Wholesome Cravings Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Protein Snack Cake brings unwholesome taste and unwelcome texture

Product: Wholesome Cravings Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Protein Snack Cake Mix – $4.99+

Thank you, Wholesome Cravings, for teaching me an important lesson when it comes to new products.

What lesson might that be?

No matter what, always try the new product out while at home.  Do NOT think that just because it smells amazing while baking that it will taste good too.

That was my mistake I made when I baked up this Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Protein Cake from Wholesome Cravings this past weekend to use for breakfast on gym mornings this work week.  Streamline.  Make something that can be eaten throughout the week.  Perfect.  And, hello, cake…for breakfast.  Sounds like a dream come true.  And an apple cake at that.  I love apples!

I also loved how easy this cake was to make.  Simply mix together 3 eggs, 1/4 cup of zero calorie sweetener, and 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce, then add the mix to the other ingredients, make sure they are blended well, and pour into a cake pan.  Bake as directed at 330°F.

Simple.  Efficient.  And, I wasn’t lying when I said that this cake smelled fantastic as it baked.

But…scents can apparently be very deceiving.  I know this now.

The following morning, I sliced two pieces of this cake and packed it into a container to take to the office for my roommate and I to enjoy after working out at the gym.  We had a great workout…and when we were done, we were both famished and ready for some food.  We headed over to the office and I went into the kitchen to peel some blood oranges and throw a slice of the cake into the microwave to warm up for our cake-for-breakfast pleasure.  It still smelled amazing.

I took my roomie her slice first, and then went to warm mine up.  As I walked back toward my desk, I stopped by hers and asked what she thought of the cake.  She gave me an unenthusiastic, “Eh, it’s okay…I mean…I’ll eat it.”  That is never a good sign.  I thought perhaps she was exaggerating.  So, I went and settled in at my desk and took my first bite of the cake.

First of all, the texture is rather spongy.  Yep.  Spongy.  I really didn’t like that at all.  It really didn’t sit well on my taste buds.  I mean, food needs to have a pleasing texture, so when it feels like you are gnawing on a sponge, something is definitely wrong.  The flavor…chemically.  The apple tasted fake and the caramel flavor was rather nonexistent.  I was not impressed.  In fact, I messaged my roommate and told her that I would eat this slice because I was hungry, but when I got home, the rest of the cake was going into the garbage.  I didn’t like it at all.  I think I disliked it more than her because I didn’t even want to eat it.  The things exercise induced hunger drive you to.

Totally unimpressed.

Totally disgusted by it too.  It certainly doesn’t make me want to try any of the other cake offerings from Wholesome Cravings.

In case you like fake apple-flavored spongy cakes, though, the nutritional breakdown is this.

A serving is 1/7 of the cake.  Who cuts a cake into 7 pieces?  I made it 8.  The calories per serving once prepared (and done in 8 servings) are 118 calories per slice and only 4 grams of fat.  That’s not bad for a cake, right?  Right.  Too bad it tastes so awful.  Also of note, each slice of cake serves up a healthy dose of protein, in this case, 12 grams.  And you also get 2 grams of fiber.  This cake made of 100% whole grains, contains zero trans fats, has no preservatives or artificial sweeteners, and is 100% all natural.

But none of that can save it from the fact that it is just…bizarre, in flavor and in texture.  I was not a fan.  And I really don’t recommend anyone wasting their money on this product.  I’m more than a little upset that I did…because I feel cheated out of what should have been a delicious breakfast cake.  Perfect, with the protein content, for post workout eats.  But…instead…I got one of the more disgusting gluten-free products I have tried yet.

Disappointed?  You have no idea.