Is Woolworths’ controversial ingredient on a $7 cake a hit or a miss? Shoppers weigh in

There’s a simple pleasure in discovering a new treat amid the familiar grocery aisles. 

Many of us enjoy the occasional surprise of a novel cake, even without a special occasion, just to add a sweet touch to our routines. 

Woolworths, known for its creative bakery offerings, has recently introduced a unique dessert. However, its latest creation has stirred up quite a debate among shoppers. 

The Woolworths Hot Cross Bun mud cake, priced at $7, is now available on store shelves. It infuses the traditional spices and sultanas of hot cross buns with a mud cake’s rich, chocolatey goodness topped off with a spiced white chocolate ganache. 

Although Woolworths reportedly sells five of its original mud cakes every minute, the inclusion of sultanas in this latest special has divided the nation’s sweet-toothed citizens. 

Food enthusiasts @Nectoriouspapi and Nick Vavitis shared their thoughts on a new twist on the classic mud cake. On social media, Vavitis said sultanas had no place in hot cross buns and promptly picked out each piece of dried fruit from the cake. 

‘Cheers with no stupid sultanas,’ he said while getting a taste, humorously claiming he’d  ‘fight’ anyone who disagreed.

@Nectoriouspapi, on the other hand, was fond of the ganache. He admitted that he fully expected to dislike it but enjoyed the cake. 

‘Even the sultanas work,’ he noted, noting that anyone who loves traditional hot cross buns would probably be fans of Woolworths’ version too. 

‘I feel like you’re getting a hot cross bun and a mud cake,’ Nick added, though also admitting it had space for more cinnamon flavouring. ‘I’m not mad. I’m not upset. It is what it is.’ 

An image of the cakes was shared in a Facebook group where many commenters echoed Nick’s sentiment regarding the sultanas. 

‘Ok, the raisins on top are vile,’ one user said, while another remarked, ‘It does taste like a hot cross bun, which I thought would be hard to imitate in a mud cake.’ 

A third user added, ‘Heat it up just a little; it’s absolutely delicious.’ 

Another chimed, ‘Imagine putting sultanas on one of life’s greatest pleasures. Criminal.’ 

The conversation continued with someone questioning, ‘What kind of monster would put sultanas on top?’ 

One person said, ‘A hard NO from me.’

‘Wish it was chocolate chip and no sultanas,’ another user wrote.

Laura McLeod, Woolworths’ cake category manager, earlier expressed excitement for its arrival. 

‘Our latest Mudcake innovation, the hot cross bun flavour, combines the warmth and spice of an Easter classic, the traditional hot cross bun, with the iconic caramel mudcake base we know our customers love,’ she said.

So, what’s your take on this culinary debate? Are sultanas welcome to a mudcake, or should they be confined to hot cross buns alone? Have you tried the Woolworths Hot Cross Bun mud cake, and if so, did it meet your expectations? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Also read: Sweet news! Woolworths is unveiling a festive twist on a classic