Review: Coles plant-based chocolate cupcake
Posted: March 15, 2022 Updated: May 15, 2024
A quick review for the Coles vegan (plant-based) chocolate cupcake. I was a bit surprised this is gluten free as many plant based foods are packed full of wheaty goodness.
These cupcakes retail at Coles for $4 for a pack of two. It seems a bit steep when you could probably get four regular cupcakes for that price, however I like to think of it this way: if I was buying a gluten-free cupcake in a cafe it would cost at least four dollars. So, I’m basically getting two for the price of one.
The first thing I look at in vegan products is ingredients. There’s no dates and no coconut in these cupcakes, something common in long shelf life gluten free and vegan products. The fat used in it is palm oil, which isn’t great but it does note it “contributes to sustainable palm oil.”
The taste
The icing isn’t super sweet which is good, but it is nicely chocolatey. It actually is more like a soft ganache than icing, which is impressive given it’s vegan.
The cupcake itself is slightly more dense than a regular cupcake, however it isn’t really dry, like the icing it has a nice richness without it being overwhelmingly sweet.
Coming back to the ingredients I think what’s been used is really interesting. Like apple purée, which is known as a vegan egg replacement. There’s also flax meal, another egg substitution. Both are good examples of ingredients that don’t bring an overwhelming flavour to a recipe – like coconut or dates can.
The verdict
While I’m not generally buying cakes or treats just for the sake of it, I do like this. If I had a hankering for chocolate cake in the future I’d definitely buy this, it is genuinely a really nice little chocolate cake.
I’ve purchased this again in 2024 and it’s just as good as the first time.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Gluten free: Legit.
Vegetarian / vegan: Vegan.
Allergens: Soy. May contain: Egg, tree nuts.
Serving size: Two to a pack.
Another gluten free and vegan treat at Coles is the We Love Cake salted caramel and chocolate tart! I’ve also reviewed the GF planted based cookies available from the Coles bakery section.
I frequently purchase Coles Nature’s Kitchen G/F chocolate cupcakes as i am a Vegan as well as Ceoliac. . How greatly disappointed I was oday when i went to eat one and the cupcake is literally half the usual size . The icing was ok but the cake itself was was small. Probably trying to cut costs i’m sure …but times are hard for all of us. How disappointing Coles.