Product Review: Schick’s Passover 7-layer cake

As my final Passover product review, it seems fitting to write about dessert. Passover desserts are not known for being delicacies…how could they be? For those of us without gluten intolerances/allergies, what kind of baked goods are made without flour? The result is very very dry products. In fact, we used to call my grandma’s Passover brownies, cookies, and cakes “desert” (no, I did not forget the second “s”) brownies, cookies, and cakes, due to how dry they were. Fortunately, she was not insulted by this.

These days, there seem to be Passover versions of everything. Waffles? Sure! Macaroni and cheese? Why not? Red velvet cupcakes? Of course the Israelites were eating those! And my favorite of all…Cotton candy? Well, we certainly cannot expect anyone to last a full 8 days without such a staple of most people’s diet!!

On principle, I refuse to buy most of these products…I get that they are technically kosher but really, I think that part of the holiday is having more traditional foods. (Similar to my disdain for the idea of a hamburger with “parve cheese”–technically kosher but just sounds wrong…but, as usual, I digress.

That said, I do purchase some of the less ridiculous versions of Passover foods because, well..I do have to eat.

Some of the packaged desserts are just terrible. A few years ago, before I found my beloved layer cakes (the topic of this review if I ever get there), I was looking at a packaged Passover cake in a supermarket. A woman who was looking at the same cake made me laugh by commenting on the label that said “kosher for Passoverand all year.” She said, “who would ever buy this except on Passover??” I agree!

Products have gotten better over time but, they are still not the best. In fact, my dad (who has quite the sweet tooth) always says that Passover is a good time to try toskip desserts because they just are not very good (for the record, he is not very good at this). That said, I have to give some credit to my mom, who makes a very decent (and decent is a compliment here) Passover chocolate chip cookie. But, I imagine it is because it is dairy (vs. pareve), which at least enables a little softness to the super dense matzah flour or potato starch. If anyone wants the recipe, I’m happy to share.

But back to Costco…I am fortunate to live in an area with a large Jewish population and I have been able to obtain some very good Passover cakes. My favorite is the seven layer cake. A few years ago, My mom and I discovered that Costco sells them from Schick’s bakery in Brooklyn (of course). Last year, we were shopping for outselves and a few other family members and bought eight of these cakes. I even like it so much that I was willing to eat the extra after the holiday, even when I could return to ice cream and other leavened baked goods. (That said, I am not sure if I like the taste so much as I enjoy the process of eating layer cake. It is just a fun food!)

Now, about the cake itself…a few years ago, it was only six layers (yes, I counted), but good nonetheless. They have since improved their counting. The cake is seven layers of yellow cake made from potato starch so, yes, these layers are quite dry. (Although, this is typical of many pareve desserts, even without the kosher for Passover restrictions!) However, because they alternate with a good amount of the chocolate filling, much of the dryness is removed. The filling has a mousse-like consistency and a sweet, slightly mild chocolate flavor. Then the entire cake is enrobed in a thick dark chocolate coating. The frosting is soft and fudgy. Others have rejected this dessert, proclaiming it too sweet (even for a very thin slice), but for a chocolate lover like myself, I enjoy it-and a big piece at that!

*note that these are also gluten-free. Because I think they taste pretty good, I remind my (non Jewish) friend with celiac disease to look for them this time of year, as I know it can be hard for her to find good desserts. As they are also dairy free, they can be eaten by individuals with milk allergies.

I was disappointed not to see it in Waltham MA the week of April 4, so I emailed the store and inquired as to whether Waltham and/or Dedham would be having it in stock. As always, Costco was very responsive and told me that I could buy it in Dedham…and I am now the proud owner of four of them (not buying them for relatives this year, so four will suffice).

As a side note, just like with the broccoli and potato kugels, Costco also carries these layer cakes for the High Holidays in the fall. I will confess that, last fall, I bought a few for theholidays (they were sold in double packs) and then when I went back and saw that thedouble pack was on sale for $2.97, my mom and I bought 8 double packs (yes, that is 16 cakes and yes, I was eating them for months, and yes, there are still some pieces left in my parents’extra freezer).

What are your thoughts about Passover desserts? Do you use the holiday as a time to skip sweets? Have you tried this layer cake?

And just out of curiosity, do you buy what I term the “ridiculous Passover foods” (e.g., waffles, oatmeal, fettuccine Alfredo)?

Happy Pesach!

[[Update for Passover 2017:

This year almost all of the stores had World of Chantilly (based in New York) Passover cakes. Costco carried the traditional version with yellow cake layered with chocolate mousse and coated in a dark chocolate icing. Although I had been pleased with the layer cakes in the past, this cake was far superior to any of the others. The cake itself was much softer/less dry and the chocolate mousse filling was plentiful and delicious. Had I not known, I really wouldn’t have suspected it was Passover cake and I would gladly eat this any time of year. The chocolate icing on top was also delicious-sweet but not overly so and thick enough to contribute a unique taste and texture to the cake. I tried the cake both room temperature and refrigerated. Both are good. At room temperature, the cake is a little softer, but the mousse tastes a little better cold. If they carry these again in the future, I highly recommend them. I hope they carry the non-Passover version (again, not because of the taste concern but just because who makes Passover cake in the fall?) for the High Holidays.]]