If there is one thing I love more than chocolate its cake. I can make fairly decent little cakes at home, but I have never mastered a large cake as well as the supermarkets dish out. I will always buy large cakes from the supermarket for this reason, and also the jam and cream mix they put in some cakes are so much better than any mix I have been able to create.
I'll admit to loving a nice cream and jam sponge, and have tried many different varieties over the years. The other day I decided to try the Sainsbury's basics raspberry sponge cake as it was half the price of their own label one.
At only 46p for a whole cake I wasn't sure I could go wrong, even the ingredients must cost more for the individual to buy to make this cake.

As with all the basics range, there is nothing special about the packaging. A white box with a slice of cake sitting on the front with the basics labelling all over the white cardboard.
Inside the box, the cake sits wrapped in a plastic film, which is exactly that same as all the other branded cakes.
My gripe with the packaging is that as you open it, the cake really needs to be transferred to a plate to allow it to be sliced properly. By taking it out of the packaging entirely, you have to either eat it all in one sitting, or re package it in an air tight container to prevent it going stale. Personally I would probably choose the first option.

On first appearance the cake looks like the more expensive ones I have tried. The layers look to be an average thickness, and I can see an ok amount of filling when I slice the cake. Perhaps the levels of jam and cream are slightly less than in other brands.
The sponge is a decent gold colour, and doesn't appear to have been under cooked or indeed over cooked. There is a very thin layer of icing sugar on the top, and I would say you get more with other brands.

Eating the cake, I noticed straight away that the jam and cream didn't quite make it all the way to the edges of the cake. This is how they made the cake cheaper in the filling instance.
The sponge tastes nice and light, but perhaps hasn't quite got the springy feel and effect you get from other brands. It's a bit dry when you get to the edges and find you're eating cake and more cake, but its fine when mixed with the filling.
The jam and cream mixed together is very sweet but compliments the cake very well. It's not as creamy and flavoursome as you would get from other brands but you do get what you pay for and this is adequate for the price.

The cake is designed to serve six, and these portions would be fairly small, but enough as a slice of cake served with tea for example.
Each slice will provide you with 144 calories and 6.7 grams of fat. When you look at the stats, you realise you probably don't want more than a slice of this cake at a time.

Overall, this cake will stand up against the others in the price test very well. If you're on a massive budget then cake doesn't usually get bought no matter how cheap it is, but for a cheap treat then this is worth a buy. You won't waste a lot if you find you don't like it.