Product name: Lebkuchen
Milk Chocolate
Calories: 201 per cake
Calories: 201 per cake
A couple of weeks ago I had a lovely Christmassy evening at
a friend’s house and, completely unexpectedly, I won a Christmas-themed quiz.
My prize was this pack of five Lebkuchen which had been made for Aldi stores in
the UK and Ireland.
I don’t know if I’ve just had a sheltered upbringing, but I’d never actually heard of this type of snack before and, at first glance, I didn’t find the description of ‘lebkuchen with icing sugar and milk chocolate’ much help! However, a more detailed summary of exactly what lebkuchen were was also provided: ‘spiced cakes made with apricot kernel paste and apricot puree’.
Prior to opening my packet, I decided to do a bit more research on Wikipedia and found that it was actually a German baked Christmas good. What surprised me, though, was that it was meant to be similar to gingerbread – there had been no mention of this on the wrapper and, as someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy the taste of ginger, I was slightly concerned. On the plus side, the ingredients showed that 15% of the product was milk chocolate, 12% was ‘apricot fruit filling’, and 11% was ‘apricot kernel paste’. I did also notice that the cakes contained candied orange peel which, for me, was another negative since it has a texture that I don’t like. As a result, I usually avoid products that contain it, but I decided to give these Lebkuchen Milk Chocolate a go anyway.
I don’t know if I’ve just had a sheltered upbringing, but I’d never actually heard of this type of snack before and, at first glance, I didn’t find the description of ‘lebkuchen with icing sugar and milk chocolate’ much help! However, a more detailed summary of exactly what lebkuchen were was also provided: ‘spiced cakes made with apricot kernel paste and apricot puree’.
Prior to opening my packet, I decided to do a bit more research on Wikipedia and found that it was actually a German baked Christmas good. What surprised me, though, was that it was meant to be similar to gingerbread – there had been no mention of this on the wrapper and, as someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy the taste of ginger, I was slightly concerned. On the plus side, the ingredients showed that 15% of the product was milk chocolate, 12% was ‘apricot fruit filling’, and 11% was ‘apricot kernel paste’. I did also notice that the cakes contained candied orange peel which, for me, was another negative since it has a texture that I don’t like. As a result, I usually avoid products that contain it, but I decided to give these Lebkuchen Milk Chocolate a go anyway.
The Lebkuchen came in a simple cellophane-wrapped purple
and pale blue cardboard tray that contained an illustration of a European-looking
city (presumably to resemble their German origin!). Each cake weighed around
50g and was quite domed in appearance – I thought they looked like curvier
Wagon Wheels! They were dark brown in colour and the white icing sugar that
looked a bit like a doughnut glaze seemed to have collected in the surface
cracks on the top. The chocolate was on the base of the Lebkuchen and the
insides were a paler colour with a very slight orange tinge. Overall, I thought
they looked nice enough, although they had the potential to be dry.
There was a hint of ginger in the aroma but I thought they
mainly smelt like fruit cake – it was quite a festive smell, actually. The
flavour definitely did have elements of ginger but, thankfully, this wasn’t too
strong. I could also taste the apricot but, considering the quantities used and
the fact it was one of the main product descriptors, it wasn’t nearly as
obvious as I’d expected. Unfortunately, the chocolate layer was so thin that I
couldn’t taste this at all, but I did enjoy the general Christmassy baking
flavours on offer. It was very flavoursome, with warm spices that seemed to
reach the back of the throat, and I could also taste dried fruit which, looking
at the ingredients, seemed to be a result of ‘date paste’.
I really liked the texture of these Lebkuchen Milk
Chocolate. They had a crispy outer edge which seemed to be mainly down to the
icing and this blended with the softer centre to provide a well-rounded
experience. This filling was quite similar to a standard cake texture although
it wasn’t as spongy. Whilst I wouldn’t describe it as ‘moist’, it certainly
wasn’t dry – it was just the right balance and I was even more pleased not to
come across any chunks of candied peel!
As someone who doesn’t like Christmas cake, these Lebkuchen were a great alternative for me since they provided the warm flavours associated with the season without the full-blown fruit cake experience. Not bad at all!
As someone who doesn’t like Christmas cake, these Lebkuchen were a great alternative for me since they provided the warm flavours associated with the season without the full-blown fruit cake experience. Not bad at all!
Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 7.13/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 7.13/10
I grew up on this, I have Dutch relatives who used to come over every Christmas with so much of this, and I love it! I'm missing it this year as they aren't coming over. I am hoping Aldi or Lidl can help me out!
ReplyDeleteLebkuchen is my favorite German cookie. The Christmas Stöllen from Aldi's (gotta get the marzipan version) is fantastic too. I make a point to buy several and throw the extras in the freezer.
ReplyDelete