7 Entenmann's Snack Cakes, Ranked Worst To Best

When you conjure up an image of Entenmann's, you might more than likely think of its selection of donuts, but the brand has a shockingly wide range of items, from pies to pastries to muffins. I, too, grew up most familiar with the donuts, as we had a shop near me that would sell the boxed confections. I remember going in and grabbing a package of the store-bought donuts with my family, and there were always multiple other people doing the same. 

I wanted to explore a new world of options by tasting my way through the brand's mini snack cakes, and I was able to locate all but one (the Party Crème Filled Cupcakes) at my local stores to snack my way down the list. I created this ranking by judging them on the delivery of their flavors, the appearance, and occasionally the texture. Let's embark on a journey to find the best mini that Entenmann's has to offer.

I like pies, and I make pies. That's to say, the Mini Cherry Snack Pies tasted like a bland pie crust with mediocre cherry filling. Although there is a thin layer of glaze visible to the eye, it doesn't come through on the tongue at all (strange because the other mini pie's crust on this list tastes much better). I don't mind a not-too-sweet treat, but this felt like it was nearing savory territory.

The cherries (one of my favorite fruits) weren't too flavorful or sweet, and again, the crust felt very plain, making every component of this micro pie underwhelming and underflavored. Overall, this didn't deliver much in terms of taste. I can admit that the appearance looks quite nice, if not a little hollow in the center, and the texture is a balance of slightly crisp pie crust and soft, gooey cherries. But it lacked depth and wouldn't be something I'd want to eat again, especially when there are other actually tasty items on this list.

I love chocolate chips and have tried many brands over the years of baking, even the mini ones. The Mini Iced Chocolate Chip Snack Cakes, however, lacked the cocoa-y depth of chocolate. The cake itself is fine, nothing to write home about, and could benefit from the earthy sweetness of chocolate chips. The mini chips in the interior of the cake practically dissolve in your mouth, offering no textural element.

The thick frosting is quite sugary and doesn't provide any balance or added flavor to the mix, especially since the cake is indeed called a "sweet cake" — meaning the sugariness is the primary flavor point. This was slightly better than the cherry pie, but not by much. Chocolate chips are a true delight, but this didn't deliver its titular ingredient. As noted on the box, this flavor is new to the Entenmann's lineup and is worth skipping.

Despite receiving the fifth position on this list, the Mini Pound Cakes are good. We've reached the place in this ranking where I can safely recommend any of the upcoming minis, this one included. It tastes like a classic pound cake, which isn't the world's most riveting flavor, but there are moments when this is exactly what you may be craving. It's soft, moist, and spongy, ideal for dunking in a piping hot cup of coffee.

To further elevate the pound cake, try slicing it in half lengthwise and grilling it to give it a smoky touch and a slightly crisp exterior. You could even add some whipped cream and fresh fruit to create a stunning small dessert. This cake makes a great addition to the pantry because of its versatility. However, because I'd have a tendency to jazz it up, I don't want to rank it higher than the next options, which are perfectly delicious as is.

The Mini Iced Party Snack Cakes are the sibling of the Mini Iced Chocolate Chip Snack Cakes, but it tastes better. The flavor comes from the little sprinkles. What flavor, exactly? Well, that is hard to tell, but you can taste and feel the sprinkles. Yes, it's still cloying in the amount of sugar that hits the palate, but at least I can garner some modicum of flavor here. The sprinkles bring a different level of sweetness to the soft, "sweet cake."

Then we have the cake's appearance. The delicate, crumbly yellow cake has some contrast with the sprinkles that are both on top and inside. You get a whimsical, colorful focal point to look at, which makes it a more festive dessert than the pound cake. Granted, the sprinkles appear to bleed onto the icing. I placed this above the pound cake purely because of aesthetics. I'm a sucker for confetti cakes and wanted this to do better, but it ultimately didn't wow me as much as the next three picks.

The Mini Brownie Chocolate Chip Cakes are a solid dessert through and through, from the appearance to texture to taste. Although it's advertised as a mix between brownie and cake, it's mostly brownie. This isn't a bad thing, given that the brownie is rich, pillowy, and moist. It has that sweet, chocolatey taste, but the texture gives it added lightness. It's easy to devour this snack cake by itself, as part of lunch, or with an iced coffee.

This mini is the only one on this list that comes in a pack of eight as opposed to six, which I can appreciate, given the smaller sizing and density of the brownie compared to the airiness of the rest of the other cakes. Everything else is square-shaped, while the brownie cake one is rectangular; this shape makes it ultra-efficient to break in half or pack in a lunch box without taking up much space. This treat isn't revolutionary in any way, but it's a delightful treat, and that's why it receives the third position. The next two are a little more interesting and tasty!

If you're at the grocery store trying to pick between the cherry or apple tiny pastries by Entenmann's, then there's really only one choice: the Mini Apple Snack Pies. This thoroughly delivers on the pie aspect, tasting like a teensy apple tartlet. The icing on this version is noticeable, offering a thin layer of sweetness to pair with the pie crust base. The apple filling is sugared as well, but you get a hint of spice from the cinnamon. It feels like an autumnal staple that you can get whenever you want.

The fruit, while soft, still offers some texture; it doesn't feel like you're swallowing mushy baby food. If you're a fan of McDonald's Baked Apple Pie, then you should test this out to see if it'll sway your loyalty. Micky D's are served warm, so I'd suggest heating the Entenmann's one to give it that fresh-from-the-oven warmth. Making an apple pie from scratch can take close to two hours to bake and prep, and while there's no denying it's worth it, sometimes you want a quick and portable treat. You can easily bring the mini snack in the car or pack it for lunch. These are flavorful, adorable, and texturally balanced with the soft fruit and firmer pastry.

I must admit I wasn't expecting the Mini Crumb Cakes to rank No. 1 or quite high at all. As a fan of chocolate, brownies, and confetti-style sprinkled delights, I thought those would fare the best, so this pleasantly amazed me. The crumb cake delivered on every component I was looking at: flavor, appearance, and texture. Let's start with the flavor: It has that sweet, cinnamon-y, slightly buttery crumb with the mild-flavored cake base. It has a sprinkle of sweetness from the powdered sugar, but it is not overly cloying. This is ideal to enjoy alongside a cup of coffee or could easily spice up a cup of black tea. But the appearance and texture truly gave it the top position.

The crumb topping is immaculate and looks like it came straight out of a cookbook. The pieces deliver a crunch that makes it feel like it came from your grandma's kitchen and not from a plastic baggie in a cardboard box. The crumb to cake ratio is pleasant, giving you that balance of mildly crunchy and soft spongy cake. If you opened a few of these and plated them on a platter for a party, I don't know how many people would be the wiser. They are a solid treat to stock in your pantry. Even Frank Sinatra liked the Entenmann's staple, albeit the regular-sized version.

I found these items at my local Stater Brothers and Albertsons, but you may be able to encounter them at other stores throughout your area. I determined the order of the ranking mainly based on the flavor and taste of each mini snack cake and how it ultimately looked on a plate; texture was an occasional factor but not a big one, as the aforementioned two qualities were most influential. I tried each item two different times to get a better idea of the flavor, texture, and appearance, giving each more than one chance to deliver.

I had a rudimentary list from my first tasting and ultimately swapped a couple of items around during the second try as I was better able to discern my thoughts. For example, the Mini Brownie Chocolate Chip Cake was the first item I sampled, and I promptly forgot about it after eating the rest of the products (the cherry pie distracted me); after the second try, I realized it was a tasty balance that wasn't overly sweet.