I think we can all agree that the raspberry marzipan swirl from Donutelier changed me as a person. I made sure to keep my expectations quite neutral on a future visit, as I am aware that sometimes lightening does not strike twice. I can confirm however that the raspberry marzipan swirl is still an elite dessert and one that will hard to beat moving forward. But I also wanted to try their other offerings to see if the product was consistently that delicious.
I am actually quite glad to say that whilst this chocolate swirl was delicious, it was no where near the same level as the raspberry swirl. The pastry was still very light and fluffy, with a lovely crumble to it, and the hazelnuts gave a very satisfying crunchy texture to the otherwise very soft pastry, but the flavour wasn’t anything new. It was absolutely delicious as it did taste very similar to a Ferrero Roche chocolate, but less sweet, but due to that the flavour didn’t feel as new or as creative. It was also quite sweet – it wasn’t sickly, but one was more than enough to satisfy that sugar craving in a way that felt decadent but not overwhelming. The almond filling did help to cut through the sweetness of the chocolate ganache and the chocolate crumble on top, but almonds are still quite a strong taste and whilst I think it worked perfectly in this, having more than one or having one of a larger size for example would likely become too overpowering a flavour.
Now obviously this is meant to be a very decadent dessert and it is. It tastes very decadent and it looks absolutely stunning, to the point that it is almost a shame to have to bite into it. But because of that it does have a very hefty price tag, with one of these swirls costing £6.40. As a once in a while special treat, you can justify the price, but I don’t think that price is worth spending every single week (or sooner!) to have. Maybe if I loved closer to their store, or if I earned more money so didn’t think £6.40 for a pastry was expensive, I likely would buy this more often. But then again, I still think the raspberry swirl is a more elevated dessert so would still opt for the raspberry over the chocolate.
Taylor Talks Vegan 