If you happen to live in Canada, Ontario to be exact, perhaps Chudleigh’s is a household name for you, as their products are sold at local grocery stores. If you shop at Sam's Club in the US, you may also recognize the brand. Or, like many things, you can find them on Amazon too. feature their apples.
But chances are, you probably have never heard of Chudleigh’s. I hadn't either, until I had one of their signature products once (apple "blossoms"), loved it, and had to find out more.
"An old fashioned dessert featuring a moist buttery cake, a sweet pineapple ring and creamy brown sugar sauce." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor
But chances are, you probably have never heard of Chudleigh’s. I hadn't either, until I had one of their signature products once (apple "blossoms"), loved it, and had to find out more.
Every Chudleigh’s treat is made with care in our own bakery, just a few minutes down the road from our family farm. And every one, from our yummy Apple Blossoms (which we invented right here, by the way) to our scrumptious cakes are made from scratch with simple, high-quality ingredients sourced with integrity from producers just like us. Frozen fresh from our ovens, you can find your Chudleigh’s bliss in your grocer’s freezer.I learned that Chudleight's is a Canadian company, making one of my favorite things: baked goods. Sold frozen. At normal retailers, you can find a product line of individual cakes (pineapple upside down, molten chocolate lava, and butter toffee sticky), along with three types of blossom shaped individual fruit pies. But in addition to being available at grocery stores, Chudleigh's also make an expanded product line available wholesale, with a slew more offerings, including more varieties of lava cake (meyer lemon, white chocolate), and additional items like key lime tarts and cookies.
Chudleigh's first invited people to visit their family's apple farm in 1967. Today, every Chudleigh's treat is still made from scratch with simple, high quality ingredients sourced with integrity. Frozen fresh from the oven, these products are fully baked and can be heated in minutes. We are proud to introduce the most heavenly Pineapple Upside Down Cake and three distinct pastry "Blossoms."It is their wholesale products that I encountered, distributed locally in San Francisco through GourmetXpress. After I had that first item, I quickly ordered every option they had available. None were quite as good
Cakes
As I mentioned, Chudleigh's makes a variety of cakes, all individual cakes, bundt style, including pretty decadent looking molten chocolate, white chocolate, or lemon lava cakes, or butter toffee sticky cakes. Alas, our distributor only carries the pineapple upside down cake.
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| Pineapple Upside Down Cake. |
"Once upon a time, when cakes were made in cast iron skillets, hiding fruit on the bottom was how bakers made them extra special. Our Pineapple Upside-Down Cake brings back that yummy voila! with a moist, buttery sponge cake made from creamery butter, fresh buttermilk and Chudleigh’s own cake flour. We hide a real Dole® pineapple ring underneath, and drench it all in our own rich brown sugar sauce. You even get to turn it upside down yourself (and eat happily ever after)." -- Chudleigh's
This is not one I would normally pick: pineapple upside down cake. They were quite cute, although, minus a point for no cherry. The size was reasonable, certainly substantial, a very satisfying portion.
They were better than I expected.
The cake was light and fluffy, but crispy and slightly caramelized on the edges and bottom. Decent enough cake, although not really my thing.
The glaze though was very tasty, sweet, somewhat boozy almost, and it seeped into the top half of the cake, making it super moist.
The part thing I didn't like? The pineapple. Which I realize is an essential element of a "Pineapple Upside Down Cake", and I realize it was a real Dole pineapple slice, but, I just don't really like pineapple.
But I knew we could do better than this. These products *are* supposed to be warm after all.
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| Pineapple Upside Down Cake (warm!) |
But to really make it better, it needed to be paired with vanilla ice cream to balance the sweetness, and provide the hot/cold contrast I love. I didn't care for the pineapple in warm form either.
Blossoms
The real star of Chudleigh's offerings is their "Blossoms". Individual sized galettes. All made with apples, since, after all, Chudleigh's is an apple farm. Their signature item is the apple blossom, made in two varieties: "crumble crunch" with crumble topping and "caramel apple" with caramel topping.
All are remarkably cute. They really did look handmade by a bakery, rather than mass produced, with the blossom shape.
Also: tasty.
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| Caramel Apple Blossom. |
"Caramel Apple Blossoms start with the same flaky pastry made from our own custom-milled flour blend, fresh-peeled apples, natural cane sugar and Indonesian cinnamon as all of our blossoms do. Then, something amazing happens: We top them with our home-style caramel sauce, made in small batches right in our bakery with creamery butter, whipping cream and corn syrup. Each one is hand finished for you… by people who obviously know how to resist temptation." -- Chudleigh's
I started with the Caramel Apple Blossom.
The pastry was interesting, not really a flaky style, but good enough, buttery. Unique, not pie dough for sure, soft almost like soft cookie, but ... not. I liked the pearl sugar on it.
The filling was cubed spiced apples, not too aggressively spiced. Again, good.
And on top, sweet caramel. Not quite enough for my taste, as in, MOAR CARAMEL PLEASE, but, the caramel that was there was good.
At room temperature, as served, these were fine. They reminded me of a breakfast danish in some ways, or a galette. Fine, and I'd have another, but not amazing.
But then I warmed one up. The filling got softer, more "goo" like, in a good way. The pastry crisped up a bit. And then I added vanilla ice cream.
Warm pie. Melty ice cream. YES.
I really enjoyed the warm version, even though apple pie is not a favorite of mine. I'd gladly have another.
So of course I seek these out whenever possible. Sometimes they come with even more caramel, like this one, pictured above. Even better.
I'm shocked every time by just how good they are when they are warm with ice cream. Or with whipped cream.
Really an enjoyable item, my favorite Chudleigh's item, no question.
I like these "blossoms", so I order them often. I don't complain when I order for 20 guests, and receive 35 pies. Because I made an incredible discovery: I really like them cold for breakfast. Please just go with it. Its ... just a breakfast pastry with fruit!
Thus, I continue to love them. Warm with vanilla ice cream is my favorite, and they way I have my first one each time. Cold for breakfast is my second favorite, and what I do the next day ... I mean, what would *you* do with that many extra pies?
There is just something about this unique pastry, soft and buttery and cookie-like, the gooey well spiced filling, and the caramel that does it for me. Over and over again.
"A divine serving of classic apple pie, perfectly portioned and wrapped in a flaky pastry topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and just enough crumb." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor
"Crumble Crunch Apple Blossoms start with a flaky pastry made from our own Chudleigh’s #3 flour blend. Snuggled up inside is a delectable mix of fresh-peeled, locally sourced apples, natural cane sugar and Indonesian cinnamon, and topped with a simple, delicious mixture of pastry crumbs, creamery butter, light brown sugar, rolled oats and more cinnamon." -- Chudleigh's
Next I tried the Crumble Crunch version, much like the caramel apple blossom, but without caramel, and with a crumble top.
I was excited for this, because, although I like caramel, I also love crisps, crumbles, cobblers, etc too and the prospect of having both a crumble and a pie all at once was a promising one.
The crumble top was fine, but a bit lackluster. Sweet, a bit of texture, but it was too easily masked by the dominating fruit and crust. There wasn't enough to be significant enough really.
The filling was the same sliced apples in spiced goo, which for some reason this time I didn't quite care for. Sometimes I just really get sick of apples, it is never my pie of choice.
That all said, when this was warm, and with ice cream, I still liked it. The non-traditional crust is just quite tasty that way. I also had it with whipped cream, which wasn't as successful. And I had it with salted caramel ice cream, thinking the caramel would compliment the apples, but, the best was still just simple vanilla.
I should try another when I'm in the mood for apple pie.
And on top, sweet caramel. Not quite enough for my taste, as in, MOAR CARAMEL PLEASE, but, the caramel that was there was good.
At room temperature, as served, these were fine. They reminded me of a breakfast danish in some ways, or a galette. Fine, and I'd have another, but not amazing.
But then I warmed one up. The filling got softer, more "goo" like, in a good way. The pastry crisped up a bit. And then I added vanilla ice cream.
Warm pie. Melty ice cream. YES.
I really enjoyed the warm version, even though apple pie is not a favorite of mine. I'd gladly have another.
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| Caramel Apple Blossom. |
I'm shocked every time by just how good they are when they are warm with ice cream. Or with whipped cream.
Really an enjoyable item, my favorite Chudleigh's item, no question.
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| Caramel Apple Blossoms for Days! |
Thus, I continue to love them. Warm with vanilla ice cream is my favorite, and they way I have my first one each time. Cold for breakfast is my second favorite, and what I do the next day ... I mean, what would *you* do with that many extra pies?
There is just something about this unique pastry, soft and buttery and cookie-like, the gooey well spiced filling, and the caramel that does it for me. Over and over again.
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| Crumble Crunch Apple Blossom. |
"Crumble Crunch Apple Blossoms start with a flaky pastry made from our own Chudleigh’s #3 flour blend. Snuggled up inside is a delectable mix of fresh-peeled, locally sourced apples, natural cane sugar and Indonesian cinnamon, and topped with a simple, delicious mixture of pastry crumbs, creamery butter, light brown sugar, rolled oats and more cinnamon." -- Chudleigh's
Next I tried the Crumble Crunch version, much like the caramel apple blossom, but without caramel, and with a crumble top.
I was excited for this, because, although I like caramel, I also love crisps, crumbles, cobblers, etc too and the prospect of having both a crumble and a pie all at once was a promising one.
The crumble top was fine, but a bit lackluster. Sweet, a bit of texture, but it was too easily masked by the dominating fruit and crust. There wasn't enough to be significant enough really.
The filling was the same sliced apples in spiced goo, which for some reason this time I didn't quite care for. Sometimes I just really get sick of apples, it is never my pie of choice.
That all said, when this was warm, and with ice cream, I still liked it. The non-traditional crust is just quite tasty that way. I also had it with whipped cream, which wasn't as successful. And I had it with salted caramel ice cream, thinking the caramel would compliment the apples, but, the best was still just simple vanilla.
I should try another when I'm in the mood for apple pie.
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| Apple Berry Blossom (formerly known as Bumble Blossoms). |
"Homestyle pie made with freshly peeled apples, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries in a flaky pastry." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor
"Nothing tastes like a sunny afternoon in the country the way berries do. Apple Berry Blossoms bring back that blissful feeling with a summery blend of fresh-peeled apples, blackberries, raspberries and wild blueberries, tucked into a flaky blossom pastry made with Chudleigh’s #3 flour. We finish each one by hand, and dress it up for you with an extra dollop of fruit and crunchy coarse sugar so it looks every bit as good as it tastes." -- Chudleigh's
And finally, apple berry.
The apple berry blossom was similar, same crust, and cubes of apple, plus a mixed berry goo on top. No caramel.
"Nothing tastes like a sunny afternoon in the country the way berries do. Apple Berry Blossoms bring back that blissful feeling with a summery blend of fresh-peeled apples, blackberries, raspberries and wild blueberries, tucked into a flaky blossom pastry made with Chudleigh’s #3 flour. We finish each one by hand, and dress it up for you with an extra dollop of fruit and crunchy coarse sugar so it looks every bit as good as it tastes." -- Chudleigh's
And finally, apple berry.
The apple berry blossom was similar, same crust, and cubes of apple, plus a mixed berry goo on top. No caramel.
The goo was sweet and fruity, but reminded me of fairly generic breakfast danish filling, although it did also have some bits of fruit in it.
This one was fine, but I preferred the apple. It did make me wish they made other, non-apple, based varieties though.
This one was fine, but I preferred the apple. It did make me wish they made other, non-apple, based varieties though.
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