Hood Classic Chocolate Cupcake Ice Cream

[New for 2014] I hadn't been home from the store for very long when Nick sends a pic of something new he saw on the store shelf. He had bought something else instead but was regretting it a bit, so I said have no fear... I saw it, but I bought it!

Hood Classic Chocolate Cupcake Ice Cream

Chocolate cake flavored ice cream

with a white frosting swirl & chocolate cake pieces

Business note: With 2014 upon us, it seems clearer than ever that Hood has basically broken their ice creams in to two categories. One is just labeled Hood and consists of regular / classic flavors. The other one is this emerging New England Creamery branding that is being infiltrated by more and more creative flavors. On top of this limited edition flavor we have here, there are already several out and several more in the pipe that have New England names and themes to them. My opinion? I like it. If you only distribute in New England, why not serve your clustomers with something the national brands can't give you. Sure it's still not premium ice cream (with a premium price point), but I really like this creativity that Hood is showing.

I smell fake marshmallow frosting! There are tiny thin swirls of "white frosting" everywhere and they're pretty potent smelling. You probably also noticed an abundance of cake bits. Could be good....

First bite.... hmmmm. Second bite....ummm. Well, they said chocolate cake flavored base and this certainly isn't any standard chocolate base I've ever had. Thing is, my tastebuds are having a little trouble processing it. It's almost...spicy, like gingerbread spicy. It's not strong, but it's something. They succeeded in making it different, but it's going to take a little while to settle in.

The cake bits are ok, not gooey, but not crunchy. They are kind of dry, but in a... gee, I don't even know what to compare them to. The smaller bits you don't notice it, but the big bits are definitely a different texture then your usual ice cream mix-in.

You know how some oatmeal cookies have that spice or tang to them, that's what my brain is registering. I check in with my daughter and.... yeah, she's not really a fan either. I don't want to totally bash this flavor, I like when companies try to attack from a different angle, but this isn't going to be for everyone. I think in the right setting, say on a warm brownie, this might work better. I'm just not loving it on the first scooping.

On Second Scoop: Oh man, my daughter just refused to try another bowl of this one, so my wife stepped up to the plate instead. She says it's not bad and she'll take over finishing duties if necessary. Me? Well, I decided to aim for the bites that had the most cake bits and it was fairly enjoyable. I still think the marshmallow swirl is little too artificial and invades the other flavors, but when you have a small bite with three or four cake bits on your spoon, they take over and make for a pleasant bite. [I forgot about the spicy comment I made in the first scooping, though now that I think about it, now I think I have a little bit of lingering tang going on... though tang is probably the wrong word]

Verdict?  Has some good points
Buy Again?  probably not