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I loved this cake even before I opened it's packet :D I thought I was the only person left on this planet who was sad enough to still use the word 'Chrimbo' (I used it in the office last week and was shot a number of funny looks). Seemingly @BettyBakes saw fit to dub one of her creations this year the 'Crimbo Crumble' so I can't be as out of touch as I first thought :D ... enough with the rambling and on to the cake!! Step up to the ChocolateMission plate Heavenly Cakes Christmas Crimbo Crumble ...
@BettyBakes and co sent me a few single servings of this 2011 Christmas creation and it came packaged in the usual cellophane packet, cardboard sleeve packaging. Take a peak at the score chart and you will see that the presentation of the cake let itself down. Indeed this was THE STICKIEST cake ever reviewed on ChocolateMission. It stuck to packet, it stuck to my plate and most certainly stuck to my fingers. It was unavoidable feeling messy eating this cake, lucky enough this was to be the only drawback involved here. Aroma wise it smelt great with the sugary spice smells putting me straight away in the Christmas mindset.
As I said above, the stickiness of the cake was the only drawback so I've already given away the game away that it tasted great. Comprising of a 'Shortbread base with mincemeat covered with crumble & icing drizzle' this was indeed a total delight on all the senses. The shortbread base initiated things providing a crumbly butter biscuit led taste that melted in the mouth like a dream to uncover the soft chewy layers of fruit and spice above. The mincemeat placed on top was well proportioned to the additional crumble and icing toppings and was neither over dominant or underplayed in the grand taste. It was sweet, fruity and had strong tones of nutmeg and cinnamon coming through with terrific balance against the sugary sweet icing and partially salted crumble mix. This was a cake bursting with Christmassy flavours and left me feeling 100.0% satisfied alongside my mid-afternoon coffee.
Overall this Christmas Crimbo Cake can go down as a total home-run as a seasonal cake from Heavenly. Once I got over the fact that my hands, kitchen and camera were all covered in a mixture of sticky mincemeat, glitter and broken off bits of icing it was all plain sailing from there - this cake made me truly feel like Christmas was on its way with sensational mixture of spicy sweet flavour elements - this was Crimbo in optimal cake form. If you like cakes like Mince Pies or Mr Kipling's Christmas Bakewells then this Heavenly Cakes Christmas Crimbo Cake will be right up your street. My challenge to the Heavenly Cakes guys next year is to find a way of delivering this same experience, but within a form that makes the cake a little more glamorous looking and without the necessity for so much finger licking :D Ignoring that I still feel happy as pie giving a big time JCM recommendation.
8.5 out of 10
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72 comments:
All I have to say is WOW. If I could eat my screen at the moment I think I would do. That looks so so good.
At first I thought this was just a rejigged mince pie but reading the review it sounds loads more special that just that. I shouldn't have doubted Heavenly Cakes doing something special they've always impressed me with everything you have ever shown us from them.
You made me laugh out loud Jim. People that so say Crimbo are pretty cheese ball :-D Nice looking cake you gots there btw.
If cakes could talk I think that one would be screaming 'EAT ME NOW'
I would happily oblige any time lol. Fantastic review.
Crimbo crumble or chocolate Christmas pudding cake? Ack the decision is too much for my little brain to handle. Get a scoot on and review the other one Jim. Im choosing by what you say now. Im awaiting the JCM verdict dude.
Have you tried anything bad yet? lol either you are just writing reviews on the good things you have tried or you have just been mega lucky. If it's the latter you've certainly done well for yourself this year mate.
I showed some of my friends your reviews the other day. They thought the photos of the shortbreads were crazy good.
You have gotta rename the site now. It's evolved from so much more than just the 'CHOCOLATE MISSION' that it started out as. Jim's Snack Emporioum? Jim's Cake Mission? Jim's Snack Mission? It just seems silly now when you review things like this (Im not that its any bad thing btw).
Cakes like this should really be banned from my site. I'm going to have to go out and find something at least half similar now. Of course it will only be half as good though :( I want Heavenly cakes darn it.
My family would love me if I bought a big pack of this for us all. I think i'm going to do it aswell. I just need to work out a time when I can be at home to collect it.
My exams would go so much better if I spent just a fraction of the time looking at my notes than I do on this website lol. I'm going to start limiting myself to just days when something new appears. On the others I just read another one of the hundreds of posts you've done. I always manage to find one thing I want to read, you've just done so much now.
Are you doing awards this year or are you to busy?
What's wrong with saying Crimbo? I say it all the time. So do my m8s I think!??
Tell me where I can sign up for this job. If Heavenly ever need themselves an official tasting employee I will send them my CV for review. They will see I have extensive experience in the arts of eating and a diploma in cake-expertise =)
My blood sugar levels are sky rocketing just looking at this. I wouldn't need asking twice about trying this one.Yum.
Another score in the 8s. These guys never let you down. I have to try them sometime.
Soz for asking again Jim but no one answered me last time. What is the final day that Heavenly Cakes are taking Christmas orders? I want to order some cakes but Iwant them fresh for Christmas itself If you could find out for me that would be top banana my lovely.
X
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I tried making a cake like this one but it had pastry on the bottom not biscuit. It was an absolute disaster by the time I had cooked it. The mincemean ran everywhere and the pastry just got all soggy and horrible. Lol Im better off leaving it to the experts like Heavenly cause we threw most of it away in the end.
I can't stand mince pies or anything like that. Have they not made something like a Yule log? One would of thought Heavenly would make some sort of monster log what with their tendency to go big on normal things.
This sounds gorgeous. I so don't know whether to buy some of this or the choc Christmas pudding cake now.
p.s. Don't worry jim I still say Crimbo :-)
I tip my hat @ Heavenly here this is a unique cake that Betty has made here. I love the sound of the icing and the shortbread. Lol it does look a little bit messy.
Jim you are such a wuss. You need to man up and have one of these cakes all to yourself man. Stop sharing, you need to be more greedy :P :P
I knew I shouldn't of looked on here today. I need to keep my money in my pocket for Christmas not spend it on silly cakes like these. They just look way too good though, especially when you big them up as much as you do :-/
Lord its not even December yet and already you have me drooling over christmassy things. I swear this holiday gets extended each and every year. Before we know it festivities will be starting in October :) Would I complain? Probably! but I would secretly love it :) Who doesn't love Christmas lol.
I've only recently started liking mince pies and all that sort of stuff. I used to think I disliked sweet mince but then my mum made some amazing eccles cakes. If this Crimbo Slice is like them then it must be good.
This with double cream would be an amazing ending to Christmas dinner. I might suggest to my family we buy a big lot of this rather than doing the boring Christmas pudding thing. I seriosuly don't know why we have one each Christmas. Lol none of us actually like it, where as this I think we would appreciate it tons more.
Apologies for applying logic to the situation here but this company can't make cakes as good as you say they are.
If they were really that special they would be 1. more famous 2. selling cakes in more places than just online.
I think someone has a vested interest here.
I'm going to repeat what I said Monday because it's all that needs saying
Thumbs up Heavenly
Thumbs up Crimbo Slice (name lol)
Thumbs up your pictures
Thumbs up the review
This sounds like a ten times better version of these
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/#/tesco-price-comparison/cakes/mr_kipling_festive_bakewell_tarts_6.html
Mr Kipling is getting a beating off Betty if you compare the scores they get lol. I get that Heavenly cakes are more specialist but Mr Kipling is taking a helllllllllll-uva beating LMAO :) :) :)
Please tell me there is a chocolate pudding cake review in the works. I wouldn't think for one minute you would be silly enough to miss it out ;)
Out of all their new cakes I thought this might be the one you were going to say you liked the least. Looking at the score I was obviously mistaken because it's still outscored most other cakes you review. Heavenly Cakes must have a special touch or something ;-)
Bravo bravo young man. You continue to excel yourself with all of these reviews for us unknowing folk. With every review you are englightening me to all sorts of possibilities. These look perfect for an event I have coming up.
I got a feeling that Heavenly Cakes is going to be one of those brands like Reggae Reggae Sauce. Once enough people know about them I can see them getting huge. They just need to get their cakes eaten by more people by the sounds of things.
Have they considered trying to seed newspapers and other online people with their cakes to get exposure like that? Featuring in the weekend papers when people read all the food coloumns would be a well good thing for them to do.
If it was so messy why did you eat it with your hands?? That's a harsh thing to complain about considering you chose to do that and could of just as easily used cutlery. Goodness Jim whatever are we going to do with you eh!? I demand a re-review right now.
Heavenly Cakes you legends. I don't know how I missed this looking on their site but I wasn't even aware they did this one.
I thought it was a odd they had made Christmas themed cakes but none along these lines. Fair play to them btw, It does appear they made a good attempt at this.
Tell me just to shut up if you im wittering on but don't you think a cool idea would have been to have done a variation of their millionaires shortbread for Christmas too.
Considering it's the one they claim to be award winning they could have done something cool like add cinnamon to the caramel or something. Now that would have been Christmassy but not chanigng it too much.
Is it true its just two people running this company Jim? I've seen you say it a few times now but I find it hard to believe after seeing just how well their cakes always do. It's also hard to believe just because of the amount of cakes they do aswell.
This is the first ever HC cake that has come up that I wouldn't dare eat. I can't stand mincemeat. Its so horrid I would give this one a total miss.
What another amazing sounding cake. Everything you show is from these people is just so impressive.
Only Hotel chocolat could lay claim to comparing on scores if you look at them all.
Sorry to hijack your review but you can get the best deal ever in tesco atm. You can get one of thos big cadburys yule logs for just one quid. Yule > Anything with mince in.
Do you still genuinely believe you don't need that new name Jim ;) yet another cake review today with chocolate no where to be seen :)
I rest my case
You seriously need to start including price info on your reviews. Its a details that you gloss over all the time but it's very important to us lot.
This wouldn't be a cake I would buy but I still respect what they are trying to achieve with it. A pack of these would be more exciting to crack open for a party rather than just boring standard mince pies. You can buy them anywhere you want.
To me this look more of a dessert type of thing, not like a cake to have with tea. Dollop a bit of runny cream on top and I bet it would be well nice. It might take the sugaryness of it all. It does look like it could get sickly by the end of it. The cream would help out with that.
Are their cakes really as fresh as they say they are by the time they've been through the post? I find it very hard that they could be all things considered.
I'm sure not all will agree with me but I think a sprinkling of crunchy nuts on top would have just capped these off perfect imo.
The whole thing just looks a little squidgy atm, maybe that would have held it together better!? I dunno, it's just an idea.
Did you try heating this one up and then eating? I always do that with mince pies etc. I don't see why it wouldn't work here.
Excellent review again today Jim :)
To the people that own heavenly cakes......... GET YOUR BUMS OUT OF HERTFORDSHIRE!!!!!
Spread the love a bit guys. You wont ever grow if you just stay serving that local community.
I know its silly asking (because its going to be terrible news he he) but do Heavenly Cakes know any of the nutritional information for their cakes? It would be interesting to see just how calorific all these cakes are.
No competitions this year :( This makes me sad Jim. *wub* *wub*
That's a really good point Adam. Jim please say you are doing your end of year awards again. They are one of the best things you do. It would be such a shame if you didn't do them. I would rather you did them and put off other reviews for a bit if it came to it. I bet you others would say the same.
Rxxx
This sounds like a very similar thing that I had in Starbucks once. Im willing to bet this would have been tons better than that was.
Now that looks like one damn sticky cake lol. You should have tried eating one without licking your fingers. Me and my sis always do that challenge with the doughnuts we get from the supermarket lol.
Why didn't they do special Christmas packaging? Aren't those just the same as the normal ones. I understand they are a small company an all that but I think they should have mixed it up a little bit to make them feel more special.
So they did have a go at some mince pie sorta thing in the end did they. I commented on the Alternative hotel Chocolate mince pies the other week that Heavenly should make a cake based around them.
Its cool to see I was right ;) It makes sense they would do such a thing.
£7.95 minimum spend is just too much. By the time you have added postage you are looking well over a tenner. Sadly I just can't justify that sort of money of cakes. No matter how tasty and wonderful you tell me they are :( :( One day I will be rich and it will be Heavenly all day long.
Omg that thing looks like it could send someone into a sugar coma LMAO!!!!!!
Great write up Jim but I hope you are putting off reviewing other things to do your 'best till last trick'. If it gets better than this then they are going to be mega special!!
Does no one else think that the Heavenly Cakes products look really unappetising? Just incredibly messy like something a five-year-old would throw together?
Hi Everyone
There's so much love for the Old Man and Betty Bakes today :D :D What about me!?? Haha only joking, thank you all for the praise you have sent my way recently. The response to the reviews so far have been brilliant, it's lovely to know that the reviews are being appreciated.
I have tweeted @BettyBakes asking her if she will respond to some of your questions. I hope she will respond at some point but she's probably busy in the kitchen haha!
CRAIG - All the things I have tried for Christmas thus far have been fantastic. I've been very lucky.
NEIL - The site is not being renamed :D It's known as JCM and will forever stay that way :D
ADAM - The JCM awards will be going ahead yes.
CLAIRE - I will let Betty advise on that.
SAM - They have done some Cinnamon shortbread! My views on that will be posted soon.
ALISON - I didn't heat one up no. That would have been a good idea though. I like your thinking.
EMMA - This isn't one of their prettier ones no.
Thanks again everyone - fingers crossed Betty will be along shortly.
JIM
I like the idea of these but I dont like mincemeat/mincepies so would stear clear of them sadly :(
ewwwww mincemeat. The first rubbish looking Heavenly cake ever 4 me.
*GASPS* Jim!!!!!!!!!!! You've broken the all time legendary rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where is the chocolate man!!!!! WHERE IS THE CHOCOLATE!!!!!!
It's not their prettiest looking cake but that wouldn't stop me trying it. They could of maybe tried harder making it look as appetising as all the other cakes they have. That Billionaire brownie they have almost sells itself just because of the way it looks.
They should of had a layer of brandy butter actually in the cake. Thats not something I've ever seen b4.
Im confused. I call Christmas Crimbo all the time. I haven't ever come across anyone who thinks it's sad to call it Crimbo. If they do that's them being very silly.
Ack I didn't think you liked this sort of thing so I wasn't expecting the rating to be so high. I would appear that Heavenly pulled one out the bag again though ;) They are making a habit of that. Their cakes must just be oustanding because they haven't ever been given below a 7.
Reviews like this are making me start to feel like Christmas is really coming now, its such a nice feeling.
I need to start thinking about my list and what things I want to ask for. Undoutedbly my family will ignore it and just buy me what they want as per usual.
I used to hate all those sort of things like Christmas pud, mince pies etc but last year for some reason or other I really started liking them. I don't enjoy the squidgy texture of mincemeat with all the fruits but it tastes alright I think now. I'm sure Heavenly Cakes would be able to persuade me further that it's the way forward.
Betty Bakes should let us in on her secret and how it is she makes such consistently good cakes. If the looks + your reviews of them are anything to go by she sure does make some dazzlers.
I don't even like these sort of Christmas dessert things but you have even me wondering what this would taste like.
So wheres the chocolate in this fat boy? lol
This looks & sounds so delicious that I didn't even notice, till comments, the lack of chocolate in today's review..and my still recent introduction to mince pies has me so smitten that I don't even mind for once ;) Not even the stickiness lol -- at least Heavenly aren't stuffing their products with anti-caking and whatnot additives. Nice review, awful pie pun and all ;)
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