We’re harsh judges over at BHG when it comes to traditional treats, especially Christmas-themed goodies. If you’re not making your Christmas fruit cake yourself, then buying it from the supermarket is the next best thing. After taste-testing all of the supermarket Christmas puddings, we treated ourselves to a little aperitivo, in the form of supermarket Christmas cakes.
We judged three Christmas cakes, from Coles, Woolworths and ALDI. While all three had distinctive differences, there was a very clear standout in terms of both taste and appearance.
How we ranked the supermarket Christmas cakes
We completed a blind taste test of all three cakes, reviewing them based on taste and appearance. While many had scruples about the traditional look and feel of a Chrissy cake (i.e. no fruit and nuts on top, and definitely no marzipan), we aimed to judge the cakes based on their prettiness rather than how they should look.
And there was one cake that completely dominated.
The best supermarket Christmas cake
None of the cakes were perfect; however, the ALDI Curated Collection Christmas Fruit Cake became the ultimate favourite in the office. Here’s what we ranked them, from BEST to WORST:
- ALDI Curated Collection Christmas Fruit Cake – 7.5/10
- Coles Finest Jewelled Fruit Cake – 5.4/10
- Woolworths Iced Fruit Cake Slices – 5.3/10
Winner: ALDI with 7.5/10
Curated Collection Christmas Fruit Cake
from $13.99, ALDI
Best for: serving holiday guests
A shiny and bejewelled with nuts and glace cherries top, aptly named a ‘crown’ on the packaging, is what first stood out to our office taste-testers. It was rich, filled with a generous amount of fruit and the most moist of the three.
According to the ALDI website, it will pair beautifully with a glass of brandy. While we didn’t indulge ourselves, we can guess at what a great combo that would be!
2nd place: Coles with 5.4/10
Coles Finest Jewelled Fruit Cake
from $7, Coles
Best for: affordable tea time treats
Coming in second, the Coles Finest fruit cake was certainly jewelled, but lacked that shiny quality that ALDI managed to elicit. Unfortunately, the texture of this cake came off as quite dry and dense, rather than decadent and moist.
Although it only scored a 5.4/10, it would still do in a pinch if you really, really needed something for your tea time table. The top of the cake is decorated well, and with a cup of tea (or several), you’ll be able to enjoy this without any worries. And, it is the most budget-friendly!
3rd place: Woolworths with 5.3/10
Woolworths Iced Fruit Cake Slices
from $9.50, Woolworths
Best for: people who love icing
Coming in last place, Woolworths just didn’t hold up compared to its jewelled counterparts. Taste-testers had a lot to say about this cake, commenting that it ‘tastes like fridge’ and was ‘overall just not nice’.
The starred marzipan topping to the cake was what brought up the score to a 5.3/10, with one person mentioning that the ‘icing just wasn’t enough to save it.’ On one hand, it’s quite disappointing that the cake part let everyone down so much, but on the other hand, anyone who loves icing may be able to indulge without any qualms.
If you are a Woolies shopper, there’s no need to worry, because their Christmas pudding is outstanding, and came out on top in our taste-test of supermarket options.
