There is a lot to like about coffee cakes, especially if you have my taste buds. The wonderful thing about coffee cakes is that they are denser than cake, yet they are still moist, unlike a bagel. Now, this is not to say they I do not like cake, I just prefer the thicker stuff like muffins and brownies.
At the beginning, I thought that coffee cakes were cakes that were flavored with coffee. In other words, cakes that tasted like coffee. That was until, well I do not know when, all I know is that I realized that coffee cake applied to other types. I think it was Starbucks that brought me this epiphany. As I am writing this blog I realized that I sound very boring. As the famous Gerard Brenan once said “Everyone is a bore to someone. That is unimportant. The things to avoid is being a bore to oneself.”
So I guess since I have nothing really interesting to say, I’ll just cut to the chase and talk about these Limited Edition Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake squares from Fresh and Easy. Fresh & Easy has sprouted everywhere in my town, and there are many things I love about shopping there. For one, most of the stuff there is delicious and sold at a decent price. I also love their reduced price rack. But my favorite thing about the place is their limited edition holiday foods. Like their cakes, cheesecakes, coffee cakes, muffins, gingerbreads, fruit cakes, apple ciders, pancake mixes, and other foods that have that sweet and pumpkin spice flavors. I especially love the pumpkin products.
While I already tried the Fresh & Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffin (review is also posted on this blog), I felt the urge to try the coffee cake as well. Good thing I did because it the end it turned out to taste way better.
It came in a box with 16 little 3-bite squares. Two squares were the serving size on the nutrition facts, which came out to be 230 calories; so 113 calories each. I do not have the nutrition facts on hand, but from what I remember there was less than a gram of fiber per cake square, and each cake square had 1.5 grams of protein.
The texture of the cake was amazing. I do not think it could be more dense and most at the same time. It sort of reminded me of the texture of Halva, for all you Mediterranean people who have tried halva. The sweetness was perfect and the spice and pumpkin flavors were nice and strong, leaving a great aftertaste that was not sour.
The strudel on top is where the pecans were located, but there were not that many pecans on the strudel. It is almost a lie to call it Pumpkin Pecan. It should just be Pumpkin Spice. I ate a square of the cake the moment I got it. The weird thing about the strudel was that, at first, it was pretty crunchy with the brown sugar packed on top. But then, right when I got home, I ate another one, and the strudel was, well, watery. Maybe watery is not the right term, it’s like all the moisture rose in the cake and wetted the strudel. Whatever it was, it worked out because the crunch from the sugar was gone.
These cakes were superb, and perfect for teatime, or coffee time, especially if you are inviting guests over for a party. Even if it is for yourself, the small pieces force you to eat a smaller amount. Two cakes end up being perfectly satisfying. Another great thing about this cakes is that they stay fresh and flavorful for up to a week.
The only bad thing I can say about this product is that it is expensive. A box of 16 squares for $3.99
