Yümbolina! (Gü Choc & Vanilla Cheesecakes)

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	Gü Choc & Vanilla Cheesecakes
Date:	16/02/06 (205 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Delicious thick truffle

Disadvantages: 30g of fat per serving

A few years ago I discovered Gü's little pots of thick chocolate goodness and was in heaven. They were rich and satisfying, despite their small size and quite restrained calorie content, and very affordable. While I've been off jetting off around the globe for the last few years, the geniuses in the Gü kitchens have been busy expanding their range to include a selection of delectable desserts, including this beauty.

A simple cheesecake has two components - the base and the cheesy cake bit. A chocolate cheesecake can come with 2 or 3 components in two different styles - like the standard version but with a chocolate sauce topping (3 distinct parts), or as a base with a chocolated cheesy cake bit (2 distinct parts). The Gü cheesecakes are similar to the chocolate topped cheesy cake 3 part version, but instead of a chocolate sauce on top, they have a thick chocolate truffle. Genius.

To look at the cheesecakes are quite pretty as the layers are evenly distributed, and you can immediately see the level of their generosity with the truffle topping, which makes sense since that's the special but that turns a regular cheesecake into a gooey Gü one. The biscuit base is a chocolate one, and the right consistency of firm yet crumbly. It tastes good but is quite thin, and I think it could use a fraction of a fraction more salt. But then my tastebuds tell me that about most foods. The cheesecake centre is a nice texture - solid enough not to be runny, but easy to slice into. It tastes like German cheesecake if you've ever had it - plain yet tasty, and with sufficient flavour to survive without the truffle topping if it had to. The pièce de résistance, though, truly is that truffle. If you've ever had a pot of Gü you'll know what it's like - thick, velvety and scrumptious. It's been dolloped on generously, so there's lots to go around.

The Gü cheesecakes come pre-served in glass ramekins. This makes them look posh enough to serve to guests (along with that 'just a little something I whipped up earlier' lie) but also makes eating them a tad bit tricky. In general I like my spoon to have a layer of each of the 2 or 3 components on it, but the shape of said ramekins makes this a little hard, and the first few digs bring up only truffle and cheesecake, sans biscuit base. The base is the bit that tends to even out the flavour, adding the slightly savoury side to what is essentially a sickly sweet pudding. Thus, without a bit of the base, and with the extra rich Gü truffle topping, your first few mouthfuls can verge on too-too sweet.


Gü cheesecakes cost about £2.50 for 2 which is very reasonable if you compare them to the cost of cake based snacks for you and a friend at a typical coffee house chain - Starbucks' chocolate cheesecake is heaven on a plate, but costs more than that for just one slice. I purchased them this time because they were on offer at Tesco and £1 off made them too irresistible for words.

Generally, cheesecake is not a dessert for those on a diet, and Gü cheesecakes are no different. Each one has about 450 calories in, despite their small, bite-sized portions. Still, imagine what a whopper of a slice from the coffee houses we were discussing early must contain, and Gü could almost seem like the 'healthy' choice. Almost.

Find them in the chilled deserts area, near yoghurts and mousse. Frü cheesecakes are also available, though these are still rather calorific so going for virtuous fruit over sinful chocolate isn't really worth your while unless that's what you actually prefer.

Full marks for the truffle topping and the presentation (each cheesecake in the twin pack is sealed neatly so if they're both for you, and you have some self control, you can open the external packaging and eat one, and leave the other for a week or so without doing it any harm. Minus half a mark for the silly shape of the glass pots and the access this denies as a result. Round up and you still get 5 out of 5, and a glowing recommendation from me that you try these if your Tesco loves you and your wallet (though perhaps not your waistline) as much as mine loves me.

http://www.gupuds.com/

Summary: Could you face yourself if you didn't at least try?