REVIEW: Zaxby's Birthday Cake Milkshake (Limited Edition)

Whenever we’re talking fast food fried chicken, Zaxby’s is always near the top of my list. While I’ve been getting chicken fingers and crinkle fries there for years, I was recently turned on to their desserts by way of the Banana Pudding Milkshake. More recently, they decided to bring two additional flavors to their lineup: Birthday Cake and Chocolate Cookie. The Birthday Cake Milkshake was originally released back in 2010 as a celebration of the company’s 20th year in business, but was recently reintroduced by popular demand. This offering is made up of a festive cake batter-flavored milkshake mixed with multicolored sprinkles and finished off with chocolate whipped topping. After ordering, pulling around and paying my $2.99 plus tax, I was ready for my first sip.

I was given a tall plastic cup with a clear plastic top to prevent the chocolate whipped topping and vividly colored sprinkles from spilling over the sides. At 860 calories for the entire shake, this could be fit into some people’s daily diets, but I only ended up enjoying about half before things got too runny and melted to continue. After plunging my long plastic spoon through the airy, chocolate whipped topping; I pull out some of the yellow tinted ice cream hiding below the surface. The base is much sweeter than a standard vanilla, possesses a distinct cake-batter flavoring and isn't thick enough to hinder you from easily sucking some up through a straw. In order to enhance the texture, Zaxby’s has included plenty of the same brightly colored sprinkle circles used on top to the base. These add a bit of crunch and a more authentic birthday cake feel, but not much else.

The chocolate whipped topping sitting above the cake-batter base is a nice play on the traditional whipped cream you’d find on most shakes and, although it’s light in color and texture, the flavors are rich and mesh well with the ice cream and sprinkles. When combined in a bite with the other two ingredients, Zaxby’s Birthday Cake Milkshake settles at a C. Some actual birthday cake pieces would have really sent this shake to the next level, but until then, I'll take the Banana Pudding version over this one. I plan on checking out the Chocolate Cookie Shake soon, so we'll see which is the best of the three current options.

Where I Found It: Zaxby's
Grade: C

REVIEW: Zaxby's Banana Pudding Milkshake (Limited Edition)

After posting my first fast food review last week, I’ve had my eyes peeled for another limited edition product to pick up. Then Wayne Brady appeared on my television screen. Zaxby’s latest commercial showcases their banana pudding milkshake: a creamy banana pudding flavored milkshake, hand-blended and topped with real whipped cream and sweet vanilla wafer pieces. A banana pudding based dessert is about the only thing that would be able to pull me away from the chicken strips, seasoned crinkle fries and Zax sauce I’d normally order. Blue Bell and Front Porch have previously tried the same concept in their ice cream, but I’m interested to see if the fast food industry can attempt to keep up with store bought creations.

After paying my $2.99 plus tax and waiting about 5 minutes, I was handed a tall plastic cup that only provided a partial view of the banana pudding based milkshake inside. With the top plastic lid removed, I could get a better look at the real whipped cream and sweet vanilla wafer pieces that had just been placed on top. The whipped cream layer stood about an inch thick, much like it would in the actual dessert, and had been sprinkled with vanilla wafers that had been pulverized into a fine powder consistency. Although a few pieces had managed to barely sneak through the blender, this didn’t include any whole wafers. For my first taste I plunged my spoon through all three layers of ingredients and brought back a concentrated bite.

Unlike many milkshakes you’ll find at other fast food chains, Zaxby’s doesn’t go overboard with the concrete consistency. This banana pudding milkshake was easily sucked through a straw and because it lacks any large mix-ins, flowed up smooth and steady. The actual milkshake produces a more complex flavoring than I had expected. Zaxby’s has built on the taste of a simple banana base by incorporating a strong pudding flavor as well. This fluffy shake’s soft-serve feel means that everything envelops your taste buds at once; without the wait time of frozen solid ice creams. The velvety texture is soon built upon when the whipped cream and wafers come into play. By adding the whipped cream, it gives some portions a light, aerated feel; while the crushed cookies provide the little bit of crunch to give Zaxby’s Banana Pudding Milkshake an authentic impersonation. I’d still rather have a pint of banana pudding ice cream or, better yet, a bowl of the real stuff.

Where I Found It: Zaxby's
Grade: C