Thursday, August 12, 2010

creamed goodness!

Nobody made a devil's food snack cake like Merita Bakery's Mickey Cake.  The Mickey Cake was round, about the diameter of a Chattanooga Moon Pie and about 1.75" high.  Merita now carries the Hostess brand - but last time I had their Hostess brand devils food - it did not compare to the original Mickey Cake.  The Hostess brand was dry.  The Mickey Cake devils food cake was heavenly in texture and taste.
I don't remember what company sold the Banana Flip, but that used to be another favorite of mine.  Nothing like a thin cake folded over on creamy artificial banana goodness.  It resembled a taco in the way the caked wrapped around the cream.  There was a time when I could buy a devils food cake was sold in the flip/taco manner.  They were quite good too.

I was in a convenient store yesterday looking at the selection of snack cakes being offered these days.  The choice seemed so limited.   I saw some Twinkies and some Little Debbie's and a stale looking honey bun.  I guess I was looking for something that was no longer being made.  I know it's not healthy eating any of those things.  For health's sake I've avoided the dusty pastry endcaps for decades.  I do miss Mickey Cakes - I do miss Banana Flips.

I just don't buy snack cakes anymore.  I used to eat them all the time when I was growing up in the sixties.  I wish that they had not faded into snack food obscurity.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

David, you have got to stop this madness!!! I LOVED those cakes! You are making my mouth water for something I can no longer have...the loss of the power house was bad enough...but THIS!!! Please don't find a picture of a power house and post it....:) Love, Denise

David Finlayson said...

You just said it in one sentence. My mouth is watering for something I can no longer have. Last night after posting, I stopped by Winn Dixie and bought a devil's food cake mix. Even though my kitchen is torn apart, readying for remodeling, I am going to bake me a big Mickey Cake.

Bobby said...

I loved Mickey cakes! And I miss them!

Jim M said...

I was just thinking about Mickey's banana flips. We used to peel the wrapper off which would be covered in cream and lick that off first before enjoying the cake.

Jim

Anonymous said...

These snack cakes were the absolute best! I was a nut for the devil's food and the banana flip, but many loved the jim jam. I wish I had one now. These memories are why people wished they would invent a time machine.

Todd Troldahl said...

My dad was a Breadman (that's what we called him) for American Bakeries Co. Taystee Bread division, Other regional divisions were Merita, Langendorf, Barbara Ann among others. Saturdays in the 60s my Mom would send my brother and me along with Dad on his delivery route. She wanted peace and quiet and we didn't dare fight around dad. All day we helped him haul the bread and snack cakes into supermarkets, small neighborhood stores, cafes, etc.
If we behaved, we got our choice of snack cake.
Let's see how many I can remember: Banana Flip, Choco- Flip, Swiss Rolls, Sno-Balls (cupcake with marshmallow and coconut), Chocolate Cupcakes with creme filling, My Favorite was the Mickey Jim Jam: sponge cake with raspberry jam and coconut on top, creme layer inside. The Taystee division also had 4" round pies in wax bags where the end was just folded over: apple, lemon, blueberry, chocolate, cherry. And don't forget the Mickey mini donut 6-pack: Chocolate, powdered and crunch. I don't buy snack cakes anymore. The Hostess and li'l debbie just don't taste as good.

Anonymous said...

Man those were the best!!!!! Mickey devils food cakes and the banana flip!!!!!! Bring'em back!!!! bring'em back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even if they ain't 12 cents anymore.

Paul said...

I used to work for American Bakeries and worked on keeping all the machines working that made the Banana Flips, Jim Jams, Devil Delights, Creme Boats, Filled Choc. cupcakes, gem donuts, and all the other larger cakes and donuts. We also made bread, buns, Cinn. rolls, Pastries. Worked in Kansas City, Dallas, and Charlotte Plants.

Anonymous said...

Ahhhhhh...The Banana Flip I remember was made by Mickey's Snack Cakes. I have been looking for this particular banana flip every so often online and I cannot even find one darn picture of the original Mickey's Banana Flip. It is the only food that truly makes me salivate. My dad used to get them in the 1970s and he would give us girls just the smallest bite and hog down the rest. When I was older I bought them for myself and ate the whole thing. The best snack cake ever made hands down! The filling was magical, the cake was a delight. Ahhhhhhh. How can Twinkies survive with that awful taste and the banana flip disappear without any fanfare or a protest movement. A tragedy, I say.

Anonymous said...

Hostess survives while Mickey Cakes is gone because no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public. Alas!!

David Finlayson said...

There's nothing that can compare those Mickey Cakes. I've had Hostess (et other versions) of a devil's food cake. They are not as moist and delicious.
-David

ernie.cordell said...

As we go from Christmas to New Years' my mind reviews the past and I awakened in the night remembering Mickey Snack Cakes and the Banana Flip. The memory of the cake was so clear, yet the name was so fuzzy that I wasn't sure I had it right: It was as though I were trying to read my memory of the package. But I did some searches and I wondered whether Nickle's was the company of which you thought, because I saw some news stories that suggested that Nickles had brought back their banana flip. Based on a rumour, I asked a friend of mine whether she'd seen them in Eastern Tennessee -- since it's the middle of the night, she's not had the opportunity to respond, but that clear memory of the fatty-yet-creamy smooth filling with a delicate hint of banana flavour will likely cause me to search more.

Anonymous said...

There was also the Devil's Food Delight. My all time favourite.
I really miss all Mickey's snack cakes......

Unknown said...

Oh how I miss them all. Glad to know that I'm not the only one

Anonymous said...

I am 72 and can say for sure that no snack made today can touch the 50s and 60s for flavor.