Red Velvet Revelry: December 2011

Ben & Jerry's in Various US Locations

http://www.benjerry.com/

Cake: Very sweet and too difficult to tell if it had a cocoa flavor or not.
Frosting: Supposedly there were cream cheese swirls throughout but it tasted so chemical and artificial that the flavor was completely lost.
Coloring: Light pink with bright red cake pieces
Consistency: Creamy with crumbly cake chunks.
Additional Comments: This ice cream is HORRIFIC. It tastes like sugary chemical and pretty much upsets the stomach immediately. The ice cream itself doesn't taste a thing like red velvet OR cream cheese. It's just...sweet, maybe they're going for a batter flavoring? Who knows. Having tasted other delicious variations of red velvet ice cream as well as other delicious flavors from Ben & Jerry's, Red Velvet Cake is a complete epic fail on their part.

~We give this ice cream 0.5 out of 5 stars~

Shake Shack in New York

http://www.shakeshack.com/

~We give this custard 5 out of 5 stars~

Sweet on You in Various US Locations

http://www.sweetonyoubakery.com/

Cake: Very strange lemony taste, but there was also distinctly a cherry flavor. No cocoa flavor was discernible.
Frosting: Similar to an Oreo cookie but not as thick
Coloring: Bright fire engine red.
Consistency:Very dense and not at all crumbly. When bits dissolve in your mouth it almost has a smooth granular feel.
Additional Comments: These whoopie pies had the strangest smell upon opening the container. It was almost like a butter cookie but...not. The flavor was also an extremely strange mix of fruits but buttery... They were just extremely odd. Not bad, to be fair, but not at all really anything that should be categorized as red velvet... Our rating on this one will be generous.

~We give this whoopie pie 2 out of 5 stars~

Little Cupcake Bakeshop in New York

http://www.littlecupcakebakeshop.com/

Cake: Not as much cocoa taste as you'd hope for in a red velvet.
Frosting: Supposedly cream cheese but there wasn't much cream cheese tanginess.
Coloring: Deep red, too much dye.
Consistency: Fairly dry.
Additional Comments: The cupcake looked cute with just a simple cake crumble as decoration, but unfortunately it doesn't hold up very well in flavor.The bakery ambiance, however, is fantastic! This is a great place to go and relax while munching on a treat. It's got an old time soda shoppe feel to it and we really enjoyed our time here. A friend had a french toast cupcake and she really enjoyed it, so maybe it's just that red velvet isn't what they're best at!

~We give this cupcake 2.5 out of 5 stars~

Donna Bell's Bake Shop in New York

http://donnabellsbakeshop.com/

Cake: Tastes like yellow cake, no cocoa flavor at all.
Frosting: This tastes like key lime pie topping. Good, but not appropriate for red velvet.
Coloring: Deep red.
Consistency: Not too moist, not too dry. Right in the middle.
Additional Comments: This cupcake doesn't really taste much like a traditional red velvet at all. Better luck next time, Donna Bell's!

~We give this cupcake 2 out of 5 stars~

Donna Bell's Bake Shop in New York

http://donnabellsbakeshop.com/

Cake: This brownie had a strange taste. It was definitely cocoa, but not really that of your traditional brownie. It wasn't bad, just unusual.
Frosting: Nice cream cheese swirls, but it was a bit hard.
Coloring: Deep red with cream cheese swirled in.
Consistency: It wasn't a great soft texture but it wasn't uber crumbly either.
Additional Comments: For our first red velvet brownie this wasn't too bad. It would have been great to have been more distinctly red velvet but this was a nice treat.

~We give this brownie 3 out of 5 stars~

Original Two-Bite

Cake: Good chocolate taste.
Frosting: Delicious sugar glaze!
Coloring: Medium red.
Consistency: Moist, and not too crumbly.
Additional Comments: These scones were just fantastic! For having been a store-bought product, I'm very impressed!

~We give these scones 4 out of 5 stars~

Red Velvet Revelry