Are Christmas Tree Cakes the same as Zebra Cakes? This question pops up every year when Little Debbie Christmas Trees hit the shelves. I am a lover of Christmas Trees and I do not care for Zebra Cakes. When I say this, people always tell me they are the same and I always disagree. This year, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and do a blind taste testing. 

I went into this taste test 99.9 percent confident I would prove my point. I waited while my friend, who is of the belief that they are in fact the same cake, cut identical pieces off each cake. They scraped the top layer of icing off because the Christmas Tree has green sprinkles and red stripes and the Zebra Cake has chocolate stripes. 

For so long, I have been told the only differences between the two cakes were the sprinkles and the stripes. I have long argued that simply wasn’t true. With the top layer allegedly being the only difference removed, would I accurately determine which cake was which? 

Once the cakes were cut and they were ready for me, I came into the kitchen and covered my eyes. I eventually learned looking at the cakes while they were mutilated would not have given me any hints when I conducted the same experiment on my friend. While these cakes may look identical when the top layer is removed, I was still sure I would figure out which was which. 

I was handed my first little cake and took a small bite. I didn’t like it. The cake seemed grainy and there was a hint of chocolate. I did not finish this tiny piece. I then took a sip of water for a pallet cleanser and was ready for the other one. I tasted it and I immediately knew it was a Christmas Tree. I took one bite, said this is a Christmas Tree, and ate the rest. My friend was in disbelief. I was right. 

They kept telling me, “There is no way,” and I kept saying, “I can do it again if you want me to.” They eventually just accepted the fact that I am a Christmas Tree expert and I got my win. I asked if they wanted to give it a try too since they are apparently the same cake. 

Experiment number two with the nonbeliever went as well as I wanted. I gave them the Zebra Cake first and then the Christmas Tree. They could also taste the chocolate and guessed correctly! I felt so validated by converting my friend to my side. We then read the ingredients on the back of each box and learned the one key difference is cocoa. 

Does it matter that the cakes are different? In the grand scheme of things, no not really. For me, it matters a lot because people always tell me I am wrong. I encourage anyone who thinks they are identical cakes to try their own blind taste test. I am 100 percent confident I will always be able to know which is which, and I think you might be able to as well.

Standard reporter Bethany Porter can be reached at (931) 473-2191.