important Christmas buy, we’ve once again been spoilt for choice. There’s beer and wine-filled options, countdowns filled with Lego and even a calendar with tools behind every door. And that’s not to mention the copious amounts of beauty advents too.
However, shooting straight to the top of our sweet-toothed taster’s list is this decadent cake-filled advent calendar from The Original Cake Co. The Lincolnshire-based bakery has been creating artisan cakes since 1972, and inside this 24-day delight you’ll find a bite-sized chunk of its mouth-watering chocolate truffle cake or finest fruit cake.
If you’re already drooling at the thought (we’re positively salivating), or know someone who would devour this calendar before you could so much as say “star baker”, then keep reading for everything you need to know, including where to buy, how long it lasts and, most importantly, how it tastes.
Read more:
How we tested
We take our job very seriously, which in this case meant eating all of the cake inside. Naturally, we did invite friends and family to join us in our vigorous taste-testing (although somewhat begrudgingly) in order to bring you a well-rounded review.
To see whether this cake calendar really hit the sweet spot, we paid close attention to the packaging, including the design but, more importantly, how each piece of cake was wrapped to keep it fresh. We also made note of the different decorations, the taste of each slice, and how balanced the calendar was in terms of the flavours (if the quantity of chocolate equal to the number of fruit cake slices). Plus, we considered price to see if you really could have your cake and eat it too.
The Original Cake Co. artisan festive advent calendar: £39.95, Originalcake.co.uk
- Rating: 4.5/5
- Number of days: 24
- Available: Now
Packaging
The first thing we noticed about this calendar on delivery is just how heavy it is. Considering we knew it was cake inside, this came as quite a surprise but did make us excited to think that the slices in store would therefore be fairly sizeable – but more on that later.
The box itself is made from cardboard and has been beautifully decorated in keeping with the company’s branding. The whole image reminds us of an old-timey Victorian shopfront at Christmas and feels like it’s jumped off the pages of a story book. And, when you look a bit closer, the individual images are both Christmassy and quirky in equal measure. There’s also a pop-out part on the back that can be used to hang the calendar on a wall should you wish – though given the weight, we’re not entirely sure it would hold…
Read more: We review Yankee Candle’s advent calendars for 2022
Moving inside, each piece of cake is individually wrapped in cellophane. At first, we were a bit sceptical about this, as cellophane didn’t seem like the best eco-friendly option to us. However, the brand assures us that the plastic and the cardboard can be recycled. Plus, it helps to keep each piece of cake perfectly fresh for consumption up to three months later.
What’s inside?
As with all advent calendars, it’s what’s on the inside that counts here – and let’s face it, what you really came to this review for. Behind each of the doors you’ll find a pretty decent chunk of one of the two cakes – chocolate or fruit – each of which has been freshly baked and hand-decorated to order.
Each slice measures approximately W45mm x D45mm x H35mm (and yes, we did measure), which is a pretty impressive size and perhaps explains the weight of the calendar. We’d go as far to say that you could even split each piece of cake between two of you should you want to share, though IndyBest claims no responsibility for any arguments that come as a result!
Whether you want to share or not though, one thing everyone can agree on is that the slices certainly make the usual-sized chocolates you find in an advent look pretty pathetic by comparison. More importantly, though, they taste incredible.
Starting with the chocolate truffle cake, it’s so lip-smackingly moist that it’s almost impossible to stop at just one slice! It falls somewhere between a fudgy brownie and chocolate cake – meaning it’s both crumbly and gooey in all the right places. It’s the perfect choice for any chocaholic.
Your other choice is the decadent fruit cake – and we can firmly say we’ve never tasted a fruit cake quite like this one. It’s super moist, rich, dark and packed full of fruit and flavour. Far too often we’ve had a slab of fruit cake where the marzipan or icing overpowers the cake itself, but here the cake itself really shines through. The icing on top isn’t too thick and really hits the sweet spot (pun fully intended).
Speaking of the icing, some of the slices on both cakes have a nice slab on top, while others have just a drizzle of chocolate or a small fondant design. And they all feature Christmassy designs such as stars, holly leaves and candy canes. They almost look too good to eat – emphasis on the ‘almost…’
We also did a quick count and are pleased to report that there are 12 slices of each cake, so you’re not just eating one flavour or the other. Plus, they’re dispersed randomly behind each door, so every day will still be a surprise. We should also add that, while all the cakes are suitable for vegetarians, they do contain egg, milk, nuts, soya, sulphites and wheat – so if you’re gifting it to someone else, make sure you’re aware of any allergies before purchasing.
Value for money
At just shy of £40 we’d say this is good value for money. You’re getting 24 decent sized slices of cake, two varieties no less, and a gorgeous countdown to Christmas. Each slice of cake works out at just around £1.66 per slice, which we think – given the quality – is pretty hard to beat.
Read more: Benefit beauty advent calendar review
If that’s not enough to convince you, then maybe the fact that the cake will keep for around three months will. Although we’ll be impressed if you have any left over by the time January rolls around.
The verdict: The Original Cake Co. artisan festive advent calendar
For our tastes, a cake advent calendar really is a dream come true, but The Original Cake Co. has even surpassed our expectations. Both the chocolate and fruit cakes are simply delicious and look almost too good to eat. And considering each calendar is freshly baked and hand-decorated, you’ll want to order sooner rather than later. For a tasty treat to countdown to Christmas with, this is going to be hard to beat.
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