Taste test: Christmas Tree Cake nostalgia inspires Wilmington bakery and ice cream shops

Allison Ballard, Wilmington StarNews
·3 min read
Little Debbie brand Christmas Tree Cakes are the inspirations for desserts in the Wilmington area. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS
Little Debbie brand Christmas Tree Cakes are the inspirations for desserts in the Wilmington area. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS

In recent years, supply chain woes have hit a number of products, from aluminum to take-out containers. Last Christmas season, Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes were hard to find.

And even people who might not have had the white-frosted, red-striped, green-sprinkled cakes since they were children were suddenly craving one. Friends and customers reached out to Imaginary Cakes, a custom bakery in Wilmington, telling them they should do something to help.

“And we said ‘How about we just make a big ol’ version,” said Courtney Butler, who took over the bakery in 2019 with husband Matt.

That’s when “Big Deborah” was born. It’s a full-sized version of the snack-sized cake and meant to mimic the taste as closely as possible. They sold about 100 last season. And even though the snack cakes are easier to find this year, they believe they’ll sell as many as 300 this year.

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Meanwhile, this summer, Klondike announced their Choco Taco ice cream treat would be discontinued.

“Anytime that happens, the nostalgia just amps up,” said Wes Bechtel, owner of Bombalatti’s Homemade Ice Cream, which has locations in Wilmington and Hampstead.

They were already making Christmas Tree Cake Ice Cream, but he saw the opportunity to combine two favorite treats, by making a Boom Taco (his version of the Choco Taco). They make them on Tuesdays, sometimes in other flavor combinations, and sell out fast.

“One day we sold out in eight minutes,” he said.

Other local businesses are working some Christmas Tree magic, too. Lil & John's Sweetreat Homemade Ice Cream at 6324 E. Oak Island Drive in Brunswick County has a Little Debbie inspired ice cream flavor. And Nutrition Revolution at 5101 Dunlea Court Suite 103, Wilmington, is offering a Christmas Tree Cake shake.

But what do some of these treats taste like? I tried a few.

Wilmington bakery Imaginary Cakes is offering the 'Big Deborah,' a full-size cake modeled on the Little Debbie snack cake brand, for the second year. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS
Wilmington bakery Imaginary Cakes is offering the 'Big Deborah,' a full-size cake modeled on the Little Debbie snack cake brand, for the second year. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS

Little Debbie vs. Big Deborah

The familiar, mass-produced snack-sized cake has two thin layers of vanilla cake, with a soft frosting sandwiched between. It’s then topped with a candy coating, red strips and green sprinkles. The proportions are just right here, with a good balance of cake to filling. But the candy coating leaves a slightly unpleasant film in your mouth. A box of five cakes is around $2.50.

Wilmington bakery Imaginary Cakes is offering the 'Big Deborah,' a full-size cake modeled on the Little Debbie snack cake brand, for the second year. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS
Wilmington bakery Imaginary Cakes is offering the 'Big Deborah,' a full-size cake modeled on the Little Debbie snack cake brand, for the second year. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS

Big Deborah is designed to have a close resemblance to the snack cake, but in a size meant to serve a crowd. The flavor is very vanilla forward and comes with a thick filling of soft, fluffy buttercream. This coating is thicker and has more of a white chocolate flavor. Because the layers are thicker, it doesn’t give quite the same eating experience as the Little Debbie, but it feels like the better-quality ingredients make for a better overall flavor. Cakes must be ordered ahead and are around $40.

Little Debbie treats, including the Christmas Tree Cakes) are now ice cream flavors. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS
Little Debbie treats, including the Christmas Tree Cakes) are now ice cream flavors. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS

Hudsonville vs. Boombalatti's

Little Debbie flavors are made in conjunction with Hudsonville Ice Cream, which has been in business since 1926. There are a variety of flavors, priced around $2.50, including those based on year-round treats like Oatmeal Crème Pie and Nutty Bars. The Christmas Tree Cake flavor has some cake chunks, a red swirl throughout, and green sprinkles for a sugary crunch. Overall, the flavor is super sweet, but does mimic the original cake.

The Boom Taco, filled with Christmas Tree Cake ice cream, from Boombalatti's Homemade Ice Cream, which has locations in Wilmington and Hampstead. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS
The Boom Taco, filled with Christmas Tree Cake ice cream, from Boombalatti's Homemade Ice Cream, which has locations in Wilmington and Hampstead. ALLISON BALLARD/STARNEWS

Boombalatti's uses a sweet-cream ice cream base and adds real Little Debbie Christmas Cakes, as well as holiday sprinkles for its ice cream flavor. Compared to the official brand, it isn’t as sweet, but still has the vanilla-and-cream flavor of the snack cakes. For the tacos, they use their house-made waffle cones and dip them in a white-chocolate coating and, of course, sprinkles and red stripes. It makes for a perfectly crunchy coating for the ice cream filling. Boom Tacos are around $10.

Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake inspired Wilmington bakery ice cream shop