In an attempt to branch out to some other brands, I reviewed a carton of Mayfield's Snickerdoodle a few weeks back. Recently I ran across some pint-sized portions available at a super-low price, so I decided to sample a flavor that I wouldn't normally purchase if it were in a larger container. My first experience had been pleasant enough to convince me to try their version of Birthday Cake ice cream, sugar cookie flavored ice cream with a big blue icing swirl and colored butter cream flecks. The only other sugar cookie base ice cream I've had the pleasure of experiencing acted as the foundation inside Christmas Cookies from Blue Bell, so hopefully Mayfield's version can have close to the same effect.
The fact that Birthday Cake only contains 150 calories per serving could be reason for concern, especially considering the weightlessness of the pint despite being full inside. Judging by look and calorie count, this seems to be of similar quality to that of Blue Bunny's Birthday Party. Yet again, the lack of actual birthday cake pieces which Blue Bell and Turkey Hill managed to include, would have been worth the influx in calories. With the top removed, the first layer is manilla-tinted, with hints of the thick blue icing swirl and multicolored butter cream flecks showing through to the top. Unfortunately, as I began to gather some of the beige base onto my spoon, I found the sugar cookie flavored ice cream had an unusual crumbly texture, usually consistent with low-quality ice cream.
The overly-sweetened base tended to have an artificial flavoring that had a bit of a cake batter taste, but finishes with a taste closer to it's intentions of sugar cookies. Although I was satisfied with the consistency found in Snickerdoodle, the base used in Birthday Cake just wasn't as smooth as I was hoping. Mayfield attempted to make up for this fact by adding a large amount of the icing and sprinkles. Very similar to the swirl and flecks used in Blue Bunny's Birthday Party, the butter cream sprinkles add a bit of texture, along with a burst of additional sugar. But the best, and sweetest part of this pint, comes in the form of the thick, bright blue icing careening throughout this container. The taste is identical to authentic icing you'd find on a birthday cake, but fails to impersonate the actual texture. The end result can't quite manage to overcome it's brother from Blue Bunny, or any other birthday cake flavor for that matter.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
Grade: F
