As I was cruising through the freezer aisle at Kroger a few weeks back, I noticed that Private Selection had rolled out a slew of new flavors. After trying their Southern Recipe Banana Cream Pie and Denali Extreme Moose Tracks flavors, I don't hesitate to invest in an entire carton, especially when we're talking red velvet. I've had this particular cake flavor from Front Porch, New Orleans Ice Cream Company, Blue Bell, Ben & Jerry's and Blue Bunny, nearly all of which have received a high ranking. Private Selection has taken pieces of red velvet cake and folded it into rich cake batter ice cream for their version.
I release the sure seal tab and pull the back the top to reveal this luscious looking first layer. The off white ice cream is so riddled with red velvet cake debris that it gives the base a near-pink appearance. My first concern was that there wouldn't be any gaudy chunks of cake, but after I began to scoop some into a bowl, that concern quickly dissipated. Tipping the scales at 220 calories per serving, this comes in somewhere in the middle as far as denseness is concerned, but still peeled away with ease instead of resisting the edge of my spoon. Leaving the large pieces of cake for later, I collected a large specimen of the cake batter base for further analysis.
The descriptions lacks to mention the fact that this cake batter base is full of cream cheese icing. It's nearly impossible to get a bite without having the fury of frosting string up from the ice cream to my spoon. The thick, sticky ice cream sure feels premium, and after my first bite, packs a lot more flavor than I had anticipated. Seeing as I enjoy cream cheese in my frozen desserts, I welcomed the fact that Private Selection went heavy on the cream cheese aspect of red velvet cake. The combination of sweet cake batter ice cream, cream cheese frosting and tiny specks of cake created one of the most impressive red velvet bases I've had.
The complexity of the base caught me a bit off guard, especially seeing as how the other Private Selection bases had only been a vehicle for the mix-ins. The ice cream could have contained a bit less air and a bit more butterfat, but the above average base was more than adequate. So adequate in fact, that I didn't prematurely chase down the cake bits, but instead savored the sweet cake batter base for as long as I could. When I did get around to sampling the slivers of red velvet cake, these delectable tidbits were the perfect addition to the top-notch base. Sharing the same bright red color as the chunks found in red velvet flavors from New Orleans Ice Cream Company, they tasted similar to the chocolate-infused pieces from Front Porch's Scarlett Red Velvet.
The thick, dense and chewy pieces of cake took multiple bites to break down. Private Selection doesn't hold back with the cocoa in these chunks, creating a vibrantly colored cake full of chocolate flavoring. There weren't a ton, but the flecks throughout the entire carton more than made up for the fact. After trying this, along with some of their other flavors, Private Selection is starting to gain my respect. With all the new creations they've recently released, I can't wait to continue my exploration.
Where I Found It: Kroger
Grade: A
