This "Fan Favorite" Seasonal Trader Joe's Dessert Is Back and It Tastes Homemade

When I was growing up, my mom had one rule for birthday parties: my brother and I were allowed to invite the same number of guests as our age. I turned four surrounded by my four closest preschool friends, and I celebrated my 10th birthday with my entire Brownie Troop running through the house.

While the number of guests changed every year, one thing that stayed the same was that my mom always baked my birthday cake. To this day, she insists that she’s “not much of a baker,” but I can vouch that she does, in fact, bake really lovely things.

Chocolate cake has always been my favorite, but my mom also makes a delicious spice cake. It’s nothing fancy, just a boxed cake mix with store-bought cream cheese frosting. But of course, it’s always made with love. So color me surprised when I bought a mini sheet cake from Trader Joe’s last week that immediately transported me to my childhood birthday parties. 

The Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Mini Sheet Cake is also nothing fancy, but it delivers big on flavor. It’s $5.99 for an 18-ounce cake, which is the perfect price and size for when you’re craving cake, but don’t feel like making a mess out of your kitchen.

Why I Love Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Mini Sheet Cake

It has that perfect balance of warming spices, plus the decadent cream cheese frosting piped on top. I don’t find the cake to be dry at all, which is not the case for many ready-to-eat cakes. If you’re a fan of the now-available year-round Trader Joe’s Carrot Mini Sheet Cake, then you will absolutely love its pumpkin cousin.

And because I’m a sucker for practicality, I love that this cake comes in a reclosable container, and it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. I live alone, so sometimes it’s hard to find bakery goods that will stay fresh for a few days.

That is not the case with this Trader Joe’s cake—I am usually able to make it last two days (three, if I’m showing restraint). But if I invite my mom over to share it with me, well, then it’s only going to last for about 20 minutes. But it will be a really delicious 20 minutes!

These days, I don’t always have the energy to bake a cake from scratch, and that’s where this little sheet cake comes in. It’s an easy shortcut that still delivers the same cozy flavor I grew up loving.

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