No more half-sheet cakes at Costco

Like most people, my trips to Costco have decreased significantly over the past few months. However, even before the pandemic started, I had noticed that one of my favotie bakery items (well, to look at…I have actually only eaten it once)…, the huge chocolate layer cake, had not been in the Dedham location for months. In its place was a much smaller (“smaller” for Costco meaning a regular large chocolate cake!) cake–it still looked delicious but nothng compared to the original!

Apparently they are making other bakery changes as well, including replacing their half sheet cakes with smaller, rounder cakes. I don’t think I have ever actually tasted these sheet cakes but I know I have seen them at events.

Here is one article discussing this change: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/retail/costco-discontinues-half-sheet-cakes-an-apparent-casualty-of-coronaviruchocols/

According to the article, these cakes could serve 48 people and cost less than $20, which is obviously an amazing deal. Because I had never ordered nor tasted these cakes, I was under the impression that they were similar to “regular” sheet cakes, which I tend not to like because they are often dry with overly sweet icing. However, from the descriptions in the article, these cakes sound very different from traditional sheet cakes.  Both flavors sound delicious…white cake filled with vanilla cheesecake mousse and topped with white buttercream frosting or chocolate filled with chocolate mousse and iced with chocolate buttercream. (Of course now that I am learning about how great they sound, they are no longer available…)

It does make sense that bakeries would be devoting less time and space, and fewer ingredients, to desserts for large gatherings, as far fewer people are (or should be!) having large events. However, it is a disappointment for people who loved buying these cakes.  From the article, I had the impression that the replacement round cakes are not the same as the original sheet cakes. However, I then learned that (at least some stores) are selling the same varieties of cake in smaller sizes. (I realize that people may not tend to buy special cakes for smaller events but if people enjoy them as much as the article claims, they may still sell).

What do you think about this decision?

Have you bought (or at least tried) these cakes in the past?

And, in case they ever bring them back, which do you prefer: the vanilla or the chocolate? Despite my love of chocolate, I tend to prefer vanilla/yellow cake (unless the chocolate cake is extremely dense and fudgy) and the cheesecake filling sounds pretty delicious. However, a chocolate mousse filling sounds great too…maybe they could make a half and half???