The Sweet Aldi Item I Can't Wait To See Return

Although you'll never catch me "caw-cawing" in the Aldi Aisle of Shame (or anywhere, for that matter), I am a long-time fan of this German grocer that's basically a less bougie Trader Joe's. (It's no coincidence, since the two chains share a common origin.) Most of what I buy there is staple stuff (here's a list of my picks for first-time buyers), but there are a few seasonal or specialty items I get really excited about. Topping the list is the Specially Selected Marzipan Mousse Cake, which is yellow cake layered with almond-flavored mousse with chocolate bits and almonds all covered in a thin sheet of marzipan.

This cake is part of the German Luxury Cake lineup, along with the Cherry Chocolate Chip and Triple Chocolate Mousse cakes, which I didn't buy, although they also looked pretty tasty. Anything with marzipan is an automatic "yes" from me, though, and even though I paid full price for the cake — about $9 or so — I regret not buying two or three. The one cake I did pick up, I saved for my son's birthday in July, and it was a huge hit.

The Specially Selected German Luxury Cakes seem to be available as part of Aldi's German week promotion, which tracks with my buying the cake sometime last May, but sadly, I did not see them return during German Week in September. I am eagerly anticipating the return of the Marzipan Mousse Cake this spring, though, and this time I will definitely stock up. (My birthday's in May, so I hope to have one of these cakes for my celebration, too.)

The Aldi Marzipan Mousse cake seems to be the store's version of a German cake called Lübecker marzipantorte, which is also a cream-filled sponge covered in marzipan. This cake is the one thing I'm sure to get any time I go to Milwaukee's annual German Fest, and I'd say Aldi's version ranks right up alongside the cake that's sold there. (It's also quite a bit cheaper, since I can get an entire cake for only a buck or two more than I pay for a single slice at the festival.) Interestingly enough, it's also quite similar to another nation's specialty. The first time my son and I tried the Marzipan Mousse cake, we both had the same reaction: It's the Ikea prinsesstårta!

The prinsesstårta, a small, dome-shaped cake covered in pink or green marzipan, has long been popular in its native Sweden. Ikea broke my heart by discontinuing these pastries around the time of the pandemic, and I was thrilled when they made a brief resurgence in both the food market and restaurant last spring. They soon disappeared again, though, and I haven't seen them since in either the restaurant or the store. They're still listed on the website, and have even been joined by a Frödinge marzipan cream cake that looks just like a pinker version of my favorite Aldi cake. Sadly, I've yet to find either item at my Ikea, but if I ever do, I'm definitely stocking up. However, they'll have to fight for freezer space with all of the Marzipan Mousse Cakes I'll be buying as soon as these are back at Aldi.