Trying Hershey's New Birthday Cake Chocolate Bar - Taste Test and Review

Introducing the Hershey's Birthday Cake Bar

Hershey's, the iconic American chocolate brand, has added a new and exciting flavor to their chocolate bar lineup - the Hershey's Birthday Cake bar! This bar features the classic Hershey's milk chocolate flavored and textured to taste just like birthday cake, complete with colorful sprinkles visible throughout. The Birthday Cake bar first hit store shelves in early 2019 and has quickly become a fan favorite. In this article, we'll take a closer look at what makes the Hershey's Birthday Cake bar so special, from it's origins to it's unique taste and texture.

The History of Hershey's Birthday Cake Bar

The Hershey's Birthday Cake bar was created to celebrate the 125th birthday of Hershey's. The company wanted to commemorate this milestone with a special limited edition bar that embodied the flavors of a celebratory birthday cake. After over a year in development, the Birthday Cake bar was unveiled in January 2019 to honor the anniversary of Hershey's being founded in 1894.

The bar was an instant hit with consumers who loved the interplay of creamy chocolate and sweet, colorful sprinkles. Due to high demand, Hershey's decided to add the Birthday Cake bar to their permanent chocolate bar assortment so fans could continue to enjoy it long after the 125th celebration ended.

Taste Profile of Hershey's Birthday Cake Bar

So what exactly does the Hershey's Birthday Cake bar taste like? As you would expect, it mostly tastes like Hershey's classic milk chocolate - smooth, creamy, and rich. But mixed throughout the chocolate are tiny crunchy rainbow sprinkles that provide pops of sweetness, mimicking the sugar sprinkles you'd find on a real birthday cake.

The sprinkles aren't overpowering so as not to detract from the chocolate. But they do add little bursts of flavor and texture that make you think "birthday cake" with each bite. The milk chocolate itself also has subtle vanilla undertones to reinforce the cake flavor profile.

Overall, it's a really fun melding of chocolate and birthday cake flavors. You get the indulgence of a chocolate bar infused with nostalgic birthday memories.

Appearance of Hershey's Birthday Cake Bar

In addition to having a unique taste, the Hershey's Birthday Cake bar is designed to look like a mini birthday cake too. If you look closely at an unwrapped bar, you'll notice the top is textured to resemble frosting. And embedded throughout the "frosting" and chocolate are colorful little sprinkles.

The sprinkles are randomly distributed, making each bar look slightly unique. You'll find bright rainbow sprinkles, confetti sprinkles, and even tiny chocolate sprinkles studding the chocolate surface. Just like biting into real birthday cake with sprinkles, you get little crunchy pops of texture and sweetness in every bite.

The fun birthday design makes the Birthday Cake bar stand out on the shelf. And it's sure to put a smile on your face when you see those sprinkles. It's literally a chocolate bar made to look like a mini birthday cake!

Trying the Hershey's Birthday Cake Bar

Unwrapping a Bar

Unwrapping a Hershey's Birthday Cake bar is an experience in itself. The inner foil wrapping features colorful stripes and confetti designs to maintain the birthday theme. It's clear before even taking a bite that Hershey's put a lot of thought into the aesthetics of this bar.

Once unwrapped, you immediately notice the "frosting" texture and rainbow of sprinkles baked right into the chocolate. The look is very reminiscent of a slice of cake, and it makes you eager to dig in.

Texture and Flavor

Biting into the Hershey's Birthday Cake bar provides an interplay of textures. The chocolate itself is smooth and creamy. Then the crunchy sugar sprinkles provide little bursts of texture throughout. The sprinkles don't overwhelm the chocolate, instead working to augment and support the cocoa flavors.

In terms of taste, you get classic Hershey's milk chocolate enlivened by the sweetness of the sprinkles. There are also background vanilla notes that enhance the impression of eating birthday cake. The chocolate strikes just the right balance between being perfectly indulgent yet not too rich.

With each bite, the taste experience evolves from chocolate to sprinkles to a lingering vanilla aftertaste. The transitions mimic the experience of eating real birthday cake with layers of frosting and cake. It's a fun sensory journey in each bite.

Overall Impression

The Hershey's Birthday Cake bar absolutely delivers on its birthday cake flavor promise. From the festive packaging to the cake-like texture and sprinkles, every aspect is designed to create an authentic birthday treat experience.

While it is indulgent, the use of Hershey's classic milk chocolate ensures the Birthday Cake bar isn't too overwhelming or rich. The flavors strike just the right balance to be satisfying yet still feel like a special dessert. It's perfect for a birthday celebration or anytime you want to enjoy the chocolatey nostalgia of a childhood birthday party.

For chocolate and birthday cake fans alike, the Hershey's Birthday Cake bar is sure to be a new favorite. This limited edition bar turned permanent item was definitely a hit for Hershey's 125th anniversary. Here's hoping they keep the Birthday Cake flavor in their lineup for another 125 years!

Nutrition Facts and Ingredients

Like all Hershey’s chocolate bars, the Birthday Cake bar has a relatively simple ingredient list of chocolate product, sugar, cocoa butter, milkfat, lactose, soy lecithin, PGPR, artificial flavors, and colors (Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 2 Lake).

It checks in at 230 calories for a standard 1.55 ounce bar, with 12 grams of fat, 24 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. So while not the healthiest snack choice, it’s comparable to other Hershey’s chocolate bars in terms of nutritional value.

The sprinkles contain sugar, cornstarch, cornstarch modified food starch, sodium phosphate and soapstone. So the extra colors and textures do not significantly affect the overall nutrition profile. For those watching their sugar intake, the Birthday Cake bar does contain slightly higher sugar due to the sprinkles.

But most customers are drawn to this bar for the taste experience and fun birthday theme, not for nutritional benefits. It’s an indulgent dessert bar through and through. The sprinkles and flavors make it feel special, but underlying it’s still classic Hershey’s chocolate.

Where to Buy Hershey's Birthday Cake Bar

When it was first introduced for Hershey's 125th birthday in 2019, the Birthday Cake bar could only be found at select retailers. But given it's popularity, Hershey's ramped up production to make it more widely available across stores.

Grocery Stores

You can now find Hershey's Birthday Cake bars at most major grocery chains across the United States. Check the candy aisle at stores like Walmart, Target, Kroger, Safeway, Whole Foods, and Publix.

Convenience Stores

Convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Wawa, and Circle K also carry Hershey's Birthday Cake bars. They are perfect for grabbing as an impulse buy when paying for gas or other items.

Online Stores

The Birthday Cake bar can also be purchased online from retailers like Amazon, Walmart.com, Target.com, and more. Buying online is a convenient way to get this limited edition bar shipped directly to your door.

Hershey's Store

You can buy Hershey's Birthday Cake bars direct from the source at either the Hershey's Chocolate World store in Hershey, PA or the Hershey's store online. They may have unique packs and deals on this popular bar.

International Availability

Unfortunately Hershey's Birthday Cake bars are produced exclusively in the US for domestic distribution only. So they are not readily available internationally or in most local corner shops/petrol stations around the world.

Your best bet is to try larger American grocery chains if you are looking for them outside the US. Or have a friend ship some to you internationally if you really want to get your hands on this exclusive treat!

Gift Ideas

Thanks to its festive theming, Hershey's Birthday Cake bars make for fun and creative gift ideas for birthdays, holidays, or special occasions. Here are some ways to give Birthday Cake bars as gifts:

Birthday Gift Basket

Create a DIY birthday gift basket with Birthday Cake bars, balloons, candles, stuffed animals, and other cute birthday party favors. Arrange it all in a basket wrapped with cellophane and bow.

"Cake Pops" Gift Box

Melt Birthday Cake bars and shape into cake pop balls. Insert lollipop sticks and decorate with frosting and sprinkles to look like real cake pops. Arrange in a giftable box or bag.

Cake-Themed Gift Card Holder

Glue or tape Birthday Cake bars onto a gift card holder in the shape of a slice of cake. Fill with a gift card to the recipient's favorite store for a delicious gift.

Birthday Invitation Favor

For a child's birthday party, attach a mini or fun-sized Birthday Cake bar to written invitations as an extra enticement to attend.

Piñata Stuffer

Add full-size and mini Birthday Cake bars as part of the candy mix inside a birthday piñata. The birthday cake flavor will tie in perfectly with the party theme.

However you choose to gift them, Hershey's Birthday Cake bars are sure to delight fans of chocolate, candy, and parties. Their festive theming makes them perfect for spreading birthday cheer to sweet treat lovers!

FAQs

What does the Hershey's Birthday Cake bar taste like?

The Birthday Cake bar tastes like Hershey's classic milk chocolate infused with flavors of birthday cake. It has a smooth chocolate base with crunchy rainbow sprinkles mixed in that provide pops of sugary sweetness reminiscent of birthday cake frosting.

Where can I buy Hershey’s Birthday Cake bars?

You can find Hershey's Birthday Cake bars at most major grocery stores like Walmart, Target, and Kroger in the regular candy aisle. Convenience stores like 7-Eleven also carry them. You can also buy them online from retailers like Amazon or directly from Hershey's online store.

Are Hershey’s Birthday Cake bars limited edition?

Originally introduced for Hershey's 125th anniversary in 2019, the Birthday Cake bar was going to be limited edition. But it proved so popular that Hershey's decided to add it to their permanent chocolate bar lineup so it's now widely available.

Can you buy Hershey’s Birthday Cake bars internationally?

Unfortunately, Hershey's Birthday Cake bars are currently only produced and sold within the United States. They are not readily available for purchase internationally or shipped globally by Hershey's at this time.

What are some creative ways to gift Hershey’s Birthday Cake bars?

These festive bars make great birthday gift ideas. You can create a DIY birthday gift basket, make cake pop gift boxes, attach them to gift cards, or stuff them into piñatas. Their birthday cake theme makes them fun for spreading birthday cheer.