The Good: Good initial taste, Easy to prepare, Great no mess cap!
The Bad: Exceptionally weak flavor when applied to ice cream; virtually flavorless!
The Basics: Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper turns into a flavorless gel on even simple vanilla ice cream, making it impossible to recommend.
Now that I am full-swing with my ice cream topping reviews, like the York Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Sundae Syrup (reviewed here!) and the Heath Magic Topping ice cream topping (reviewed here!), I am finding the process of getting in and trying new (to me) ice cream toppings exciting. My wife and I buy one each a month now and have fun little ice cream nights about once a week. My big pick last month (which has taken me until now to review!) was the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper. Unfortunately, while it tastes pretty awesome out of the bottle, it is completely dominated by even a mild ice cream flavor when applied to ice cream!
Basics
The Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper is part of Vita Specialty Food’s topping line and it works just like a chocolate syrup, though it does not blend with milk to make a beverage. The 12 oz. bottle has a flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream. This doesn’t solidify, but it is one of the sundae syrups that does not run when placed on ice cream. Very nicely, this comes with a no-mess cap that actually does prevent the fluid from leaking out in any way to leave any residue on the lid. This makes this a waste-free topping experience!
Ease Of Preparation
One need not even shake the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper. Simply remove the safety seal, flip open the cap and squeeze out the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper. There is no trick to using this dessert topping.
Taste
For all of my ice cream topping reviews, I am utilizing Blue Bunny Chocolate Chip ice cream (reviewed here!) as it provides a neutral flavor base.
On its own, the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper smells just like the cherry cola beverage upon which it is based. The aroma is very true to the unique blend of cola and cherry that defines Dr. Pepper drink. This syrup, though, is exceptionally thick. The thick translucent brown goo tastes just like Dr. Pepper on its own. The dominant flavor is a sweet, dry cola-like taste with a strong, black cherry aftertaste that is very distinctive.
On ice cream, the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper is instantly cherry flavored and very sweet. However, the longer the syrup sits on ice cream, the less flavorful it becomes. The gel becomes generically sweet within a minute and even instantly, it cannot hold its own against virtually any flavor of ice cream. A basic chocolate ice cream completely dominates this ice cream syrup.
Nutrition
Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world. I was shocked that there was nothing really unrecognizable in the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper. The primary ingredients are corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and water. None of the ingredients insinuate that this is not vegan compliant and there are no allergy warnings on the bottle.
What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each 2 Tb serving (who measures this out, as opposed to squirting it on their ice cream?!) of Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper, there are 130 calories, none of which come from fat! As a fat free product, it is easy to enjoy this quite a bit without guilt! While there is no fat and no cholesterol, a consumer gets 2% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single serving of this topping! Instead of being a nutritionally bad product, this really just contributes nothing to one’s diet, save sugars.
Storage/Cleanup
So long as one leaves the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper in its bottle, (it does not need to be refrigerated after being opened), it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date over three years away, one assumes it will last quite a while unopened. I was surprised, though, that one 12 oz. bottle yields only eight servings, but it does seem to stretch.
Cleanup is very easy as a general rule as it may easily be wiped up with a warm cloth. Because it is a sticky and syrupy product that is mostly dark, this ice cream topping does stain. On dishes, it washes off very easily.
Overall
It was only near the end of my trying the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper that I noted that it is defined as a “dessert topper,” not an “ice cream topper.” Given, however, that we found it in the ice cream topping section, I’m reviewing it as an ice cream topping and it is way too weak for that. I cannot imagine that it holds its own better against brownies or cake frosting or what other products one might use this on. It is not unpleasant, but it is not potent enough with its flavor to be truly good when used as an ice cream topping.
For other ice cream products, please visit my reviews of:
Starbucks Coffee Signature Hot Chocolate Ice Cream
Edy's Peppermint Limited Edition Ice Cream
Breyers CarbSmart Vanilla
2.5/10
For other ice cream reviews, please visit my Ice Cream Review Index Page!
© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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