Devil’s Food Earns Heavenly Rating

It was a rather rocky road for The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel when to came to chocolate desserts this summer.

First, we decided to treat panel members to chocolate cream pie, on a night when hardly anyone showed up.

Those who did found Mrs. Smith’s “French Silk” offering - on the strength of its filling, not its overly sweet topping - superior to a pudding-like pie from the Safeway bakery and a particularly bland Banquet version.

Next time around, we had a good turnout, but bad brownies. Fat-free brownies, to be precise.

While Entenmann’s did a decent imitation of the real thing, noses wrinkled and mouths frowned over the gummy Greenfield rendition and a painfully dry attempt by Auburn Farms (“Looks like a charcoal briquette!” moaned Meagan Coffey).

Even the full-fat Little Debbie fudge brownies we bought as backups failed miserably as a peace offering.

“If you expect us to show up next time, there had better be a good dessert!” warned Mary Aegerter.

They did, and there was: a devil’sfood cake from Oregon Farms that earned one of the few five-star ratings ever from the panel. “Either they made it, or they went to a good bakery,” declared Mike Lax. (Try the freezer case.)

The two other varieties sampled earned respectable ratings, with a Weight Watchers low-cal cake more than holding its own against the highest-fat offering of the three, from Pepperidge Farm.

The moral of our story: Hang in there, and sooner or later, you’ll get your just desserts.

Mrs. Smith’s French Silk Chocolate

Ready-To-Serve Dessert

Price: $3.39 for 24 ounces (5 servings).

Nutrition: 410 calories (46 percent fat calories); 250 milligrams sodium per serving.

Taste:****

Value:****

Comments: “Sweet, chocolate filling. Cool Whip-type topping. Good crust.” - Jim Eggers.

“Nice chocolate treat. Topping doesn’t add much - makes the whole thing too sweet.” - Mary Aegerter.

Safeway Chocolate Cream Pie

Price: $5.99 for 34 ounces.

Nutrition: No nutrition label provided.

Taste:***

Value:*

Comments: “Chocolate is lacking flavor - good color, but no flavor.” - Mary Lou Crouter.

“It’s not too sweet, but it’s kind of bland. It’s not a bad taste, but needs more oomph.” - Paul Norris.

Banquet Chocolate Cream Pie

Price: $1.25 for 14 ounces (8 servings.)

Nutrition: 360 calories (50 percent fat calories); 240 milligrams sodium per serving.

Taste:**

Value:**

Comments: “On the plus side, it’s not too sweet. It doesn’t look very good, sort of deflated, but it doesn’t taste too bad. Actually tastes better than it looks.” - Paul Norris.

“Mmmm - cardboard crust. Amazingly without taste.” - Mary Aegerter.

Entenmann’s Fudge Brownie, Fat Free

Price: $3.15 for 14 ounces (10 servings).

Nutrition: 110 calories (no fat); 140 milligrams sodium per serving.

Taste:***

Value:**

Comments: “Closer to a brownie texture, but the icing has been made with anything but butter. A bit more chocolatey, but still not very authentic; I’d rather go without than eat any of these!” - Maria Ranniger.

“Cake texture - good chocolate taste - not memorable.” - Jim McGinty.

Greenfield Healthy Foods Brownie, Fat-Free

Price: $2.59 for 7 ounces (5 servings).

Nutrition: 120 calories (no fat); 65 milligrams sodium per serving.

Taste:**

Value:*

Comments: “Looks like a fig newton - dry - crusty. Yuck!” - Meagan Coffey.

“Good chocolate flavor; nice texture.” - Larry Kelly.

Auburn Farms Jammers Raspberry Fudge Brownies, Fat-Free

Price: $2.69 for 8 ounces (8 servings).

Nutrition: 90 calories (no fat); 95 milligrams sodium per serving.

Taste:*

Value:*

Comments: “Ick - bad beyond description. The closest description I can make is a brownie made from planting soil.” - Stacy Casto.

“Really disgusting. Must be fatfree. Put them in the Hall of Shame.” - Susi Faville.

Oregon Farms Divine Devil’s Food Cake

Price: $2.79 for 16.5 ounces (6 servings).

Nutrition: 260 calories (31 percent fat calories); 410 milligrams sodium per serving.

Taste:*****

Value:***

Comments: “Reminds me of an old-fashioned devil’s-food cake! Must have the real good stuff in it - butterfat, eggs, whipped cream!” - Kathy Kelly.

“Really excellent. Tastes like homemade.” - Jim Eggers.

Weight Watchers Sweet Celebrations Double Fudge Cake

Price: $1.89 for 5.5 ounces (2 servings).

Nutrition: 190 calories (21 percent fat calories); 200 milligrams sodium per serving.

Taste:***

Value:***

Comments: “Good. Not overly sweet, moist, not too much of a chocolate taste. Definitely worth eating for something right out of the box.” - Paul Norris.

“Very rich & sweet - good for a special occasion.” - Jan Robison.

Pepperidge Farm Three Layer Cake, Chocolate Fudge

Price: $2.19 for 19.6 ounces (8 servings).

Nutrition: 250 calories (47 percent fat calories); 160 milligrams sodium per serving.

Taste:***

Value:***

Comments: “Very good - thick chocolate icing on top, and rich chocolate flavor.” - Jarretta Manning.

“Nice-looking cake with no flavor!” - Mike Lax.

, DataTimes MEMO: Products sampled by The SpokesmanReview’s reader food panel are bought at a retail store and prepared in a test kitchen according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.