An Iconic Bakery's Cake Was Spotted At Costco For $5 — For 'That Price, I'd Take My Chances'

Some semiquincentennial celebrations may last all year, but America's big birthday bash on the Fourth of July is several weeks behind us. This means that some of the snacks that got a patriotic makeover for the occasion may now be marked down for clearance; among them is a rather elaborate dessert that's been spotted at Costco. This item, which goes by the name of The Ultimate American Birthday Cake, was produced by Carlo's Bakery of "Cake Boss" fame. It originally sold for $21.69, but Costco now has it reduced to just $4.97.

Under five bucks seems like a pretty good deal, since this Costco-sized cake weighing 5 pounds is actually three desserts in one. It consists of three layers: apple crumb pie, blueberry cheesecake, and strawberry cake. (Too bad the bakery didn't use cherry cake, since the cake would have been ABC as well as red, white, and blue.) The cake also features both white and blueberry buttercream frosting and a bunch of red and white sprinkles to make it look festive. 

The catch is, the cake seems to have come out in late May, so unless Costco restocked it, the item might now be about two months old. Even so, it's been kept in the freezer case, so it's not like it could have gone bad or anything. One Redditor remarked that for "that price, I'd take my chances," while someone else responded, "Even if I only liked one of the layers, it's a deal."

Not everyone is excited over this Costco find, however. "I took my chances, and it was not worth the $5," warned one Redditor, while another said, "I got it at this price, and that's about what it's worth. It's not bad but would have been mad paying whatever the original price was." Another person noted that they'd tried a fresh version of the cake at Carlo's Bakery in Las Vegas and found it mediocre at best. A different user called the dessert a "cake turducken," referencing the mysterious Thanksgiving mashup of turkey, duck, and chicken, and expressed skepticism about the outcome, writing, " ... three fine products on their own, consolidated in a factory bakery and sold frozen. What could go wrong?"

If you do decide to take a chance on this bargain-priced piecaken at just under a dollar per pound, there's one additional caveat to keep in mind. Multiple patrons observed that eating it might make your poop turn green. Apparently, this could be a result of all the blue coloring from the blueberry cake and frosting, whether natural or otherwise. (The cake contains both blueberry compound and blue food dye.) Someone else noted that Blue Moon ice cream could have a similar effect, as would blue, red, and yellow Superman ice cream.