The Snack Cake Heirarchy .....

It goes like *this

Tastykake
Drake's
Hostess
Dolly Madison





Little Debbie

There *is no discussion

I had the chance to try a box of the cream-filled banana Tastykake this past weekend on a trip to Buffalo. They were amazing! Not nearly as sweet as I thought they would be. VERY nice!

quote:

Originally posted by CaryMG

It goes like *this

Tastykake
Drake's
Hostess
Dolly Madison





Little Debbie

There *is no discussion

Yeah, and every single one of them I ever ate is still around my middle!
QFan
Bonita Springs, FL

Y'know, that's just about right. Little Debbies are pretty rank.


Tom

Drake's are the Shiznit.
Hostess come in second.
We used to have a Dolly Madison/Hostess Thift shop near our house growing up.
Cellar dwellers: Litte Debbie Then Misses Freshly's

Tastykakes must be a local thing. I went to their website and did the "where to buy" and the nearest place selling them is about 500 miles away.

Tasteycake is based out of PA I think. they came into the upstate NY area in 1986, only reason I remember this is because I worked in a grocery store at the time and they made a big deal about them moving into the area.

Still say Drake's coffee cake is THE single best individual cake you can buy out there...is there ANYthing that beats a Drake's CC with a cardboard container of 'regular' coffee??? Its kept New Yorkers going for over 50 years now!!

Agreed

quote:

Originally posted by CaryMG

It goes like *this

Tastykake
Drake's
Hostess
Dolly Madison





Little Debbie

There *is no discussion

And no argument here!

EG, when I went to Pensacola (110 miles west of my current residence), on the way back, stopped at a Wally World and found an abundance of Tastykake products, so it was the perfect time to bring home two boxes of Butterscotch Krimpets!
Somehow, they find their way down to the backwoods of NW Florida...

I totally agree with CaryMG's hierarchy. Tastykake is numero uno. I grew up on Tastykakes as a native of PA, and my husband grew up out west and says he prefers Hostess to Tastykake. I don't believe him. The difference in the cake, fillings, and icing flavors, quality, and texture is incredible, with the Tastykakes' being far superior to the others listed, IMHO.

My favorites are butterscotch Krimpets and peanutbutter Tandy Takes as they were called before they became Kandy Kakes. And, believe it or not, I miss the wax paper they were wrapped in in the '60's. Probably because it wasn't air-tight as the plastic wrappers are today, so it kept the icing on the krimpets and cupcakes and the cakes themselves firmer which I prefer compared to the very soft cake and creamy icings today. I still love 'em, though!

I dunno, Hostess is pretty good. And as for Little Debbie being way, way, way down on the bottom like that, I totally do not agree. They're the best bang for the buck. Their Swiss Rolls are fantastic...far better than Yodells

And Dolly Madison? The ice cream people? I didn't know they made snack cakes. And ConeyIslandLou has a point. Those Drakes coffee cakes kick tail.

I think your heirarchy needs a little re-structuring CaryMG!

I like Little Debbies too. Their stuff is at least comparable to the others (i'm not sold on the Tastycake stuff) and its usually a good bit cheaper.

Dolly Madison is not the same as the Ice Cream brand. Where do you live, because outside the northeast (where Drakes and Tastykake rule), Dolly Madison was the main competitor to Hostess. Of course, now, they are the same company.

Mrs Freshley, BTW is Flowers, a big company that uses many different brand names (anyone from the South remember Beebo? -now replaced by Bluebird).

A good line of cakes that I discovered out west was Break Cake, by a company out of Texas called Campbell-Taggart, which has now been renamed "Earth Grains" (the accompanying bread brands include Rainbo and Colonial). In 1989, they had a truly delicious trio of cakes called Shake Cakes. They looked just like Zingers, only a little longer, but came vanilla, chocolate or strawberry (the cake AND the icing!) There was nothing else like these! Then, they stopped making them!
I wished that company had merged with Drakes, and brought those to NY. NY did have Break's little round creme pies for a while in the early 90's, when they replaced the similar Royal products carried by Operative Cake Company ("Lady Linda"). But once again, the Shake Cakes were out of production by then!

Getting off the subject a little, didn't Dolly Madison host/advertise on the "Peanuts" specials during the 60's, 70's?...

Folded over like a taco, Dolly Madison Creme pies of my youth was a banana cake (at least that's how I remember them) with creme filling. Anybody else remember them?

The Banana Flip. They still have those. Just saw them in Florida last month.
But these were inherited from American Bakeries Corp. (Mickey Cakes) in the late 80's, so they are not originally Dolly Madison.
Dolly's were always much better than the other manufacturer, Flowers (Beebo, Aunt Hannah, Mountain Farm, etc), in thich the cake was very dry and gritty (just like their "goldfingers" fake Twinkies three-in-a pack). But they also made chocolate and even a rare vanilla flip!
I always grab a Dolly Madison banana flip when I see it somewhere.

And yes, when I first saw Dolly Madisons in NYC in the early 70's, up until the current logo in the mid 80's, they had the Peanuts characters on every label.
But now, the brand new Hostess labels coming out now have them! (At least holidays versions of the labels, like Charlie Brown carrying his little Christmas twig-er- tree.

The one's I had were purchased in the late 1950's; hadn't had nor seen one since. These never mentioned banana in the label, 'course that was some time ago.

Oh, wow!
Well, that's before my time. (wonder what the Dolly Madison label looked like back then? I always kind of assumed it began in the 70's when I first saw them).

But yes, Dolly Madison still has the banana flips (I should say it is yellow cake with banana creme), and if you don't see it in convenience stores in your area, you could try the local IBC (Merita, etc) bakery thrift store.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr Fildo

I dunno, Hostess is pretty good. And as for Little Debbie being way, way, way down on the bottom like that, I totally do not agree. They're the best bang for the buck. Their Swiss Rolls are fantastic...far better than Yodells

Agreed. The Swiss Cake Rolls are not only better than Hostess Ho-Hos, they are very cheap.

I think ranking by brand is too general. Each brand has its winners.

Tastykake's cream-filled coffee cakes ... mmm. But my personal favorite snack cake is one I suspect they don't make anymore--Drake's Sunny Doodles, a yellow-cake version of the chocolate Yankee Doodles. Drake's is available here in Virginia but I haven't seen Sunny Doodles in years.

They still make Sunny Doodles; they are very common here in NY.
But I wasn't sure whether they had them anywhere in Virginia!
(Not Norfolk as of last March, at least!) Are you up by DC? (I know they were up there before, but I had heard they had pulled out of everywhere south of Delaware.
I hope they are doing well wherever you are. But in areas like that, you are less likely to see all the products.

First time I ever had a Tastykake was from a Wa Wa in Allentown. This was in Feburary 2001. I was enroute Jersey City with 45,000 pounds of Asahai beer. The reason I remember? They were so damn good, that's why. I was hooked from that point on. I'm GLAD I can't get them out here. I don't need the pounds.

Would you believe I ate my first Twinkie the other day (at 56). I have eaten other types of "twinkie" knockoffs such as Little Debbie's, etc. Well, the original Twinkie was wonderful. Don't know why I haven't tried it before, but will definitely buy another box soon. We have a "Philly Cheese" restaurant here in Huntsville, AL, that sells some Tastey Cakes. I have tried them, they are OK.

So Mickey cakes made the original Banana flips? Me and a friend about two years ago, were trying to remember who the first bakery was, to make these. Dolly Madison's are way to sweet. Don't even come close to tasting like the originals. I've noticed some of you listing your favorite bakeries. In Detroit Mi., we had Farm Crest located on Russell right off I-94 ( edsel ford freeway ). They had the best restaraunt style pies and donuts. We've got Awrey's to, but FARM CREST was the BEST!

quote:

Originally posted by QFan

quote:

Originally posted by CaryMG

It goes like *this

Tastykake
Drake's
Hostess
Dolly Madison





Little Debbie

There *is no discussion

Yeah, and every single one of them I ever ate is still around my middle!
QFan
Bonita Springs, FL

Tastykake taste more homemade then Little Debbie's. Little debbie's tends to get too sweet at times! Don't find a lot of Tastykakes down here in Geogia though!

Entenmans baby, good stuff. Otherwise its Hostess for me. I wish they still made the Twinkies with strawberry flavored substance mixed in with the white goo. Really miss the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pies, I think they were filled with vanilla pudding and coated with a green sugar glaze. Anything with a green sugar glaze is bound to be good.

Vayo con Queso

When did Twinkies ever have strawberry filling? (I know they started out with banana, but I don;t remember them ever having strawberry). Might you be thinking of Drake's "Strawberry Shortcakes"? Now those I have always missed!

I find Drake's too dry

quote:

Originally posted by Eric B

When did Twinkies ever have strawberry filling? (I know they started out with banana, but I don;t remember them ever having strawberry). Might you be thinking of Drake's "Strawberry Shortcakes"? Now those I have always missed!

There was a brief time in the eighties that Hostess made strawberry Twinkies--I remember eating them in high school. They weren't that good, though.

Oh--and whoever recommended the Drake's website? I love you and want to bear your children. I now have a cabinet STUFFED with Sunny Doodles, and they're just as good as they always were.

>I find Drake's too dry

Ive heard that as a reason why they don't do well in the South. But to me, that's what makes them so tasty, and the more moist chocolate of other cakes is a bit too much. And it's all the same--Hostess, Dolly Madison, Flowers, others, and Little Debbie, except for the Swiss Rolls and Devil Cremes which are dry like Drake's (which is why those are my favorite chocolate cakes from that brand). Tastykake chocolate has a taste that is different from the others, but still too rich.

I would think just for the sake of variety, Drakes would catch on in those other areas. (And aren't Moon Pies a southern thing? Those are certainly dry! Most of Flowers' yellow cake products are not only dry, but often gritty, or at least they used to be--haven't braved them in years)

I rarely eat any of these anymore. But you have me thinking. I know all the portions are now smaller than the ones of my childhood, and I find that innately depressing.

But, I suspect they taste just as good as always, and I so liked them as a kid. Yodels were great. Devil Dogs. I loved the various apple pies. Honey Buns. Snowballs. Those pecan swirls, or whatever they were. I was so excited when we occasionally got Little Debbie cakes in New Jersey. They were from the South. Wow...imported food.

However, what also bothers me is all the additives. Over the years, we've become sensitive to that.

Hence, in recent years, when I do eat cake or pastry, it's usually fresh and from a bakery.

Still, there is that nostalgia thing, that Proustian thing. It's irreplaceable. Therefore, the next day that I surmise I can spare the calories and still stay below "fighting weight," I will march to the cake aisle of the supermarket and buy many.

I will then buy a quart or so of milk. I will then proceed to drive to a park, where I will park my car, eat many cakes, drink milk until I have a milk moustache, and think of the friends of my childhood in the old neighborhood.
The Bear

Boy do I miss Tastykake chocolate cupcakes and, of course, the piece de resistance - the Tandycake.

I would put the Langendorf (Southern California) baked "Mickey" Cakes and Langendorf pastries at the top of the list. My father was a route salesman for Langendorf Cakes and Cookies in a white truck while Langendorf Bread was distributed in yellow Barbara Ann trucks out of the same Depots.

Those banana "flips" were a sorry incarnation of one of Langendorf's best "Mickey" snacks, the "Banana Dream" these were two soft cake cups filled with an banana cream that amounted to a soft crusted banana cream pie. The current taco shaped atrocity is really sweet and tastes nothing like the original.

Langendorf had many of the cakes that Hostess had but with different names:

Creme Boats (3pk) = Twinkies
Boom Booms = Ding Dongs
Lil' Devils = Chocodiles
Chocolate and orange cupcakes
A version of the snowball

Their product line included a mini pound cake, mini-donuts that came in miniature versions of the full size boxes (instead of cellophane), and this awesome chocolate wonder called a "Fudge Bar". Under the Langendorf name my dad carried snack size cinnamon rolls, bear claws, butterhorns, and fruit pies with more flavors than you could shake a stick at, full size (like Entenmann's and Svenhard's) pastries like Apple Strudel, butterhorns, Bear Claws, and Cinnamon Rolls (with and without raisins), a full sized pound cake and a Fruit Loaf during the Holidays. He also carried fig bars, "vanilla wafers", and all sorts of Cookies of the "Mother's" varieties like Chocolate Chip, Sugar, Oatmeal, etc.

The funny thing is here in Southern California, Langendorf delivered mainly exclusively to the 7-11 chain, mom and pop grocery and liquor stores and the occasional large independant grocer. At the time, only Hostess and Dolly Madison delivered to the large chain supermarkets but were not allowed in 7-11's. Barbara Ann was mainly a Restaurant and institutional bakery delivering to the occasional mom and pop/independant grocer.

My dad seemed to always have run-in's where he had to share shelf space with a Hostess or Wonder driver (never with Dolly or Weber's though) he used to say (I hate Hostess!) and through an ironic twist of fate, Dolly Madision bought Langendorf Cakes & Cookies, so he was a Dolly guy for while (Dolly Madison cut most of the Langendorf products and repackaged a few under the Dolly label) then IBC sold Dolly to Hostess, and later bought it, Hostess and Wonder so my dad became a Hostess driver.

He retired a couple of years back and laments that the bakery delivery business is not what it once was and is happy to have gotten out. The parent company of Wonder/Hostess filed for bankruptcy and is still trying to get back on it's feet.

Sadly none of the really good Langendorf-Mickey Cakes that I knew back in the late 70's through late 1980's have survived.

My single favorite snack cake product is the tastyklair pie, followed by their lemon pie.

I loved devil dogs as a kid too.

I used to LOVE the snack cake Suzy Q's when I was a kid growing up in Staten Island, NY. I had one about two years ago and it was SO sweet that it seemed like you could bite the sugar granules.

Tastykakes are huge here, Chocolate Juniors all the way!

I first saw Mickey Cakes in Virginia in the mid 80's. They weren't by Langendorf, but by American Bakeries Company, and accompanied Merita Bread. Though I did hear of Langendorf being the outfit out west. They were even in all the 7-11's in Richmond. The Creme Boats were a bit wider and flatter on top than Twinkies, and then they also had the raspberry striped ones. I used to like the Creme Horns, but the rest of the stuff pretty much paralleled Hostess. (Made me wonder all the more why Drake's couldn't expand down there. They were so different from everything else, and they could have used some variety!) They did have the taco-shaped Banana Flip, which was much better than the dry crusty Flowers version that used to be widespread back then.
Later, I did see them in NY in Taystee thrift stores. But alot of the products were dwindling by then. I did get a pack of imitation HoHo's but they were called "Choc-O's", and I still have the label.
Then, when I finally got out to California in '89, the IBC-ABC merger had just occurred, the Creme Boats appeared in the Dolly Madison label and were changed to look just like Twinkies and (I never saw Mickey's out there, and thought it was an Eastern brand!) Would have loved to have tried the original Banana Dream. Never saw anything like that over here.

Eric,

Langendorf-Barbara Ann was owned by American bakeries up until about 1984-85, then it was sold off to Good Stuff Food Company which later aquired Four-S baking (another Restaurant/Institution bakery) from IBC I think in exhange for the Langendorf Cake and Cookie division when I was was a senior in high school which was about 1989. The Langendorf logo was basically the same as the Merita oval logo with the yellow outline.

By 1990 Langendorf was all but a memory as whatever Langendorf trucks IBC decided to keep were stripped and re-stickered with Dolly Madison decals. For a while they used invoices that read Dolly Madison-Langendorf at the top but soon anything Langendorf/Mickey had disappeared. Luckily my dad was able to swipe a Langendorf oval sticker, the smaller one's from the front of the truck from the garage at his depot (which I still have) I also have a bunch of old labels, a couple of pics of the old trucks, and an invoice book, from his Langendorf, Dolly Madison, and Hostess days.

Langendorf was all up and down the west coast from San Diego to Seattle, and all of their bakeries had a clock tower and polished wood floors.

American Bakeries (dba as Langendorf United Bakeries) labels at the time were Langendorf-Barbara Ann, Taystee, Cotton's, and Cook Book, which all shared that same oval logo.

The original banana dream was just that, a dream.

My hierarchy would be:

Hostess (the cherry fruit pies and the King Dons and the Raspberry coconut twinkies)
TastyKake
The Dolly Madison folded chocolate cake thing with the whipped cream inside (I think it's Dolly Madison who makes this or Suzy Q is the name)
The Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies and Star Crunches

It's hard for me to rank them just by brand because I have favorites in each of these brands. My least favorite would be the Moon Pie --- they always seem dry.

Andrea

Publix today has a new display of TastyKake singles instead of boxed

They had Butterscotch Krimpets $1.29 on sale .99
and also had Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes $1.29 sale price .99
3 snack cakes in each 2-3 oz.