Doberge cake, a multi-layered concoction of pudding, cake, and icing, is a New Orleans favorite, and arguably the favorite variety is lemon. So it's no surprise that the New Orleans Ice Cream Co. (NOICC) would make a variety of this Big Easy pleasure. Having had good experiences with their ice cream before, I was eager to sink my spoon into this concoction.
NOICC describes Lemon Doberge Cake as "tangy lemon sauce and real lemon cake in our citrus-lemon ice cream". Pulling off the lid, one is greeted with an optimistic sight: The base ice cream has the yellowish/green complexion of a citrus flavor, and one can see evidence of the promised sauce and a few cake bits protruding through the surface. Digging in, the flavor matches those high expectations. The citrus base is indeed tangy, full of fruity essence. It tastes like a combination of lemon, orange, an satsuma fruits. The lemon sauce winds its way throughout in perfect quantity, providing a creamy texture while not overwhelming the delicate balance of flavors. This sauce is a very tasty surrogate for the combination of pudding and cream icing found on doberge cakes. Best of all are the cake pieces. These pieces taste as if they were sliced off of a classic Gambino's bakery doberge cake. Moist and chewy, and provided in a plentiful quantity.
Overall, I found Lemon Doberge Cake to be a very tasty treat, particularly refreshing during these hot summer months. My only complaint is that NOICC has not yet made a chocolate doberge cake (the other most popular flavor) as a companion to this flavor for the winter.
Where Steve Found It: Walmart (Baton Rouge, LA)
Grade: A