Jeni's - Texas Sheet Cake

Texas Sheet Cake - Non-dairy Dark Chocolate Frozen Dessert with Chocolate Cake Crumbles and Bittersweet Fudge

I am still working through the non-dairy flavors from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream that I used to fill out my online orders of their excellent White House Chocolate Chip and Everything Bagel releases.  Today's flavor is called Texas Sheet Cake.  I bought this online, so I do not believe that this flavor is available in local grocery stores.  According to this article, a Texas Sheet Cake is a German Chocolate Cake cooked in a flat sheet pan or jelly roll pan.  I have not had a Texas-Sheet-Cake-based flavor before.  I have seen it, though.  It is one of the signature flavors of Lick Ice Creams of Austin Texas which I sampled a shipment of last year, but I did not include that flavor in my shipment.  If I order from Lick again, I'll have to check this out out.  Back to today's flavor.  This is a non-dairy flavor from Jeni's so it uses their dark chocolate non-dairy dessert (similar to their Dark Chocolate Truffle I presume) as a base with a chocolate cake piece mix-ins and a swirl of bitttersweet fudge.  Looks interesting.

Removing the lid, I see the brown color of the chocolate base with a very nice looking fudge swirl across the top of the pint.  I like this type of presentation when I open up a pint.  Digging in, the base does taste a lot like Jeni's Dark Chocolate Truffle flavor (link above).  It's good and the cocoa-and-coconut cream flavor tastes quite natural.  As I continue eating, there quite a few chocolate cake pieces down below which add more chocolatey-ness and the fudge swirl provides a lot of chocolate as well.  Lot's of chocolate to like here.

This is a solid non-dairy chocolate flavor from Jeni's.  It's got the same delicious chocolate base as Dark Chocolate Truffle plus chocolatey mix-ins.  So, if you have dairy issues or are on a non-dairy kick, then this is a very fine chocolate-plus flavor to try.  That said, if you like dairy, I found Jeni's Blackout Chocolate Cake flavor to be an extra decadent version of the same chocolate-in-chocolate idea.

 

Talenti - Confetti Cookie

Confetti Cookie - Layers of Vanilla Gelato, Vanilla Cookies, Pink Frosting, Vanilla Gelato (again) and Rainbow Sprinkles

The next of the new Layers flavors released by Talenti Gelato in 2021 is called Confetti Cookie.  I found it at the Target in the Midway.  The five layers here are vanilla gelato, vanilla cookies, pink frosting, vanilla gelato (again) and rainbow sprinkles.  This looks like a 'birthday cake' themed flavor.  There's vanilla cookies in here instead of cake pieces, but because of the frosting and sprinkles, it still feels like a sheet-cake based flavor.  I think the cookies are easier to fit into the layering that Talenti does.  These types of flavors are becoming more common in recent years.  I have recently tried the Cheesecake Factory flavor but I've also had pints from Coolhaus, Graeter's, McConnell's, Ample Hills and a retired Walmart-exclusive flavor from Ben & Jerry's.  Let's see how this Talenti flavor compares!

Like all the layers pints, unscrewing the lid only reveals the top layer which is this case is a bright white vanilla gelato.  So, I cut out a slice for the photos below.  The pink frosting is a very light pink which does not show up in the photos well, but I can see it in between the two vanilla gelato layers.  The sprinkles at the bottom have a lot of color.  Now that I have taken the pictures, it is time to dig in.  Altogether, the flavor of the vanilla gelato dominates.  I taste some cookies occasionally and the sprinkles provide some color, texture and sweetness from time to time.  If you have not cut out a slice, it can be tricky accessing the sprinkles as they can stick to the bottom of the jar.  The simple solution to this without overly blending the layers is to scoop the entire bar into a bowl and then eat out of the bowl.  The effect of the frosting is fairly minor.  It's a bit sweeter than the gelato but it does not have a lot of it's own flavor.

I liked this vanilla "cake" pint.  It's delicious and enjoyable.    That said, it doesn't seem like a layers type of flavor.  Sprinkles and cookies blend in really well and the frosting had a very subtle flavor.  The great layers flavors feature some mix-in that wouldn't swirl very well.  If you are a fan of these Talenti flavors, you'll want to check it out anyways of course, otherwise the Cheesecake Factory flavor is available and well-done.  My all-time favorite implementation is McConnell's, but that's not available locally.

 

 

Ben & Jerry's - Chocolate Caramel Cookie Dough

Chocolate Caramel Cookie Dough - Chocolate Ice Cream with Caramel Swirls & Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Topped with Caramel Cups & Chocolatey Ganache

 

Today we move on to the next of the Topped flavors released this year by Ben & Jerry's.  In a 'topped' flavor, there is an extra layer of chocolate across the top of the pint.  Today's flavor is Chocolate Caramel Cookie Dough.  I bought it at the Ben & Jerry's scoop shop near Lake & Excelsior in Minneapolis, but I am also starting to see these flavors show up in other local grocery stores like Target, Cub and even Lund's.  There are a lot of Ben & Jerry's flavors so check places with larger ice cream sections where they can fit in new flavors.  Today's flavor is features chocolate ice cream with caramel swirls and cookie dough pieces in the ice cream 'below' with chocolate ganache and caramel cups in the 'top' layer.  It's looks very decadent.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, the top is all chocolate.  The ganache layer looks quite think and there are about a dozen small caramel cups embedded inside this top layer.  Digging in exposes the chocolate ice cream below.  The caramel cups are good, but since they are small there is small amount of caramel covered by a lot of chocolate.  It is all very chocolatey.  As I dig further down below, I run into the cookie dough sections.  These are pretty good, but there are not as many of them as I expect.  I do taste some of the caramel below as well which has mostly blended into the base.  I would have preferred thicker caramel swirls below, but chocolate-caramel does make a very good blended flavor as well.

This is a super chocolatey pint.  There is a lot of chocolate on the top in the ganache and the cups and there is a chocolate base below.  The caramel in the cups and the dough pieces below add some variety but not as much as I expected.  I would still recommend Tonight Dough for your cookie dough fix from Ben & Jerry's but if you're a chocolate fan who is enjoying these topped flavors, then you'll probably want to check it out.

 

 

Jeni's - Lemon Bar

Lemon Bar - Rich Non-Dairy Coconut Cream with Lemon Curd and Shortbread Crust

Recently, I made online purchases from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream of Columbus, Ohio to pick up the White House Chocolate Chip and Everything Bagel flavors -- both of which were excellent.  In order to make those orders, I had to fill out my shipment with other selections and found that I had already tried all of their other available dairy flavors.  So, I have moved onto the non-dairy line.  Today's flavor is called Lemon Bar.  It is a non-dairy coconut cream with a swirl of lemon curd and shortbread crust mix-ins.  This flavor is probably not available at local grocery stores, but I have not double checked Whole Foods.  It would not surprise me if Whole Foods carried a couple of non-dairy Jeni's flavors in a separate section.

Removing the lid and peeling back the protective seal, I see that the coconut cream base has a bright white color and one of the lemon curd swirls is visible.  Digging in, the coconut cream is light and almost fluffy.  I do note a distinct, but mild coconut flavor in this base.  I also note the occasional flake of coconut in the mix as well.  I was not expecting this, but it is a welcome bonus.  The swirl of lemon curd is sweet and tangy and has delicious lemon flavor.  The shortbread crumbs are lightly scattered throughout the pint.  They are noticeable but not as prevalent as I was expecting.

This is a solid non-dairy option of a lemon-curd and cream flavor from Jeni's.  I really like the way they embraced the coconut flavor of the coconut cream (with coconut flake mix-ins!) and did not try to simulate the flavor of a dairy ice cream.  I would recommend this for lemon fans who either have dietary restrictions or are in a non-dairy mood.  For dairy fans, I still recommend the decadent lemon-pie type flavors such as Lemon Meringue Pie from Sweet Science, Atlantic Beach Pie from Jeni's, Lemon & Shortbread Ripple from Pumphouse and KARE 11 Golden Sunrise from Sebastian Joe's.

 

 

Tillamook - Bing Cherry Cheesecake

Bing Cherry Cheesecake - Cheesecake Frozen Custard with Bing Cherry Chunks and Pieces of Graham Cracker Crust

Tillamook Creamery has completely revamped their pints menu for 2021.  All of the pints flavors are now classified as frozen custard and a lot of the old pints flavors have been retired.  I have mixed feelings about this.  I like having new flavors to review, but I hate to see so many old flavors go at once.  The fact that it is 'frozen custard' is not a big deal.  That just means there is extra eggs in the mix.  The product is creamy, yet still quite hard and firm -- it is not a soft serve.  Today's flavor is called Bing Cherry Cheesecake and I bought it at Kowalski's on Grand in Saint Paul.  The base is cheesecake and the mix-ins are bing cherry chunks and pieces of graham cracker crust.  I have written about bing cherries recently (see this Pumphouse flavor).  They are crossbred from a Black Republican Cherry and an unknown second parent, so they have a very black-cherry-like flavor.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid and peeling back the foil, I see the base ice cream has a pink color consistent with other cherry flavors that I have had.  Despite the flavor description, it looks like the cherry mix-ins have been allowed to bleed into the cheesecake base.  Although it does have have the slightly purplish tinge that some black cherry pints have, as I try the first spoonful it does have a bit of black cherry flavor to it.  There are also small cherry pieces mixed in which add additional cherry flavor.  The cream cheese in the base balances out the flavors quite well.  The graham cracker crust pieces were excellent.  They had a gritty texture and lots of graham cracker flavor.

This is an excellent implementation of a 'slice of cheesecake' flavor from Tillamook.  Good cherry/black cherry flavor in the base, good graham cracker crust pieces.  The cheesecake provides thickness and balance without contributing its own flavor (some cream cheese have an intentional aftertaste).  This is delicious and well done.

 

Talenti - Chocolate Pretzel

Chocolate Pretzel - Layers of Salted Pretzel Gelato, Chocolatey Waffle Cone Pieces, Salted Pretzel Sauce, Vanilla Gelato and Chocolate Flakes

Talenti Gelato has new layers flavors for 2021!   An article about the release is here.  Their website has had these flavors for a while, but I haven't been able to find them in local grocery stores until recently.  I found this flavor at the Cub in Eagan, but since then I have started to see them pop up at the Cub in Saint Paul, the Target in the Midway and even the Lund's in Highland.  So, they should pop up locally eventually.  Today's flavor is called Chocolate Pretzel where the five layers are salted pretzel gelato, chocolate waffle cone pieces, salted pretzel sauce, vanilla gelato and chocolate chunks.  Let's check it out.

Unscrewing the lid, I see an extra seal to peel back.  This is the first time I have seen that from Talenti.  I like the extra seal, although this particular seal is a bit clumsy to peel back.  Like other layers flavors, I only see the top layer of the pint from the top which in this case is a salted pretzel gelato.  This layer looks interesting.  Not only has the base been steeped in pretzels during the processing, it looks like the pretzels have been incompletely filtered out.  There are nice crumb-sized pretzel pieces immersed in this base.  At this point, I cut out a 'slice' of the pint for the benefit on the pictures below.  Interesting in these slice pictures is how thick the two interior mix-in layers are (the waffle cone pieces and the pretzel sauce).  In many layers pints, this middle layer is very thin and blended, but here it looks like there will be quite a lot of waffle cone pieces to enjoy.

Ok, time to finally dig in!  The salted pretzel gelato is quite tasty.  The pretzel flavor is not too strong, but it is very delicious and I liked the texture of all the pretzel crumbs inside.  The waffle cone pieces are quite delicious as well.  What I noticed about the salted pretzel sauce was the primarily the salt, but that was a fun twist to the flavor of the waffle cone pieces.  The pieces on the bottom provided a bit of chocolate into the mix and the layer of vanilla kept all the other flavors from becoming too overwhelming.

This is a very successful layers flavor from Talenti Gelato which I really enjoyed.  I thought the waffle cone pieces trumped the pretzels as the dominant flavor of the pint, but it was all very delicious.  As with other layers pints, it is up to you as to how to get everything mixed up.  Cutting out the slice works great for me, but I admit that's a bit weird for those not taking pictures.  I think simply scooping it out of the jar into another bowl would work really well.  It allows you to sample all the layers without fully blending them.

 

 

 

Ben & Jerry's - Tiramisu

Tiramisu - Mascarpone Ice Cream with Fudge Swirls & Shortbread Pieces Topped with Espresso Fudge Chunks & Chocolatey Ganache

 

Today we move onto the next flavor of the "Topped" line of flavors from Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.  I bought it at the Ben & Jerry's scoop shop near Lake & Excelsior in Minneapolis.  This flavor is based on tiramisu which is one of my favorite desserts.  The ingredients of tiramisu are generally coffee, chocolate, mascarpone, ladyfinger cookies and sometimes rum, but every restaurant and bakery has their own way of implementing it.  Some recipes are more chocolatey, others have a lot of rum, others focus on the coffee and everyone has their own unique way of incorporating the cookies.  I have reviewed tiramisu flavors from both Talenti and Milkjam and one of my favorite Ben & Jerry's flavors was a Target-exclusive called Volun-Tiramisu which was unfortunately discontinued right before I started writing these reviews.  So, I am excited that Ben & Jerry's has created another tiramisu flavor.  As I mentioned above, though, each implementation is completely different and this flavor is a bit different from the old one.  Today's flavor features a mascarpone ice cream with fudge swirls and shortbread pieces in the ice cream below while the 'topping' contains chocolate ganache and espresso fudge chunks.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, I see the chocolate ganache layer covering the top of the pint.  In this particular pint, this layer does not completely cover the top of the pint, but it is close.  Digging in the ganache is tough for the very first dig of the spoon, but after that, it is pretty easy to dig into from the side.  The top layer is quite chocolatey.  Buried within this top layer are the espresso chocolate flakes and those provide quite a bit of espresso coffee kick in addition to even more chocolate.  Down below, the ice cream has a mascarpone base which is one of my favorite bases.  Mascarpone is an extra creamy dessert cheese which goes really well with both fruit and chocolate.  Buried within this base are small shortbread pieces which do not stand out other than to create a bit of a chunky texture from time to time.  The predominant mix-in down below are the fudge swirls.  These swirls reminded me a bit of chocolate syrup -- very chocolatey but also has a bite to it.  Ben & Jerry's used a similar swirl in its old retired Cake Batter flavor.  I did notice that there is no coffee in the 'below' ice cream, all the coffee is delivered by the espresso-chocolate flakes in the 'top'.

This is a fun tiramisu flavor from Ben & Jerry's.  It is very delicious, but how much you like it probably depends on how you like your tiramisu.  As I mentioned above, tiramisu implementations tend to be quite different from each other and this implementation is quite a bit different from its own old Volun-Tiramisu flavor.  The old flavor had both coffee & mascarpone in the base with large, soft ladyfinger cookie pieces and the chocolate is delivered with dustings of cocoa on the ladyfingers.  Today's flavor is much more chocolatey -- thick chocolate topping and thick chocolate swirls below -- while the coffee is only present in the flakes embedded in the top layer and the cookie pieces are a bit smaller.  Again, quite delicious, though!  If you like tiramisu, you'll probably want to check this out.

 

 

 

Bebe Zito - Strawberry Fields 4 Ever

Strawberry Fields 4 Ever - Strawberry Cream Cheese Ice Cream

 

Today I return to Bebe Zito of South Minneapolis for their Strawberry Fields 4 Ever flavor.  I had some trouble getting an accurate flavor description for this.  Their flavor page describes something with strawberry rhubarb jam and strawberry sauce but that's not what I just ate.  Poking around social media, I found this facebook link where the caption says:  "It sounds like a simple strawberry ice cream but heck no, we don’t do that! It’s strawberry with a cream cheese base, a dash of lemon and a dash of balsamic to balance all of the flavors."  That sounds like what I just ate, so I will go with that!  The flavor name pun on the Beatles song is the same as that of a relatively recent Milkjam flavor (strawberry buttermilk instead of strawberry cream cheese) but similarities between these two shops are expected because Bebe Zito was founded by a former Milkjam ice cream chef.  Let's see how they compare!

But before that, this is my 800th ice cream review and it is time for another centenary collage of flavors.  

Flavors 701 to 800

There it is!  For previous collages, see the reviews for pints 100, 200, 300, 400, 500,  600 and 700.   It never ceases to amaze me how I have not run out of pints to try yet.  New ingredients too, I keep adding to the labels on the right.  Pretty soon, I will be able to make a collage of my collages.

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid, the strawberry cream cheese base has a nice soft pink color.  Digging in, it is quite delicious.  The texture is thick and creamy.  The strawberry flavor is very bright and pleasant (not too sweet or tart).  I can tell that there is cream cheese in the mix, but it does not have that specific cream-cheese aftertaste that some cheesecakes have.  It tastes a lot like a frozen strawberry shake.  The ingredient list above mentions lemon and balsamic vinegar.  I do not doubt their inclusion, but I do not specifically taste them either.  Their use here is for flavor balance purposes and this is a well-balanced flavor.  There are no mix-ins or swirls here.  The pint is one homogeneous base.

This is a simple yet successful strawberry and cream cheese flavor from Bebe Zito.  Nothing too fancy -- no swirls, seeds or chunks -- but a very ingratiatingly delicious flavor.  If you are at Bebe Zito and are in the mood for strawberry, this is a good one to try.  Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Hibiscus Lemonade

Hibiscus Lemonade - Hibiscus Lemonade Sorbet

 

Milkjam Creamery - Hibiscus Lemonade - (14) - Hibiscus Lemonade Sorbet

Today we return to Milkjam for another of their March flavors.  They have four featured flavors each month.  I did one flavor last week (Zoë François), two other flavors in previous March's (Who Run the World and Pink Lady) and today's flavor is Hibiscus Lemonade (instagram link here).  March is Women's History month and Milkjam temporarily renames all of their flavors after great women for the month.  The honoree for Hibiscus Lemonade is Nemonte Nenquimo an activist for indigenous peoples in Ecuador (the instagram link above has more information from Milkjam as to why they are honoring her).  The flavor of Hibiscus Lemonade is a sorbet made with just that -- hibiscus and lemonade.  I am seeing more hibiscus flavors of late.  One of Milkjam's featured flavors just last month was a sorbet made from hibiscus and rosé and Talenti has a relatively new sorbet made with strawberry and hibiscus.  See this article for more on the use of hibiscus in food and drink.  It can have a tart cranberry-like flavor and a deep red-violet color.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the color of this sorbet does not disappoint.  It is a deep magenta-like red color and I can tell right away from the surface texture that this is a sorbet (no cream or other dairy, just churned ice and flavoring).  Digging in, the sorbet does have a slushy texture to it, but it is churned well making it easily scoopable.  The berry-like flavor of the hibiscus is quite delicious.  It does have a berry-like flavor to it but it is not at all tart like a cranberry can be.  It is almost like a sweet raspberry.  I do taste a little bit of lemonade in the finish of the flavor, but not enough to add tartness.  This is quite delicious.  It is a homogenous pint with no mix-ins.

This is a successful hibiscus sorbet from Milkjam.  It has a sweet 'fruity' flavor despite being primarily hibiscus instead of fruit.  They balanced the sweetness and tartness quite well, it is not too much of either while still remaining quite delicious.  Despite hibiscus being a bit exotic of a flavor, I think kids would enjoy this.  It is a sorbet, so expect 'flavored ice' instead of cream, but it is quite good.

 

 

 

Sweet Science - Hazelnut Brownie

Hazelnut Brownie - Hazelnut Cocoa Ice Cream with Chocolate Brownies

 

The third March flavor from Sweet Science Ice Cream of Saint Paul is called Hazelnut Brownie.  The other two flavors I reviewed last week (Black Sesame) and a few years ago (Earl Grey with White Chocolate).  The instagram link for these March flavors is here.  Today's flavor features a hazelnut cocoa base with chocolate brownie mix-ins.  Looks promising.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the hazelnut cocoa base has a light brown color and I can see a couple of the brownie mix-ins right away on top.  Digging in, the hazelnut cocoa base is thick, creamy and delicious.  You can taste the hazelnut in the mix which I like.  Some 'hazelnut chocolate' goes heavy on the chocolate so as to simulate the flavor of nutella.  This does not do that.  The brownie mix-ins are excellent.  They are soft, chewy and quite chocolatey.  I have seen Sweet Science do brownies a few times before (here, here and here) and they are always quite good.  I think the brownies stand out a little more in this pint because of the lighter flavor of the base.

This is another excellent brownie-based flavor from Sweet Science.  As noted by my links in the previous paragraph, they have done several brownie-based flavors and all of them are quite good.  What I like about this one is the hazelnut-heavy hazelnut cocoa base which is quite good by itself and provides greater contrast with the delicious brownies.  If brownies are your thing, then check this flavor out.

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Zoë François

Zoë François - Espresso & Dark Chocolate Chips with Salted Fudge & Toasted Marshmallows

 

Milkjam Creamery of south Minneapolis has released their March flavors.  March is always an interesting at Milkjam because they rename all of their flavors for Women's History month.  That's a fun tradition, but it also means that I need to keep track of which flavors are which.  They've added 'aka' markers to their flavor page and the people at the scoop shop are also super helpful.  Of the four features flavors for March, two of them are flavors that I have reviewed before: Who Run the World (now called Abby Richardson for March) and Pink Lady (now called Megan Rapinoe).  The two flavors which are new to me are a Hibiscus Lemonade sorbet (review coming soon) and today's flavor "Zoë François".  Today's flavor (instragram link here) is a new flavor this year and will keep it's name going forward (perhaps shortened as "Zoë").  It is named for a local pastry chef and the flavor itself is modeled after the Devil's Food Cake with Toasted Marshmallows recipe on the cover of her latest cookbook "Zoe Bakes Cakes".  That explains why her name will stay on the flavor for good.  It has espresso and dark chocolate with fudge and toasted marshmallows.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, I see a few of the marshmallows right away on top of the pint.  Down because I see a complex brown base with some of the darker brown chips mixed into it.  Digging in, I taste both coffee and chocolate in the base.  The base itself is slightly soft in texture, similar to many other Milkjam bases.  Milkjam seldom produces a 'hard' ice cream.  The dark chocolate chips are very thin and have a flaky texture -- they break into little pieces when I bite into them.  It tastes like there is some espresso in these chips as well.  I am not sure if I am getting the details of which parts contain espresso/coffee and which parts contain chocolate quite right because it all blends so well in my mouth when I eat it.  It is really quite delicious.  The toasted marshmallow pieces provide an occasional variation in texture as I eat it, but they do not distract too much from all the coffee and chocolate.

This is an interesting and excellent espresso and chocolate blend from Milkjam Creamery.  Coffee and chocolate are a standard pairing in the ice cream world so it is fun to see flavors which both leverage that winning combination and provide little twists on it as well.  This is one of those flavors.  If you like coffee-and-chocolate flavors, check this one out.