OAP: "The Battle of the Gasoline Cakes"

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Wednesday, July 26, 2006

The Battle of the Gasoline Cakes

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Caltex Chocolate Cake aka Celine's Bakeshop Choco Midnight Fudge

VS.

Shell Chocolate Cake aka Ms. Polly's Specialty Cakes and Desserts Chocolate Cake

Sometimes I would come home late from the office and my wife will be disappointed. I always make sure that I have chocolates as pasalubong to appease her heart and tummy --- and usually it works. One day, we had a lovers quarrel and she said that no amount of chocolate in the whole world can fix our misunderstanding. I told myself that this is the perfect time to try out the chocolate cakes of Caltex in Buendia/ Pasong Tamo and Shell Magallanes, which a lot of people are raving about. These gasoline cakes passed with flying colors because both of them are equally very good and my wife was happy :) !

If you would ask me which one is better, I would have a hard time answering. We even tasted the chocolate cakes side by side but still it was a close call. But of course, only one can win the Battle of the Gasoline Cakes!

Manila, Philippines

Round 1: Packaging/ Overall Presentation

The Caltex Cake is packaged in a simple box with a matte gold cover. When you see the cake in the circle opening there is a yin yang feel to it. There is no branding on the box. This zen-inspired packaging is very attractive on the shelves of Caltex Starmart.

On the other hand, the Shell Cake is packaged in a brown box with a carton feel. The shiny icing of the chocolate cake peaks out of the box and entices you to eat the cake. There is a Ms. Polly's Specialty Cakes branding with logo and a Reason to Believe (RTB) sticker highlighting the recognition the cake received as one of the Outstanding Dessert by Food Magazine last June 2005. This chocolate cake is also part of dessertcomesfirst's 10 Best Desserts in Manila. It was nice that the contact number and baked date are indicated in the box.

The verdict: Shell Cake packaging wins this round because it is very informative and it assures you that the cake is baked fresh. The overall marketing elements entices you to grab the cake right out of the bottom of the shelves in Shell Select.

Round 2: Inside Appeal

You pay P340 for the whole Caltex cake and a slice would costs you P45 pesos. You won't get excited with the traditional appearance of the cake and it doesn't help that the fudge icing is not appealing.

You pay P360 for the whole Shell cake and a square slice would costs you P26 pesos. The shiny icing is very tempting and invites you to indulge in its chocolate goodness. Its moist icing presentation is very inviting.

The Verdict. The Shell cake wins again because of its shiny and moist chocolate icing !

Round 3: Chocolate Moment of Truth

The Caltex choco midnight fudge cake has a heavy and sticky sponge cake. The fudge icing is very sweet with a dense consistency. You tend to get full easily after eating just one slice. The strength of this cake is in its sweet fudge icing.

The Shell Polly's cake, on the other hand, has a light "airy" sponge cake. After eating one square slice, you would crave for one more and one more then another. The moist icing has the right amount of sweetness but I would prefer the fudge icing of Caltex cake instead. The strength of this cake is in the taste of its sponge cake.

Verdict: This was a close call since both are equally good and both passed my wife's taste buds. It is a matter of preference and I like Shell Polly's cake.

The Winner by Unanimous Decision!

Ms. Polly's Specialty Cakes and Desserts
Tel no. +632 824 7612.