“Moist, flavorful pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting”
It’s FALL and Trader Joe’s is of course coming out with all the pumpkin items; This one is a very good MINI SHEET CAKE with a cream cheese frosting on top of a moist cake with the typical pumpkin spices. The cream cheese frosting is good even though found it to be a bit on the too sweet side. Even the frosting has a slight taste of the pumpkin spices. The cake was quite tasty, moist and flavorful. The spices were well balanced; not overpowering as they can be sometimes. This has just the right amount.
We loved the cake with coffee and tea, which balanced out it’s sweetness.
Trader Joe’s says : “You’ll fall for the moist, spongy crumb, flavored by pumpkin purée and warm spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. A rich, cream-cheese frosting is piped on top, lending an upscale bakery vibe and providing a classic flavor-pairing for the Pumpkin Spice profile.”
I like most of the mini sheet cakes and this one is quite good. My favorite will always be the Chocolate Ganache one but this one is a Fall Limited Edition one, which I think you and your family will like during TJ’s “pumpkin season”.
This is a great Fall item. I would buy it again.
$5.99/18 Oz (up about 50 cents since the last time i got sheet cake)
Yes that’s actually their name. “Simply Amazing Soft Dried Apricots” and here’s Trader Joe’s description on their site:
“Large, Dried Apricots—of the juicy, Suphany variety—ripen in the sun to a blush-orange hue, while also developing a rich, honey-like sweetness. Once harvested, they’re carefully dried in the summer sun by our trusted Turkish apricot supplier (and by Mother Nature, of course). What really makes these Dried Apricots Simply Amazing is the final step, which involves a gentle steaming. This unique method yields unbelievably soft apricots with a tender, chewy, almost velvety texture.”
Here’ my honest review of these dried apricots. They actually live up to the name., these apricots in fact are Simply Amazing. Probably the best dried apricots I’ve ever eaten. These are just so amazingly tasty. And SOFT!!!
If you love dried fruits but sometimes find them way too dried, and feel with some of them like you could just as well be chewing on shoe leather (I’m thinking of you, Trader Joe’s All Natural Dried Mango. Trying to eat those can wear out your jaw…) Then you might try these. These are so soft and moist from the steaming method used to make them. They are soft and squishy. Each one of these is either a whole (or half?) of a Turkish Suphany apricot. They have three ingredients; apricots, water and (yes) sulfur dioxide “to maintain color”. I can live with that if they taste this good. I’ve been eating them mostly cut up into little pieces and added to my morning yogurt/breakfast mix. Also right out of the bag. They do match great with cheeses too.
These are “limited” by growing season, so they will sell them until they run out and get more hopefully next year. They are one pound for $4.79 (they have no pits). It probably takes a basket of fruit to make the bag.
“What’s the scoop? We’ve captured the spirit of strawberry season in an ice cream carton. Each rich, velvety spoonful of this cheerful pink treat is studded with strawberries and bursting with fruit forward flavor”
RAVE
What Trader Joe’s has to say about this Super Premium STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM:
“… our product developer spent months tinkering with the recipe to ensure it delivered the ideal balance of creamy, velvety goodness and bright, fruit-forward personality of Strawberry season. The Ice Cream’s cheerful pink color comes courtesy of fruit & vegetable juices (unlike others found elsewhere colored with artificial ingredients)”
I’ve been reading about how good this new Strawberry Ice Cream was and really wanted to try it. So I go to buy it at my Trader Joe’ only to see NONE left. Oh No!? Already all SOLD OUT?! Bummer!
Fortunately, an employee saw yours truly and another guy both looking in the case for it, and asked if we wanted some. My new friend and I almost shouted. Yes! Please! She said some just came in the back, and she would bring it to us. Our lucky day! Very popular item it seems.
So how is it? Here’s my honest review of TJ’s new strawberry ice cream. Honestly I can see why this is so popular, as actually is as good as it’s reputation. It really has a wonderful strawberry flavor in every bite. You see little bits of strawberries in the ice cream. It’s just so tasty and yummy. It’s another of those Trader Joe’s products that you take a bite of and have to force yourself to stop. I put the remaining half pint it back in the freezer for the next day.
BTW “Super Premium” refers to the amount of “overrun” (or air) in ice cream.
“The Super Premium designation on this Ice Cream is a particular point of pride—to achieve it, an ice cream must have less than 50% overrun. Overrun refers to the amount of air whipped into the ice cream during the churning process – lower overrun equals richer, denser ice cream. We can’t reveal the exact percentage of overrun in this pint, but we can guarantee it’s significantly less than 50%!” – TJ
If you love strawberry ice cream, this is one you have to try. I am giving this ice cream a big thumbs up.
Delightfully chewy rice dough exterior with interior of ice cream infused with black sesame seeds.
Trader Joe’s recently released this new flavor mochi ice cream: Black Sesame. This is a frozen dessert featuring a black sesame-infused ice cream filling encased in a chewy mochi outer shell. The mochi is reportedly quite popular, with many people saying the nutty, slightly savory flavor of the black sesame to be a unique and enjoyable addition to their dessert options.
The internet seems to be going crazy about these. And for good reason. These are terrific.
Many are saying Trader Joe’s new: BLACK SESAME MOCHI may be the best product they released in Summer 2025. Inside the chewy, yummy mochi rice wrapper you find an ice cream filling with the delicious, unique flavor of black sesame seeds (known in Japanese as “kuro goma”).
We tasted these and we all just loved the flavor of the black sesame. This is just a great dessert or snack. You are supposed to wait three minutes so they slightly defrost to get to the perfect texture and flavor. Waiting is the hardest part…
“Our supplier infuses an ice-cream base of milk, cream, and cane sugar with a paste made from roasted, finely-ground Black Sesame seeds. This paste not only lends a rich gray-black hue, but also brings that characteristic nuttiness with a hint of savory to contrast with the flavor of the frozen sweet-cream. Surrounded by a rice-dough wrapper which has also been given the Black Sesame- seed treatment, the resulting couple-bite-sized frozen treat is intriguingly tasty, and an instant conversation starter during your dinner-party dessert course.” – Trader Joe’s
“Crunchy clusters of rolled oats, whole almonds and almond butter.”
This is yet another quite decent GRANOLA that Trader Joe’s offers.
I liked this granola. It has a nice taste and has quite a lot of almonds in it, so you get one in almost every other bite. One thing in particular that I like about this one is it has very large clumps. You can see the big clumps right in the picture.
Big clumps of granola are good for just snacking on sometimes. You can even pull them out and bag those up for snacks. Don’t want them? Just crush the bag a bit.
Ingredients: Rolled outs, almonds, brown rice syrup, cane sugar, almond butter, brown rice crispies, honey, coconut flakes, vanilla.
“To herald the coming of summer, we’re offering Wildberry Cheesecake Ice Cream, featuring the vibrance of wild berries and bits of cheesecake. That’s right: in addition to a dreamy, sweet-cream ice cream base, you’ll find a generous mixed berry swirl (made with blueberries, elderberry juice concentrate, and a blend of raspberry, strawberry & blackberry purees) and tender bits of classic cheesecake.” – Trader Joe’s
Apparently Trader Joe’s had this two years ago, then it vanished. It’s finally made a come back. Someone on Reddit called this a “hidden gem”.
This lists first three ingredient as “cream, milk, cane sugar…” Yes this is actually Ice Cream. Not “ice cream style frozen dessert” . Just compare this to the fake-y tasting “Gelato Style Frozen Dessert” I reviewed. That stuff had coconut oil as the third ingredient. Here the ingredient list here reads like what you expect when you buy ice cream. If you like cheesecake, and see it, I would give it a try. I really liked it.
INGREDIENTS include : Cream, milk, cane sugar, cheesecake pieces…mixed berry swirl with blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, elderberry…
I was on the check out line, next to the ice cream case, and a worker was putting these in the case. There wasn’t even a sign for this ice cream yet but I was intrigued at the name of it. I asked him if he tried it and he said, yes he did and loved it.
So I got one to try. My honest review? Soo good; this is a delicious ice cream that tastes exactly like it’s name. It actually has little pieces of cheese cake in the ice cream mixed with swirls of berry. I found this on target. As good as something Ben and Jerry’s would come out with. It’s a delicious summer treat.
We enjoyed this for July 4th and to make it even more special I added fresh blueberries on top which of course made it even better with fresh fruit.
One thing to note though. As it got softer, and melted together, the important texture of the cheese cake pieces vanished, so try to eat this while it is still pretty cold.
Do you need a few ideas for Healthy Snack options for shopping at Trader Joe’s?
Here are just a few ideas….
Fruits and Veggies: A great snack could be say, fresh apples sliced up.
One favorite snack for me is some sliced APPLE with some PEANUT BUTTER. A classic combination providing fiber, healthy fats, and protein. Besides apples I like bananas and peanut butter. As well as cut up sticks of vegetables (carrot, celery or jicama sticks) All these things are great snacks on their own but get some protein from nut butters. Besides peanut butter, there are other nut butters too, such as almond butter. My favorite peanut butter at Trader Joe’s? Crunchy salted with the blue label. The one with honey one us also good.
Now I would just buy an apples and cut them up. However Trader Joe’s does sell some “pre-cut” fruits and veggies for convenience. Personally I never buy these type of items. It’s not a big deal to cut up an apple for me. The moment you cut any fruit or veggie up it starts to oxidize and deteriorate. And you pay a lot more for someone to do that work.
Nuts or Trail Mix; these are great snacks (in moderation) Trail Mix: Trader Joe’s offers a variety of mixes with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. Raw, Unsalted, Untoasted Nuts: A simple and healthy snack. Dark Chocolate-Covered Almonds: A delicious way to get antioxidants and healthy fats. Finally the fantastic TRAIL MIX CRACKERS
Cut up some Vegetable Sticks such as carrots or celery and pair them with some HUMMUS or some other lower fat dip. How about that new Roasted Tomato LABNEH?
For chips, I think the PLANTAIN CHIPS are kind of better than potato or other chips
Protein Snacks: Any Cheese or cheese sticks, string cheese, hard cooked peeled eggs, chomps turkey sticks….
Other Healthy Options:
Organic Popcorn with Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A whole-grain, antioxidant-rich snack.
Grainless Granola: A crunchy blend of nuts, seeds, and dried coconut. Puffins Cereal (Peanut Butter flavor): A fun and healthy way to enjoy cereal. Low-Fat Greek Yogurt: Pair with berries and a touch of honey for a healthy and protein-packed snack. Piquant Popcorn: A top snack for weight loss. Norwegian Crisp Bread: A versatile base for avocado and other toppings. Bamba Peanut Snacks: A high-volume, low-calorie option. Plantain Chips: A healthier alternative to potato chips. Lentil and Chickpea Crisps: A flavorful and healthy snack. Oven-Baked Cheese Bites: A high-protein option. Trek Mix Handfuls: A portable and nonperishable snack. Hummus: A creamy blend of chickpeas, tahini, and olive oil. They have some hummus snacks that come with crackers for easy snacking.
With just a little prep work and some baggies, you can make snack packages. Good luck!
“…Modernity does occasionally produce snacks and sweets that previous generations could never have imagined… Fun, flavorful, and even a little fizzy, each Root Beer Float Cookie Piece starts with a vanilla sandwich Cookie, filled with popping candy-imbued vanilla crème, which our supplier enrobes in a toothsome, remarkably Root Beer-reminiscent candy coating…. ” – TJ’s
All I’ve been reading about is how fantastic the new Trader Joe’s Root Beer Float Pieces candy is. So I had to try it.
OK so my honest review is yes, the first piece you taste does in fact taste surprisingly like a root beer float, with even a little fizzy sensation in your mouth from the pop rocks evoking soda bubbles. Yes, I grant you that someone did come up with the right list of food chemicals stuff to do that. (yikes! you don’t want to read that list of ingredients).
To be honest, I found it just OK. I would not say I loved this. Its OK. My wife however spit it out after a little bite.
I find it way, way too sweet. However kids may just love this as it is unusual. After that first piece where you get the root beer float concept and say to yourself, wow it does taste like a root beer float, the novelty wears off, and as a candy it’s ok but not amazing. After that and I ate two more pieces, I was pretty much done with it. I find it more gimmicky than a great candy.
$3.79 (7 oz bag)
Sorry internet. I would not buy it again.
Me, I love dark not milk chocolate myself. Give me some dark chocolate peanut butter cups any day of the week. I could probably eat the whole container.
(NOTE: I’ve read that these have gone VIRAL and can now be hard to find!!!)
“A fish shaped waffle filled with a delicate custard cream, often sold as a street food in Japan”
TAI – red snapper, considered good luck. YAKI – grilled.
Taiyaki are sweet waffles shaped like fish and are hugely popular in Japan. They are always sold at street festivals where you will find taiyaki vendors like this guy making some.
They make them by pouring batter into iron molds shaped like fish. Cooked until they are golden brown, they get something in the middle then are flipped over. They come out golden brown with bit of a crunchy texture outside while Inside the taiyaki, there’s a sweet filling. Usually its ANKO (sweet red bean paste).
Here in Trader Joe’s Mini Taiyaki you find a yummy custard cream in the center.
Here’s what they look like.
As you can see they are pretty cute. And you know Japanese love CUTE (“Kawaii”) things. Trader Joe’s mini taiyaki are a little mini version of the typical Taiyaki which are usually much bigger. 4 times the size? Each of these TJ mini taiyaki is maybe a bite or two.
“Brought to us by an esteemed manufacturer in Japan, these bite-sized, perfectly pisciform Taiyaki are as much a feast for the eyes as they are a pleasure on the palate. Every bite starts with the crisp edge of the wonderfully waffle-y exterior, which quickly gives way to the luxurious consistency of the cool custard cream within.”
To make these Trader Joe’s says bake these in the oven or in an air fryer. They also say you can microwave these but I suggest you don’t, as they won’t get crispy which they need to be to really be enjoyed properly.
I didn’t do either of these. I just cooked them in a pan on the stovetop which works fine and is easy.
I just took a few of them out of the package, and let them sit for 10 minutes or so to defrost a bit. Then I put them in a hot cast iron pan (or use a non stick pan). Let them cook on one side until they get a lightly golden brown in color or when they look nice and crispy, and then flip them once or twice. It took about 6-7 minutes per side, so around 12-15 minutes total to cook them in a pan.
So how do Trader Joe’s TAIYAKI taste? These mini taiyaki are really YUMMY!
Even my (Japanese) wife approved of these and thought Trader Joe’s did a pretty good job with these. We were pleasantly surprised at how good they are. The only thing she said is she wished they gave you two kinds of filling in the bag, some with custard but she wanted some with “anko”, the most traditional filling.
Still the custard filling inside these is very good and satisfying for a sweet treat.
Trader Joe’s new MINI TAIYAKI are quite tasty and worth trying especially if you like Japanese treats. A package is $4.99. It’s not very big, a bit less than 8 ounces. There are just about 8 or 9 of these little fishes inside. Some people are saying save yourself a trip and “buy two”.
If you are a fan of ORANGE MARMALADE you will be glad to hear Trader Joe’s came out with this. Maybe “kind of glad”.
If you are a fan, you know doubt know that Trader Joe’s used to carry a terrific “true” orange marmalade. BUT THEY DISCONTINUED IT Yup. That beloved SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE they used to carry was terrific. Outstanding. A proper marmalade made with Seville Oranges. It was one of the best marmalade’s – and sold for an amazing price.
It had tons of fans (based on the feedback here). Unfortunately Trader Joe’s famously discontinued it (back in 2019).
Thousands of us fans of it were devastated. In fact, my old review of that marmalade – plus the fact that they had discontinued an outstanding product – happens to be probably my post with the most COMMENTS of this entire blog! Seriously. Their getting rid of it is one of the biggest RANTS here. People were shocked, aghast, angry and dismayed that an excellent product got the ax, and wrote something on this site to voice that anger. Over 80+ people took the time and effort to Comment and complain here.
Well guess what? About 5 years after they discontinued that Trader Joe’s came with this new product called: Seville Orange Marmalade Fruit Spread (yes it adds the words “fruit spread” after marmalade)
Frankly I was pretty surprised to see it . I had to try it and review it.
My honest review? While not exactly the same, it is in fact tasty… But this is a fruit spread. Basically meaning less thick. This new marmalade fruit spread is made in Belgium. That older (“real”) marmalade was from Canada.
So how is it? To be honest, I do find it tasty. As good as the old one? No. But I am glad I can pick up a jar at Trader Joe’s.
It is made from Seville oranges, and is actually pretty tasty with a good balance of bitter and sweet. Thin cut slivers.
A) VISCOSITY: This is looser than that original marmalade. A “fruit spread” is not as tight / thick as a jam (or marmalade). This lists apple juice concentrate as an ingredient. It is much less viscous (thick). So runnier than a true marmalade. You will use more of it.
B) SIZE. The original Seville Orange marmalade came in a big jar of about 17 ounces. This jar is just 7.5 ounces. Less than half the size of that old marmalade. Yet it costs about the same. So twice the price of the old one, and as less thick so will you use a bit more?
The ingredients on the old one (pictured below with a yellow green label) were: SUGAR, SEVILLE ORANGE PEEL, SEVILLE ORANGE JUICE. Plus pectin , the natural gelling agent in fruit.
(this is the label on the old jar of Trader Joe’s marmalade)(label of the new version, marmalade fruit spread)
This version lists sugar and Seville oranges but alsoapple juice from concentrate as the ingredient after Seville oranges. Which is why I assume this is described as ORANGE MARMALADE FRUIT SPREAD and not simply “Marmalade”. Now Trader Joe’s says something about this, and even puts a positive spin on it…. Ha-ha!
“A great marmalade is a bit of a balancing act. First, you’ve got to balance the sweetness of the fruit juice and sugar involved with the tartness of the citrus and bitterness of the orange rind. Then, you’ve got to find just the right balance of fruit and rind within the physical makeup of the marmalade—too much fruit, and it’s more like a jelly, too much rind, and it’s an overly-chewy mess. Luckily, when we decided to bring in a seasonal Seville Orange Marmalade Fruit Spread to our shelves, we had some real experts in our corner. Made by the same supplier in Belgium who previously demonstrated their mastery of balance with our Apricot Cardamom and Green Tea Yuzu spreads, this sweet, citric, and properly proportioned Marmalade is a triumph of harmonious flavors and textures on the palate.” – Trader Joe’s
So while I like the taste of TJ’s new “orange marmalade fruit spread” of course as a fruit spread it’s not as thick as it would be called just “orange marmalade”.
I’m glad I can buy something akin to orange marmalade at Trader Joe’s again, period. But. Its a small jar. My jar went fast. Again, so a bit of a mixed bag.
Cost: This small 7.5 oz jar will go much faster than the 17 oz one of course especially as its not as thick and concentrated. The new marmalade costs more than double what the old one cost. Granted it was 2019 but the old bigger jar went for $3.50.
Some people might actually like this “marmalade fruit spread” – ie, people who are new to marmalade 0 who may not like the (thicker) more intense versions of marmalade they might have tried in the past. If you are a marmalade lover, at least this is worth trying, even if not ideal for the true English marmalade lover. Again, a mixed bag.
Spread this new Marmalade fruit spread on an English Muffin or an English Crumpet with butter for breakfast. Put marmalade on some sliced Brie with crackers or toast.
Besides muffins or toast, try this on top of cottage cheese as Trader Joe’s suggests. I tried it and thats a nice match.
Trader Joe’s SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE FRUIT SPREAD $2.99 (7.5 oz)
So I do give this a thumbs up, as I am glad I at least I can buy something akin to “marmalade” again at Trader Joe’s
Let us know what you think in the Comments!
UPDATE: I haven’t gotten it in some time but just bought some, and after opening a jar it seemed a bit thicker than the first time I tried it. Is this true? Possibly they’ve changed the recipe and made it thicker and more concentrated?
PS – Over the years I used to make my own orange Marmalade which I gave away to friends for an Xmas gift. Want to try your hand it it? Here’s a recipe
COOKING WITH MARMALADE : Versatile as an ingredient. Mix marmalade with some mustard (Dijon is best) and use as a glaze with salmon or chicken or pork!
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