What a Crock(er) of Betty!

My wife Renée (French for "born again"...how fitting!) brought home a new kind of dessert from the store the other day: "Betty Crocker's Warm Delights Minis Molten Chocolate Cake".  I'm sure some of you have had the gut-busting pleasure of enjoying one of those similar sounding desserts at a restaurant.  For those of you in the gastrointestinal dark, it basically is a jumbo chocolate cupcake filled with chocolate magma.  They bring it to you straight from the oven (at nuclear reactor temperature) and when you take the first spadeful, the hot, chocolicious lava flows freely out onto the plate.  Then you can dip further spadefuls of cake in the lava until (alas) your plate is clean.  I personally don't care for them at all.


So when I saw what Renée had brought home, I was on pins and needles to try it.  The anticipation of being able to have these at home whenever we wanted was almost overwhelming!  We anxiously unwrapped the contents like it was Christmas morning and then collapsed on the floor in disappointment.  I now know where all of the unused Kenner's Easy Bake Oven cake mixes from the 60's went to.  

You get two teeny-tiny cups each with a packet of cake mix about the size of a tea bag or a Dorito.  Also note, in the enlarged photo below, the mouthwatering description of the package contents (i.e., "CAKE").  I'm sure if you googled the lot number from the package it could be tracked back to a mid 60s shipment made to Kenner.  I don't (nor do I want to) know how much these cost, but I'm sure the money could have been used to feed a third world family for several meals.  What you really end up paying for (since the cakes are basically worthless) is the beautifully and hypnotically decorated cardboard box that cunningly hides the product itself.  This allows the makers to surgically separate you from your money with ease.  BTW, I think the "150 calories per bowl" claim on the box must actually include the bowl in addition to the cake (that is assuming it is fairly high calorie plastic...the bowl, not the cake).

I see that you can still buy the Easy Bake Oven, but it  is now sold by Hasbro.  Check out what I found you can buy on their web site:

Note the maker/producer of the cake mix.  Coincidence?  I think not.  I rest my dessert-deprived case.  C'mon Betty...we expect more from you!


Flint