Pairing Mr Kipling Cakes with a Glass of Bubbly

Samples continue to pour into the Glass of Bubbly office and one such parcel which followed a quick chat on Twitter was one from Mr Kipling Cakes. One of the most popular brands here in the UK and certainly a household name and for some no doubt a weekly must have on the shopping list – Did you know that Mr Kipling sold over 220 million mince pies in 2018 alone!

Such a family favourite deserves its place to be paired with some sparkling wines along with the Champagne label Lanson which appears on many supermarket shelves – Here is a combination that many consumers across the UK can enjoy. Alongside the Champagne Lanson, we decided to add some different sparkling wine options in a rosé from Georgia and a Muskat from Slovenia. So, just how did our afternoon of tasting cakes and fizz go?

For consumers out there looking to pair cakes with fizz and especially if you are opting for a bottle of Champagne it is important to know that you should look to get a sparkling wine that is at least as sweet if not sweeter than the dessert/cake you are pairing it with otherwise you will risk tasting the acidic element of the wine such as if you chose a Brut or an extra Brut (less sugar wine). For our tasting, we ran with three sweeter varieties of sparkling wines:

Badagoni. Tasting Notes: “Strawberries and red berries on the nose and in the palate. It’s a medium sweet wine. A Bronze Medal Winner in the ‘Dessert’ category in The World’s Finest Glass of Bubbly Awards 2018.”

Champagne Lanson. Tasting Notes: “Buttery and Brioche on the nose. Pastry and lemon zest with hints of peach in the palate. A Trophy Winner Wine in the ‘Dessert’ category in The World’s Finest Glass of Bubbly Awards 2017.”

Vinakoper. Tasting Notes: “A strong smell of Pineapple and citrus on the nose. A sweet taste with hints of pineapple. A lovely wine to drink on a tropical island. A Silver Medal Winner in the ‘Dessert’ category in The World’s Finest Glass of Bubbly Awards 2018.”

Tasting notes in order:

Battenberg

Badagoni: “Nice balance, enables the smooth marzipan flavours to show. A worthy combination.”

Lanson: “Initially dry citrus burst then icing sugar with subtle marzipan in the length.”

Vinakoper: “Overly sweet, Muskat is too strong for the pairing and only offers after the sweetness faint marzipan in length.”

Bramley Apple Pie

Badagoni: “Initial red berries then the pastry comes in to play in the length. A good balance overall.”

Lanson: “Interesting in that varied apple varieties are expressed including red apples and Granny Smith.”

Vinakoper: “Muskat is slightly overpowering.”

Chocolate Slices

Badagoni: “Red berry burst followed by dark chocolate flavours.”

Lanson: “Almost neutralized flavours with distant dark chocolate flavours in the length.”

Vinakoper: “A nice though ever so slightly too sweet pairing, subtle Muskat and chocolate flavours in the length.”

Flower Whirls

Badagoni: “Too much sweetness going on here, no notable flavours to enjoy.”

Lanson: “Not a great combination. Dry citrus flavours mostly with the sweetness of the pastry slightly shown.”

Vinakoper: “Better balance offering pleasant citrus/orange flavours with subtle pastry in the length.”

French Fancies

Badagoni: “Initially dry the citrus burst from the lemon French Fancy with a good more’ish length.”

Lanson: “Citrus all the way here, a most enjoyable and refreshing tasting experience.” 

Vinakoper: “Citrus/lime burst then a quick fade.”

Angel Slices

Badagoni: “Nice combination, mostly both together cancelling out with just a hint of creamy flavours in length.”

Lanson: “Champagne holding firm with this pairing then over to sugar/icing flavours,”

Vinakoper: “Not such a great mixture of flavours, mostly dry citrus and somewhat overly sweet flavours in the palate.”

The Champagne Lanson with the lemon French Fancy was definitely the standout pairing overall with the Badagoni performing very well across the selection of cakes.

Have you a sweet tooth? This may very well determine how these pairings fair with you though cakes and fizz is a popular treat for many and with such a variety of cakes from Mr Kipling, it is worth a try someday to brighten up anyone’s day!