Monday, November 12, 2012
Godiva Cake TrufflesGodiva Chocolate was founded in Belgium in 1926 and since then has become a worldwide sensation and perhaps even a synonym for chocolate indulgence. I’m often attracted to Godiva, because their packaging is so lovely and the marketing evokes all the right elements of delectability and luxury. But then I’m disappointed by the actual product. I’ve come to learn that the adjective Belgian is no better at describing quality than saying the word quality. A reader, Sherrie, suggested I try the new Cake Truffle collection from Godiva. I saw the box at Barnes & Noble, and found it enchantingly appealing.
Since I can’t have walnuts, I decided to visit one of their shops to make sure I only bought pieces I could eat and since I spotted it in the case, I substituted their Red Velvet Cake Truffle for the Butterscotch Walnut Brownie.
This truffle had a nice soft bite to it with a light cocoa flavor from the shell and the rustic sprinkles. It wasn’t as sweet as I expected, but didn’t really have the flavor profile or notes of actual cookie dough to satisfy me from its name alone. Other than that, it was just a not-quite-as-sweet-as-all-white-chocolate truffle.
I liked this one the best of the assortment. The flavors were mild and it was certainly a sweet truffle, but it did have a nice touch of pineapple. The milky white chocolate was a bit like coconut, so the whole thing was evocative of a Pina Colada.
I have to say that this was one of the most attractive of the set. I loved how they looked in the tray in the candy case. The reminded me of the ever-so-trendy cake pops right now. As far as birthday cake, I would say that this truffle, with this mostly white chocolate ingredients really nailed the yellow cake profile. It’s sweet and milky, but also a little greasy feeling on the tongue. There are more vanilla notes in this one but the one saving grace are the little crunches of the sprinkles.
I’m not fond of Red Velvet cake to begin with, but the key elements of the cake would be its light cocoa note to a buttermilk cake and a cream cheese frosting. What I found here was a weakly chocolate ganache center and a bland white chocolate shell. Sweet but lacking the tangy notes that buttermilk and cream cheese bring along. It was just a bland chocolate truffle. I bought my truffles by the piece, saving myself a smidge of money. I got five truffles (the fifth is not pictured and was the 70% Noir, which was good but not intense) and spent over $11. The standard box of 8 truffles (5.25 ounces) is $25. That works out to about $76 per pound. Ultimately this purchase confirmed my current feelings about Godiva. There are so many wonderful local confectioners that use high quality ingredients to create fresh and scrumptious delicacies, I don’t need this sort of mass produced product any longer. If I’m going to buy boxed chocolates at the mall, I will go to See’s, where the price is around $20 a pound and there are always free samples. Related Candies
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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I completely agree and actually asked my Mom to stop buying them for me because it is a waste. ick. They are not worth it. I would love to see you do a review of The Chocolate Fetish in Asheville, NC. That is where we get our truffles from. The chai moon truffle is amazing, and I hate chai drinks.
I hate Godiva overall. I only like their dark chocolate with raspberry bar, and their white chocolate peppermint truffles, which taste cheap IMO, but I like them anyway because white chocolate and peppermint is hard to find. I love the Hershey’s mint mix mini bars that they have for Christmas. My favorite chocolate maker hands down is L.A. Burdick. It’s expensive, but so is Godiva, and with L.A. Burdick you definitely get your money’s worth.
Meghan, it’s funny that you mention LA Burdick. I went to their NY shop yesterday. I had a hot chocolate (excellent) and picked up a little bag of their “seconds” for $8.00 ... a far better deal than the Godiva purchase for the same price (though probably the same weight overall, there were about 18 tiny pieces but a huge variety). Love the stuff.
Celeste - I’m so glad you found a local shop and support them. I’ll keep an eye out for them as well in my travels.
Why Godiva is so expensive? The prices is so crazy!
We carry Godiva at my company but it’s kind of a running joke that they pass themselves as fine chocolatiers when they’re mediocre at best.
On another note, have you ever tried Moonstruck chocolates and truffles? Their truffles are amazing; I got to taste some new ones in a meeting last week!
I like some Godiva chocolates, but only when they’re >=60% off after a holiday Otherwise, I prefer See’s by a fairly wide margin, even if you ignore the fact that it’s vastly cheaper. There’s something about Godiva that tastes musty and unappealing.
You know I have been thinking about Godiva some more and I loved them when I was younger. In the early 80’s I adored them. Is it because they were a better quality or because I did not have a discerning palate or because compared to the normal chocolate a child gets, Godiva is pretty great? Does anyone remember if they were actually better then?
Godiva was marginally better before it changed hands and was sold to Campbell’s in the late 1960s. Today, anyone who knows chocolate knows that Godiva is splume.
Ditto all the comments. The last time I tried Godiva was when they came out with the parfaits which looked so appealing in the catalog. When I saw them in the store they were so tiny I laughed out loud. Thimble size. I can’t even imagine what magnification they must have used for the photos.
ALSO if you can find them, try the Hagensborg Truffle Pig bars. They’re cute and SO GOOD.
I’m so happy that you reviewed those truffles, sorry about the expense. You don’t know how special I felt when I saw that picture at the top of your page.(Doesn’t tak much lol I’m a stay at home mom so my days are often uneventful) Thank you soooooooo much!!!!!
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