Which supermarket makes the most delicious iced Christmas cake?

HOW WE CONDUCTED OUR TASTE TEST

IT'S FREE AND FAIR!

To make it a fair tasting, we purchased iced fruit cakes from five leading retailers and gathered a group of home bakers for a blind tasting. 

All the cakes were stripped of their packaging and numbered before being served to the tasters, who rated them on appearance, aroma, taste, and whether they would buy them. 

Auditor Jade Craig checked the scores and collated the results.

THE RESULTS

FIRST PLACE: CHECKERS

Iced Festive Fruit Cake

Price: R99.99 for 800g

What the judges said:

• Annabel: Looks are deceiving. Looks boring but tastes and smells good. Marzipan and icing are good too.
• Pam: Love the icing and marzipan.
• Glenn: I would buy this cake and add some brandy to it.

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SECOND PLACE (TIE): PICK N PAY

Brandy Christmas Cake

Price: R199.99 for 1kg

What the judges said:

• Annabel: Looks festive. Moist but tastes bitter. Icing OK.
• Ann: Traditional-looking cake but taste is a little disappointing.
• Pam: Looks nice and slices well but has a sharp aftertaste. Too much of a particular spice makes it bitter.

SECOND PLACE (TIE): WOOLWORTHS

Rich & Dark Brandy Fruit Cake

Price: R163.99 for 1kg

What the judges said:

• Jane: Moist but wrong taste for Christmas cake.
• Glenn: Good-tasting icing and marzipan. Cake a bit dry with a hint of rum or rum essence.

THIRD PLACE: FOOD LOVER'S MARKET

Signature Iced Fruit Cake

Price: R119.99 for 1kg

What the judges said:

• Pam: Moist cake with little flavour and slightly bitter taste.
• Marguerite: Strange aroma, not good on the palate.
• Kathy: Icing falls off when sliced. Dry texture but aroma good.

FOURTH PLACE: SPAR

Freshline Iced Christmas Fruit Cake

Price: R99.99 for 900g

What the judges said:

• Penny: Outside of cake is very gooey and the icing is ‘weeping’.
• Ann: Very crumbly, not easy to cut. Synthetic taste and very dense.
• Kathy: Poorly iced, crumbly cake but it tastes OK.