It's a taste test with Trader Joe's Strawberries & Cream Cloud Cake versus Wegmans Strawberry Shortcake. A slice of the Wegmans cake is $6 around here. The Trader Joe's frozen cake is sold for $6.49 in the same town.
Instructions for the Trader Joe's cake say to defrost in the fridge for 24 hours. Well I bought it this morning, kept it in the fridge for a few hours, and then cut a small piece to sit out for a few minutes until the whipped cream was soft. Maybe it'd taste better if it defrosted longer. There's still a lot left, so I'll update this post if I try it again later and it's significantly tastier.
To start, the Wegmans yellow cake is soft, with sweet cream and fresh strawberries that are a bit tart. It's good.
The Trader Joe's white cake is drier and thinner, almost like an airy biscuit with many holes. The whipped cream is thin - almost liquid, with a milky aftertaste. The yellow custard layer in the middle tasted like nothing. The strawberries tasted like jam or preserves, a mix of sweet and tart.
Above is a close-up of the Trader Joe cake. The photo on the box is accurate. My fellow taste tester only had about a forkful of the Trader Joe's cake before quitting. I didn't finish it either.
Trader Joe's has cute packaging and all, and for some reason many people online think it's so great. BUT according to us, Wegmans is the clear winner. It tastes way better.
UPDATE: I tried a piece of the Trader Joe's cake after it defrosted in the fridge for over 24 hours and yes, it is significantly better than the day before. The cake turned soft, as if it absorbed the moisture from the surrounding cream and custard. It's a mushy soft dessert now, and the strawberry part is a nice compliment to it. I would not buy it again though.
Wegmans is still better.