The change from a favorite Whole Foods cake was short, but not too sweet.
Berry Chantilly Cake has been available at the grocery store since 2002, and has become a cult favorite in recent years. But a recipe change in September threatened to leave Chantilly fans with a bad taste.
TikTokers noticed that the cake had been altered and the videos quickly went viral. A September 21 video by Lisa Younes, which has since been viewed more than 1.5 million times, claims the original Berry Chantilly cake slices were discontinued after speaking with a Whole Foods employee. (She said the full Berry Chantilly cakes will stick to the original recipe.)
Other creators tested the rumors and found them to be true. Instead of the $5 double layer vanilla cake with berries and almond mascarpone cream, the individual cake slices are replaced with frozen cake and frosting and jam filling instead of fresh fruit.
Whole Foods Chantilly Cake.
Whole food
Testers claimed the jam tasted like “raspberry jam flavored cleaning product,” according to one TikTok from @culturework. The berries were also scattered on the sides instead of between the frosting and cake layers.
Fans flocked to Whole Foods’ social media pages for information on the sliced cake. Initially, the grocer reiterated in comments that the cake was not discontinued and that the full-size cake remained “unchanged.”
“Berry Chantilly cake slices have not been discontinued! While the slices may look different, they retain the signature almond flavor and fluffy texture you know and love from our classic cake,” said one comment from Whole Foods.
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A Whole Foods spokesperson said The New York Times Sept. 26 that the company has “harmonized the flavor profile, size, packaging and price” to standardize the slices of cake sold in stores so that customers “have the same high-quality experience” in all stores.
But after a week of hounding national retailers, Berry Chantilly loyalists forced Whole Foods to comply with their demands. The company addressed the recipe reversal in the comments section of TikTok on October 1.
“Individual slices are expected to return to their old state by the end of the week. 😊” read one comment. Another comment from Whole Foods reads: “Hi, our Berry Chantilly Cake is unchanged. Because of the feedback, we’re bringing back individual slices of the classic Chantilly cake that customers know and love!”
On September 30, the spokesperson updated The New York Times: “Based on feedback from our customers, we will be reintroducing individual slices of Berry Chantilly Cake that are the same as the classic that our customers know and love.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education