Personally, outside of chocolate covered strawberries, I can’t stand the taste of fruit and chocolate. They just don’t belong together. Chocolate treats should be decadent, and not ruined by the addition of what basically amounts to raspberry jam (or whatever flavored filling the chocolate contains); most of those combinations clash to my tastebuds, and even the ones that don’t just don’t appeal to me beyond one or two bites.
I think I might be in the minority on this opinion, however: case-in point, Emily, my beautiful wife. As opposed to the combination as I am, she’s all-in, getting weird ice cream flavors like raspberry chocolate chip (one of her favorites), candy bars with raspberry filling, etc. I knew I would never go for it, but as a little surprise pre-Valentine’s Day treat, I decided to surprise her with a box of … Heart Lava Cakes, which are a Special Buy from Aldi stores.
Despite the packaging and the odd shape, the lava cakes are larger than I expected: They’re about the size of a typical lava cake, but with part of it cut out to form the heart shape. That was my biggest hesitation, because the packaging is probably half the size of their normal molten treats, so I figured I’d be getting gypped simply because Valentine’s Day stuff is always jacked up in price, to take advantage of those who merely want to show their loved one their undying affection.
Instead of delectably gooey liquid chocolate, the center of this one contains a raspberry filling that doesn’t quite ooze out, but that is noticeably softer than the rest. Okay, enough build-up…let’s turn it over to my wife, who will describe the experience of eating these, before assigning it a final rating. Her thoughts are in italics for easy reading.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, because as much as I like the combination of fruit and chocolate, it’s one that can easily be disappointing. These, though, are top of the line in almost every regard. There’s that delicious, moan-inducing raspberry flavor in the middle that doesn’t taste fake or candy-like as I was expecting; in fact, they somehow manage to taste fresh. It doesn’t taste like jam or jelly, but actual raspberries straight from the carton.
The chocolate itself is good, too, although it’s more in line with what you’d expect out of these. That’s not a knock, though, because it pairs all-too-well with the raspberry center, making this an out of this world combination. The texture of the cake is also perfect, managing to be spongy, yet also firm, striking a solid balance between the two disparate textures.
I always top my molten cakes with ice cream, because that’s what you’re “supposed” to do, and it adds another layer of deliciousness to everything. That being said, I could easily eat these without any additional accouterments…these things are that good. Even better: since my husband hates these, I get them all to myself! I’ll be stocking up on these before word gets out, that’s for sure. I’ve got to say, these are the best store-bought frozen desserts I’ve ever had. And I don’t ever say that about anything. I can’t thank my wonderful husband enough for opening my eyes to these!
Okay, so I added in the last sentence. But the rest holds true. And for her to call it the best frozen dessert she’s ever gotten from a supermarket is high praise; she’s notoriously picky, and I’ve never heard her say anything like that about anything before. Honestly.
Overall: 10/10. Perfect texture combines with perfect flavor to create a molten cake that strays away from the standard chocolate center in favor of a raspberry one that almost manages to taste “fresh”, at least as far as pre-packaged frozen desserts go. The texture is perfect, with a cake that offers up a spongy, yet firm, surface that is almost every bit as inviting as the taste itself. I don’t go as crazy for Aldi products as my husband does, but I have to say this is the best pre-made frozen dessert I’ve ever had from not just Aldi, but any supermarket. Period.
