Which supermarket makes the yummiest Genoa festive fruit cake?

HOW WE CONDUCTED OUR TASTE TEST

IT'S FREE AND FAIR!

To make it a fair tasting, we purchased Christmas 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: PICK N PAY

Luxury Cherry & Almond Cake

Price: 800g R169.99

What the judges said: 

• Penny: Yum! Citrus- flavoured fruit, good aroma and real brandy. Lightly spiced, I want another piece!
• Gino: Good-looking topping, aromatic but a bit dense.
• Pam: Decent fruit mix with decent fruit on top and fruit cake quite good.

SECOND PLACE: WOOLWORTHS

Cherry Genoa

Price: R149.99 for 700g

What the judges said:

• Kathy: Nice texture, looks good, loved the cherries and nice taste.
• Ann: Luxurious. Tastes good but dry.
• Penny: Light in colour, a tad too sweet with pleasant caramel taste.
• Pam: Looks lovely, great amount of cherries.

THIRD PLACE: CHECKERS

Christmas Genoa

Price: R99.99 for 800g 

What the judges said:

• Helen: Good texture, slices well and I taste dates, which makes a nice change.
• Penny: Very dark, looks burnt but delicious date flavour. Could have more nuts.
• Ann: Dry- looking but moist and tastes good.

FOURTH PLACE: SPAR

Freshline Genoa Christmas Fruit Cake

Price: 850g R119.99

What the judges said:

• Kathy: No aroma, love the fruit and nuts of the topping.
• Pam: Disappointed, too crumbly and not enough fruit.
• Marguerite : Looks are deceiving it looks good but the taste lets it down.

FIFTH PLACE: FOOD LOVER'S MARKET

Christmas Fruit Cake

Price: R149.99 for 1kg

What the judges said:

• Penny: Citrusy taste which is strong . The cake is stodgy with strange aftertaste. Essence of clove?
• Ann: Very dark and dense. Tastes as disappointing as it looks. Bitter taste.