Co-op tops the table ahead of M&S in Which?’s ultimate caterpillar cake taste test
A surprise supermarket winner has knocked M&S’s Colin the Caterpillar off the top spot in the consumer champion’s caterpillar cake taste test.
Which? asked a panel of 75 consumers to rate the best caterpillar cakes across eight supermarkets in a blind taste test.
Winning the top spot this year was Co-op’s Charlie the Caterpillar Cake (£8 for 660g). The supermarket received an impressive 72 per cent score and a Which? Best Buy recommendation. The cake wowed tasters with its ultimate combination of rich chocolate flavour, moist sponge and soft buttercream.
Following closely behind was Marks & Spencer’s original Colin the Caterpillar (£8.50 for 625g). The cake received a 71 per cent rating and was also awarded a Which? Best Buy recommendation. While it just missed out on the top spot it beat most rivals with its superior sponge and delicious chocolatey flavour.
Morrisons also fared well, with its Morris the Caterpillar Cake (£7.50 for 624g) receiving a score of 70 per cent. Morris wasn't quite as impressive as the Which? Best Buy options, but the taste testers enjoyed its flavour overall. The majority enjoyed the texture of the buttercream but the sponge was a little disappointing, with just over half finding it too dry.
Tying in third place with Morrisons with a score of 70 per cent was Sainsbury’s Wiggles the Caterpillar Cake (£7.50 for 627g). Wiggles is one of the most similar looking caterpillars to Colin, so there's a chance you could fool some based on looks alone. It scored good marks for its chocolatey flavour, but some of the taste test panel found the sponge was lacking much-needed moistness and nearly a third thought the chocolate shell was too thin.
Following closely behind with a score of 69 per cent was Waitrose’s Cecil the Caterpillar Cake (£8.50 for 720g). The panel of testers were satisfied with the strength of chocolate flavour, sweetness and thickness of the chocolate shell but almost half (45%) felt there was too much sponge compared with buttercream.
The cheapest option on test this year was Aldi’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar Cake (£5.49 for 625g). The cake got a 68 per cent score and while it scored well on flavour, nearly half of tasters found the texture of the sponge too dry. Cuthbert may not have hit the heights of pricier rivals, but if you're after a budget birthday cake, it's not a bad choice.
Tying with Aldi’s score of 68 per cent was Tesco’s Slinky the Caterpillar Cake (£7.50 for 648g). Its overall flavour was well rated, but nearly half of the panel found it too dry. One third also felt it lacked buttercream.
Coming last in the rankings with a score of 67 per cent was Asda’s Letty the Caterpillar Cake (£7.50 for 615g). More than a third of the panel thought the chocolate flavour was too weak, while 63 per cent found the sponge too dry.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said:
“For a lot of us, a caterpillar cake is a must for a birthday or celebration. Our test results show you don't have to go out of your way to get the best, or splash too much cash.
“Our panel rated Co-op as our highest scoring caterpillar cake overall. As well as being budget friendly, Co-op’s Charlie the Caterpillar had a rich chocolate flavour and plentiful amount of buttercream.
“The scores across the board were quite close, so you can’t go too far wrong with a caterpillar cake, but if you want the best, we advise you to head to Co-op or M&S.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
How we tested caterpillar cakes:
The caterpillar cakes were tested in February 2024 by a large panel of consumers who regularly buy and consume celebration cakes. The panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK.
Each caterpillar cake was assessed by 75 people. The panellists rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each product, and told us what they liked and disliked about each one.
The taste test was blind, so the panellists didn’t know which brand they were trying. The order in which they sampled the caterpillar cakes was rotated to avoid any bias and each panellist was in a private booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.
The overall score is based on:
50% flavour
30% appearance
10% aroma
10% texture
Prices are correct as of 5 March 2024.
Which? Best Buys
Which? only awards its Best Buy logo to the very best products, based on our independent expert taste tests.
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