Hostess - 100 Calorie Cupcakes Review

Somebody at the Hostess kitchens thinks they knows a lot about consumer psychology which supposedly works like this ... if someone tells me I can only have ONE cupcake containing 100 calories, I'm going to feel deprived but if someone cuts that one cupcake into three pieces, then THAT's different.  In other words, somebody thinks I'm stupid.  It is certainly true that I had high hopes for Hostess 100 Calorie Pack Cupcakes but then, Christopher Columbus had high hopes of discovering a route to the West Indies and look what happened to him.  Life is full of disappointments.

There were supposed to be six packs each containing three "mini-cakes" in the imposing six inch square and two inch high box.  Imagine my surprise to find rattling around inside only three packs.  Since the box was sealed and intact, we have to assume that that's the way it left the factory -- containing only half of what should have been in there, with no explanation.  (Somebody at the Hostess kitchens was probably hoping I wouldn't notice!)

In my niave flush of enthusiasm, I had envisioned "mini-cupcakes" as being traditional tea-sized cupcakes but these mini-things were each about one third the size of those.  Since the box had cost $3 on sale and there were only three packs (or nine mini-cupcakes) in it, each one of these itty-bitty things ended up costing about 33 cents ON SALE.  Nevertheless, they delivered the great Hostess cupcake taste no doubt due to the sweet creaminess provided by polydextrose, a type of fiber which came third on the list of more than 55 ingredients which are in these mini-cupcakes.

STATS:

Three mini-cupcakes (totalling 1.2 oz. together) is a single serving which contains 100 calories with 25 calories from fat.  There are three grams total fat, one gram saturated fat, zero trans fat, five mg. cholesterol, 150 mg. sodium, 20 grams total carbs, three grams dietary fiber, 11 grams sugars, two grams protein, 8% (D.V.) Calcium and 2% Iron.

IT IS WHAT IT IS:

I had high hopes for this product but it is what it is.  Doubtless due to the more than 55 ingredients, eating Hostess 100 Calorie Pack Mini-Cupcakes left me with a definite aftertaste (although it was mild and not unpleasant).  The really unpleasant sensation came from experiencing what I perceived to be the rampant marketing and packaging duplicity of this product. 

TASTE TIP:

Some day when you get a chance, bake a batch of your own tea-sized cupcakes, frost them and freeze them.  Then, every now and then, eat one of your own cupcakes instead of three Hostess 100 Calorie Pack Mini-Cupcakes.