Andrea's Battle of the "birthday cake" scented candle and melt review

by Andrea Haskins, added 7/5/10



A comparison review of birthday cake scents  and blends from over 20 different companies


Table of contents to review

Birthday Candle from Gold Canyon Candles:

For my first order of business, I decided to tackle one of the big boys – Gold Canyon. These are tried and true candles for me. These candles have been around since 1997 and there are a variety of collections. The Birthday Cake scent can be obtained in the Bella jars, the Heritage collection and in tealights and votives. I chose the largest Heritage jar (26oz) and it will put you in the mood for a celebration from the very start. The apothecary style jar has a diamond cut pattern around the top and a handpainted label sporting balloons, streamers and a huge slice of birthday cake. Yum-my! The wax was a creamy off-white color and this candle had double wicks. Here’s what Gold Canyon says about their Birthday Cake candle:

"A scrumptious aroma of a freshly baked vanilla cake topped with rich, creamy frosting! Yummmm!"

The cold sniff reminded me of a tub of buttercream frosting. I lit this big ole candle and left it to work its magic. I came back to the most wonderful, buttery, sweet cake scent known to man or woman! The frosting certainly took the front seat and I found it to be buttery and creamy – less sweet, more rich. This candle put out a great throw (filling a medium sized room), burned evenly and completely, and did not create a huge sooty mess. It’s what I’ve come to expect from Gold Canyon candles and this one did not disappoint. The order process was seamless, the shipping fast, and the product was just to die for!



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Sugar & Spice Gourmet Soy Candles

Sugar and Spice and everything nice… how perfect if it’s birthday cake you’re hunting! This is one of my favorite places to shop for both blends and staples. This is a small candle business with a cutesy website and customer service that is in a league all its own. Not only was the Birthday Cake scent to be found on the fragrance menu but a blend as well – Frosted Pumpkin Cupcakes. Can you say yum?!? I decided to test the 1oz tarts, which are clear oval cups and 100% soy.

I first tried the basic Birthday Cake scent. Here’s what Sugar & Spice says about this scent: Rich and sweet birthday cake.

"Moist, white cake with a rich, sweet butter cream frosting. You'll be in bakery heaven!"

 I didn’t smell much on cold sniff so I decided it was time for the moment of truth. I plunked this tart into my electric melter and waited. And waited. And… well, try as I might, I couldn’t get much throw out of this one. I did detect somewhat of a sweet, light cake scent. Somewhat.

Next up was Frosted Pumpkin Cupcakes:

"Blend of Frosted Pumpkin, Birthday cake and Buttercream Frosting.... yummy! Our exclusive blend!"

 Man, did this one make up for the straight Birthday Cake scent! The throw was really strong and the scent was absolutely drool-worthy. This was a heavy bakery scent - I thought I sniffed some molasses. Not sweet but not too heavy on the spices, either. Could I pick out the individual scent of birthday cake? No, but then again it really didn’t matter. This is one super duper scent that I definitely recommend to any bakery fan out there.



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The Candle Cottage

I picked this lovely while shopping in Wal-Mart but you can also buy these candles online. The website states that these candles are highly scented and have a long burn time. There are several sized jars available on the website, but I had only one option at Wal-Mart – the 16oz pint size mason jar with a gold screw-top lid. The label depicts a nice, quiet cottage. This is a single-wick candle with the wax a deep yellow. The website description for this scent is:

"A delectable yellow cake smothered in rich yummy butter cream icing.
"
 The cold sniff was light but that of some finger-licking good cake batter. While burning, I smelled all yellow cake which was quite delicious! I don’t think I ever smelled the buttercream frosting but that’s OK. It still was a very good candle scent with a light to moderate throw. This would work well in a smaller room or maybe I needed a bigger size. I was worried with initial burn that the candle was going to tunnel, but it soon righted itself. It burned cleanly and evenly. I certainly would try this brand again.



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Candle Marketplace 

This is new-to-me place that was pointed out to me by a good friend. They offer soy candles in several style jars and wax melts. Their candle line is actually called AcScents and there are many, many scents from which to choose. I opted for the 12oz round glass jar candle which had a smooth, sleek look. The jar was topped with a silver lid and the company name was affixed on the outside with a silver foil sticker. The wax was a creamy tan color and the candle sported two wicks. Regarding the scent, Candle Marketplace says:

"Not just any birthday cake, our Birthday Cake scented Candle beckons the aroma of sweet yellow cake batter with creamy French Vanilla and a slight touch of cinnamon."

The cold sniff was delish – a creamy cake scent that made my mouth water. I lit this baby and returned back about a half hour later. Let me tell you, folks, I was completely blown away! Boy!! This was a powerful candle, especially given its size. This one was all about the cake and it must have been the French vanilla that made this scent so unique from the others I tried. I couldn’t pick out any cinnamon but that may have been because the French vanilla was so strong. I thought I also detected almond notes even though that’s not mentioned in the scent description. Oh my… I declare I was looking for a fork before it was over. A nice, clean burn with very little wick maintenance required. I’ll be back to the Candle Marketplace for sure!



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Carlena's Creation

While on the prowl for more birthday cake, I stumbled across a neat looking site – Carlena’s Creations. What a darling site! It’s pink, it’s girly, there are hearts all around and a cute little rag doll. What’s not to love? Here I discovered you could order a set of tarts in your own choice of scent and shape. The number of tarts you get depends on the shape you choose. I went all patriotic and ordered the set of three stars. I was drawn to this company because their birthday cake scent was described as having some chocolate notes. Mmmmm! Here’s what the site says:

"A sweet white cake scent with a touch of chocolate filling. Yum!"

I received my order fairly quickly. The star tarts were really, really cute. I could not get much on cold sniff, so I went ahead and melted to see what I would get. I did not get much of a throw from these tarts and believe me, I tried! I really wanted to smell that chocolate filling. But it was just not meant to be.



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Barn Candles

Next up was Birthday Cake from The Barn Candle Company. Barn Candles have been around since 1997 and are currently being made with a soy/vegetable wax blend. There are many products to choose from but I chose the regular candle line. After placing my order, my candle arrived lickety split. My candle had a rustic look – a mason jar with The Barn embossed in the glass and a black screw-top lid that held the scent name. The extra touch here? A cute black matchbook wrapped around the neck of the candle. How convenient!! The wax was very smooth and tannish in color. Here’s what The Barn says about their Birthday Cake scent:

"This Bakery Fresh Cake will take you down memory lane with the rich and savory aroma of sweet buttered frosting."

 My cold sniff reminded me of a bowl of cake batter. Drool much?? I lit this candle with high expectations. At first there was nothing – I was sooooo disappointed. But then, oh then… I began to notice a heavy cake scent with a hint of the sweet frosting. I find it interesting that the description harps more on the frosting. To my nose, this version was heavier on the cake than the frosting and there was a distinctive, yet not overpowering, almond note. A great clean burning candle that would certainly fill a medium-sized room with mouthwatering scent.



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