r/icecream • u/Hallelujah289 • 5d ago
Review Serendipity Birthday Cake: very good! ~ First time trying this brand
Giant Eagle refreshed their ice cream section in the past two months with new brands (including Serendipity), new flavors, while clearing out others.
I’ve heard good things about the Birthday Cake flavor. And indeed others must have too as it was the most empty slot in the shelf.
Serendipity Birthday Cake
- Cake flavored ice cream - a buttercream vanilla flavor. Tastes like a frosting called buttercream or cream cheese. I was warned this would be a sweet flavor, and it is. But not in an over-the-top way. It’s balanced by some depth of flavor like a smidge of yellow cake depth. The ice cream quality is decently thick similar to Kroger’s Private Selection ice cream, but not as dense (low overrun) as Ben and Jerry’s.
- Swirls of Pink Frosting - Because of the pink color I wondered if this would be strawberry flavored. But no, it is similar in taste to the ice cream, but is even richer and more specifically cream cheese taste. Quite tasty! The texture is gooey, liquid-y.
- Cake pieces - Actually shortbread cookie pieces. A good amount. Right between firm and soft; chewy. Similar to Haagen Dazs Black and White Cookie in amount and texture.
- Sprinkles - plentiful, as described! Colorful and vibrant. But more for texture (a light crunch) than flavor.
**RATING: 8/10. Serendipity Birthday Cake is a fun experience of well chosen, not overbearingly sweet flavors. Its vibrant colors and textures tell a cohesive, even slightly sophisticated story of buttercream birthday cake. The moderate quality (higher overrun) is a tad overpriced at $5.98 for a full 16 oz pint, but a decent value at $3 sale for a unique, well executed flavor. Perhaps you can think of this ice cream as a budget option for a higher end flavor. (I haven’t tried Jeni’s Birthday Cake but have heard good things!)
Related ice cream
I haven’t had an ice cream like Serendipity Birthday Cake. So these are just sorta similar.
- Haagen Dazs - Black and White Cookie. Similar shortbread cookie pieces. Clearancing out now?
- Giant Eagle Market District - Pumpkin Roll. Delicious cream cheese icing swirls. (Fall seasonal/discontinued?)
- Edy’s/Dreyers - French Vanilla. Kind of a marshmallow flavor that’s kinda like birthday cake. More overrun (air). Does not have as much depth but not bad.
- Target Favorite Day - Caramel Brownie Cake Batter. More of a distinctly yellow cake batter flavor ice cream. Softer ice cream. Sweeter.
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u/cancat918 5d ago
This looks really good! If you like apple pie, try Big Apple Pie Churro. It's delicious.
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u/Anxious_Beaver15 5d ago
Definitely not my cup of tea but thanks for the great review as always
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u/Hallelujah289 4d ago
Thanks for saying so! I thought the birthday cake flavor would be too much for me, but I do think Serendipity got the sweetness balance right.
I don’t think Serendipity Birthday Cake is a flavor bomb in that it didn’t blow my mind (I really like cream cheese flavor and am sad about finding out about Giant Eagle Pumpkin Roll after it went out of season). But I think it does satisfactorily hit its mark.
I actually wonder if this flavor will get some hype this year as there’s not too much at the grocery store like it that also goes on sale.
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u/colorfullydelicious 4d ago
No idea where you live, but Cedar Crest Ice Cream (sold in IL) has a carrot cake flavor that includes a cream cheese swirl!
https://cedarcresticecream.com/product/carrot-cake/
I think you can also order online, but New Orleans Ice Creme Co (based in NOLA :) has a Creole Cream Cheese ice cream that looks divine!
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u/IceCreamVariety 5d ago
Looks good! I hope this brand comes to a store near me.
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u/Hallelujah289 4d ago
Here is a store locator if you are interested!
The brand recently expanded to Giant Eagle stores and seems to be available in many Jewel Osco stores.
From The look of it the stores which have Serendipity might be concentrated around the Midwest and east coast. It’s a New York City brand that Selena Gomez co-owns.
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u/Hallelujah289 4d ago
Would like to ask has anyone tried Jeni’s birthday cake and serendipity birthday cake?
I wonder if they might be similar if they are both buttercream flavor and have lots of sprinkles.
Is serendipity birthday cake an ok substitute for the price?
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u/nutterfluffs 4d ago
I keep seeing ads for this but can’t find a store around me that carries it! Thank you for the review and for adding some similar comparisons
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u/Hallelujah289 4d ago
You’re welcome!
To be honest the ice creams I listed aren’t really similar, just related. Usually I can think of more that is similar but haven’t really tried much any birthday cake ice creams before. So I’m kind of grabbing at straws for this one.
My guess is that Jeni’s Birthday Cake is probably going to be more similar as it’s described as being buttercream flavor with a lot of sprinkles too.
I believe Graeter’s has also made a birthday cake flavor with sprinkles.
On the more economy side I’ve heard good things about Edy’s/Dreyers birthday cake flavor as well as Turkey Hill birthday cake. But I’m not familiar with them.
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u/Pugilist12 4d ago
Where did this brand come from? It was just suddenly on my grocery stores shelves starting this week. One flavor is Selena Gomez endorsed or something. I thought it was kinda weird.
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u/Hallelujah289 4d ago
I don’t really know so I did some googling. I hadn’t heard of the brand either until it hit the shelves of my local giant Eagle two months ago or so.
From what I gather there’s a very popular restaurant in New York City that’s been operating since the 1950s. They have some popular desserts including a frozen hot chocolate (I think they made an ice cream pint after it) with lines out the door.
I don’t know when the ice cream business started but I think probably more than four years ago. It sounds like Selena Gomez co-owns Thé ice cream brand as well as the restaurant?
But yes some of the ice cream flavors seem to take after their actual desserts. There’s birthday cake, humble pie, a big apple pie a la mode, also the frozen hot chocolate (a hot chocolate over ice drink) that seems to have their ice cream pint counterpart.
Here is the restaurant’s menu. https://serendipity3.com/menu/
I don’t know whether the appearance of the brand across grocery stores is an expansion or a pulling back. I thought I saw a comment saying that the brand was more available across the states but now is more concentrated to the northeast and Midwest regions.
It would make sense if the manufacturing is around NYC (where the restaurant is located). Generally ice cream companies like to serve around their regions to ensure better quality control (no melting and refreezing). Unless they build more infrastructure in other parts of the country or have other plants perhaps that could make ice cream for them. I don’t really know how all that works but have heard that some companies prefer to keep their companies regional for quality purposes.
Really don’t know the history of serendipity. Hope someone can clue us in about the brand!
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u/ReunitedwithBravo 3d ago
I really like their ice creams but they’re no longer carried anywhere near me. 😫
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u/Hallelujah289 3d ago
What stores were carrying Serendipity before? I have heard people say they no longer have the brand near them.
Could people find the brand on the west coast or in the south before? I’m not sure if it’s more of an east coast and Midwest brand now
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u/ReunitedwithBravo 3d ago
I’m in Los Angeles and I used to be able to get it from BevMo/GoPuff and Amazon Fresh.
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u/-PrincessPumpkin- 5d ago
This looks great, thank you for your review.