# The most disappointing dessert **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [July 9, 2024, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971 "2024-07-09T23:39:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/81 "2024-07-10T18:16:29Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Well, I know ambrosia is often referred to as ‘ambrosia salad’, but is something full of marshmallows, Reddi-Whip and sweetened coconut not also a dessert? I agree, but the only time I’ve had it is as a side for Easter dinner at my extremely Texan in-laws. Another thread, “The worst thing that people eat and call salad,” would make this a good contender. > [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Who says that there is no accounting for taste? Bravo! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/82 "2024-07-10T18:19:46Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I once ordered a cheesecake at a restaurant that turned out to be memorably bad. I think they forgot the cheese. It tasted like a glob of flan over a crust. There’s [“no-bake” cheesecake](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-No-Bake-Dessert-Mix-Original-Cheesecake-11-1-oz/554332357?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=1317&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=22222222277554332357_161193766053_21214199653&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=697173827980&wl4=aud-2225087348587:pla-2300760861495&wl5=9010332&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=554332357&veh=sem_LIA&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4ri0BhAvEiwA8oo6F3sBJ84elx6-bAAhN2QUVNssJZxo2SrU2NH5usvym3QYNgs_PdPuVhoCBUMQAvD_BwE), with “sugar, baker’s cheese, palm oil” as the first three ingredients. Then there’s [Jello’s take](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Jell-O-No-Bake-Classic-Cheesecake-Dessert-Kit-with-Filling-Mix-and-Crust-Mix-11-1-oz-Box/10292560?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101292278&gclsrc=aw.ds&&adid=2222222222710292560_101292278_158961006617_21181099821&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=696576650832&wl4=aud-2225087348587:pla-2361536553557&wl5=9010332&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=5356945731&wl11=online&wl12=10292560_101292278&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4ri0BhAvEiwA8oo6F67kniZk7T1Flcuncq1pr7AzOqqUEnm6w4RsX3EapTN7qb_pBRxYiBoCdHEQAvD_BwE), where the first three ingredients are sugar, modified potato starch, and dextrose. If I got either of these at a restaurant, I would throw hands. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/83 "2024-07-10T18:20:11Z")
Once when my brother and I were little, Mom was making a cake and we pestered her for a taste of the white “icing” in the blue can. She let me have some first, a little bit on a spoon…it was Crisco. Naturally, I said, “Mmm, good!” because I’d be damned if I’d be the only one to fall for it. 😈 ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/84 "2024-07-10T18:20:32Z")
Honey cake - the traditional Jewish kind served at Rosh Hashanah. Sounds like it should be oozing with sweet sticky deliciousness. Tastes like a bland pound cake that once glanced at a beehive. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/85 "2024-07-10T18:25:42Z")
Turkish Delight can be good if you know what you’re getting. I recently had a delectable, though not sweet or western-dessert-style, Turkish Delight from a shop in Cordoba, Spain that sold nothing but Mediterranean desserts. It was made with rosewater and pistachios, rolled in more pistachios and dried rose petals. Interesting and sufficiently exotical. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/86 "2024-07-10T18:30:48Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > one of the best things I’ve ever eaten: the overwhelming bitterness of the coffee tempered and cooled by the chill sweet of the candy, Maybe that’s why so many folks have found it disappointing, because it’s not meant to be consumed alone? > [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Who says that there is no accounting for taste? My god, there’s hope for humanity after all. > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Naturally, I said, “Mmm, good!” because I’d be damned if I’d be the only one to fall for it. 😈 As an only child who didn’t grow up with these kinds of instincts, may I just say, that was a hilarious coda. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/87 "2024-07-10T18:35:08Z")
Oh yeah, I had to take my brother down with me! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/88 "2024-07-10T18:38:00Z")
Neither was all that bad. I was just pointing out what disappoints a child in a dessert might come down to just wanting the other brand. As an adult I’m kinda happy to see a dessert that isn’t all that attractive so I don’t have a problem sticking to a single reasonable serving or less. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/89 "2024-07-10T19:01:34Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > That’s not dessert, that’s salad. Agreed. Maybe a weird sort of salad but I only saw it served with the main meal (or at a salad bar with the potato salad, macaroni salad, etc). Us kids always felt like we were pulling one over on the established order but it wasn’t ever served with the cakes and cookies afterward. As long as we’ve already expanded “dessert” to cookies, I’ll mention the wrapped fruit pies. As a kid, I remembered them being awesome. Trying one as a adult is a mouthful of sugar glop flakes with fake fruit goo inside. Just terrible; I assume it’s both changing personal tastes and a cheapness in modern ingredients/quality. I’d rather eat an entire Costco sheet cake by myself than one of those lemon fruit pies. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/90 "2024-07-10T19:07:03Z")
[![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczN4F90nNWSe0mRRTegxbmkhPGF1hrSS8FlJtqADAZp9PGgIv-pWXbwoOeiL2qIMxIa1yMVnpOeXyhxbvUY4Cl0A-FkWowrlbKoxAwJVF91a7ErXX8s=w600-h315-p-k "New item by Patrick Smalley") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/rvKVGrHYuujWj61E8) Might have to click to see (don’t judge this old picture of my fridge)… That green platter of what appears to be cut-up pork is my daughter’s attempt to make Turkish Delight. I would have like it better if it had actually been pork. Cloying, and I don’t generally like the taste of flowers, apparently. (ETA: I just felt like sharing this photo because it makes me laugh; I’ve sent it to various people over the years and always get a response along the lines of “Oooh, what are you making with the pork tonight?”) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/91 "2024-07-10T19:09:22Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > That green platter of what appears to be cut-up pork is my daughter’s attempt to make Turkish Delight. The main relief comes from no longer wondering what sort of dessert you were making out of raw pork and sour cream which was my first thought. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/92 "2024-07-10T19:11:40Z")
Pork is exactly what I thought that was. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/93 "2024-07-10T19:20:25Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > [Nutella cake](https://www.nigella.com/recipes/nutella-cake) Oh man, that sounds extremely non-disappointing! (I love the way she writes the recipe, too; very informative). ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/94 "2024-07-10T19:23:48Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > what sort of dessert you were making out of raw pork and sour cream Don’t forget the ranch & 2 kinds of mustard! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/95 "2024-07-10T19:35:09Z")
In the 00s, when I lived in my old town, their Girl Scout council was test-marketing a sugar-free brownie during cookie sales time. I never tried them, but I knew a few people who did, and they all said they were awful. I never heard any more about them. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/96 "2024-07-10T19:38:16Z")
Ooh. I get a Tate CC cookie occasionally. They DO NOT disappoint. Except, maybe because I ever got one at a time, very occasionally. ★ One time we went somewhere and had prime rib. Everything great and nicely presented. They brought little dishes at the end of the meal for each person. On it was a tiny chocolate patty. Turned out to be York peppermint Patty. Kinda weird, I thought. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/97 "2024-07-10T19:38:48Z")
I loved Hydrox! They actually made a brief comeback some years ago, and I liked them better than Oreos. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/98 "2024-07-10T19:40:06Z")
I once had a fellow student bring in cookies. Homemade chocolate chip!! **No**. Carob. We were all very sad. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/99 "2024-07-10T20:17:05Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I didn’t even particularly like s’mores as a kid- I considered them a crime against chocolate. Oh, yeah, s’mores. There is one and only one thing great about s’mores: That is the fact that, when you’re eating them, you’re sitting around a campfire with a bunch of friends. You can get exactly the same experience without the s’mores, or with toasted marshmallows unaccompanied by other ingredients. And s’mores just don’t work: Trying to assemble the ingredients always results in things just falling apart. And the chief difference between Oreos and Hydrox is that Oreos are slightly burnt. Which actually improves chocolate baked goods. So I prefer Oreos. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971/100 "2024-07-10T20:27:46Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > But a few years back we ate at a wonderful Middle Eastern restaurant, and for dessert we got tiny cups of Turkish coffee and pistachio Turkish delight. It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten: the overwhelming bitterness of the coffee tempered and cooled by the chill sweet of the candy, and everything supremely fragrant. Yeah, that’s a good way to enjoy a lot of those very sweet eastern-med confections. Just don’t drink the last quarter of the coffee! I spent a few years of my early childhood living in Cyprus and I still love lokumi - we used to stop by little shops on the road where they made it on site in a huge copper cauldron. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-disappointing-dessert/1003971.md?page=6)