Snack Review: Enten-mini’s Tubes Chocolate Commotion
OK, first, Tubes. What? Isn’t this kind of a gross name for a food? Does it have a companion in another flavor named Pipes? Or Hoses?
There is an illustration of a skateboarder up in the corner there on the package. Maybe I am too old and uncool to realize that Tubes is a totally (insert your own up-to-date slang for “awesome” here) skateboarding term. And, it turns out, I am also too old to enjoy this snack.
I recently mentioned that I am a sucker for cake rolled up with creamy stuff in it. Trying these made me realize that I should have said “cream” as in, something made from a substance that originally came from a cow.
I especially love the combination of dark chocolate and vanilla cream and thus used to be a big eater of Yodels, Ring Dings, and Devil Dogs. But the more I ate more adult versions of dark chocolate and of vanilla cream, the less satisfying these commercial treats became.
Of course they also might not be as good as they used to be, as I am always whining about in regards to one thing or another. But they never had real cream in them, I’m sure, so clearly at least part of the issue is my own evolving tastes.
I still eat a Devil Dog once in a while when I can find them, because without the chocolate coating there’s one less thing for me to complain about. But mostly, I have become too fussy for these easily accessible treats to satisfy my cake-with-cream cravings.
I also used to eat a lot of Entenmann’s products, as I suppose most New Yorkers of my age did. They’re also not as good as they used to be, of course. But the combination of the Entenmann’s name and the Yodel-like concept of these, and the fact that they were sold in a small package of two – well, why not try them?
Sigh. So many reasons why not.
As the name implies, these aren’t rolled up into a spiral like a Yodel, but are a cake tube with the cream inside. Otherwise, though, the cake seems to be identical and the cream is exactly the same sort of thing. The chocolate coating mostly fell off in large pieces as I took the Tubes out of the package and handled them. This turned out to be fine, because it didn’t taste like much and I didn’t want to eat it. It certainly fell well short of causing anything like a chocolate commotion in my mouth.
I also ended up not wanting to eat the cream, so I scraped it out with my finger and dunked the remaining mostly bare pieces of cake in milk. Which as you can imagine was a pretty terrific mess.
I was so sorry that I had eaten these instead of the Kozy Shack truffles that I still had in the freezer, which were a much better cake with cream delight, even though not the dark chocolate and vanilla cream combination.
But perhaps it was my own fault. I should have realized that a drawing of a skateboarder meant that they were not exactly trying to attract my demographic, the one that is irresistibly attracted to packages with long descriptions of authentic European delicacies. So you may want to take a package of these to your local skate park and get a second opinion.
11 Comments
Linda on September 24th, 2008
Confession: I have never eaten a Little Debbie product.
Jim on September 24th, 2008
And you call yourself a SNACK CRITIC? Sheesh…. 
Linda on September 24th, 2008
I will make it my business to remedy this… if I can find something
that doesn’t come in a box of a dozen.
My defense is that they didn’t have Little Debbie in NYC when I was
growing up. We had Drake’s, Hostess and Entenmann’s. And when I
moved away and saw these strange Little Debbie things with that rather
creepy little girl on the box, they seemed like some kind of frightening
off-brand. Really, admit it, isn’t that girl just a little creepy?
Jim on September 24th, 2008
Au contraire, she’s ADORABLE! That’s like saying the Sun-Maid maiden
and the Land O Lakes Native American woman are creepy. I’m wondering now
if the real Debbie is still alive…and maybe the models for the
other two icons are still around.
I think you can find individual Little Debbie snack cakes in
most gas stations or convenience stores … if you’re interested
and feeling brave
ButterflyKyss on September 25th, 2008
I might give these a shot. I never rid myself of that awful inner
child that loves over-sweet, fake chocolate, messy frosting laced
treats, though I only let her out on rare occasions 
If you go out in search of Little Debbie, search for the Strawberry
Shortcake Rolls. They are ooey, gooey, sugary guilty pleasure delights.
Seriously. MMmmmm….
Allissa on September 25th, 2008
I actually wrote a small feature on Little Debbie a few months ago -
watch for it on the site! 
Starcasm on September 25th, 2008
MMM Tubes. Bad chocolate cake tube things filled with fake cream. MMM.
Goodiecabinet on February 21st, 2009
I just saw and tried these “Tubes” for the first time today.
Here’s my 2 cents:
I grew up with Drake’s Ring Dings & Yodels. I remember when they were wrapped with super thin aluminum foil that we’d roll up into little footballs and flick with our finger. I remember when Ring Dings was a “Ring Ding Jr.”, as Drakes offered a larger, flatter “Ring Ding” that, IMHO, was the best snack cake ever.
Entenmann’s was always where you went when you wanted chocolate cake, but they never were really into “snack” cakes.
Over the years, as others have mentioned, the cakes seemed to have changed. We all wonder if maybe it’s our tastes that have changed, but I don’t think that’s the case at all.
In my mind there’s no doubt they’ve been changing the recipes and adding more crap, substitutes and chemicals over the years. In the rare occasion I’d try to indulge in a Ring Ding or Yodel I would find the taste wasn’t there anymore, all I tasted was sugar and corn syrup. Plus, afterwards I’d feel like crap from the sugar rush.
Recently, when I learned Drakes was taken over by Hostess (and/or some other corporation), which I always felt made inferior products, it all fell into place. As far as I was concerned, Ring Dings and Yodels were gone forever. Bummer, as a part of my childhood was killed off.
Then, upon scanning the shelves of my local 7-11 I saw Entenmann’s was making more an more single serving snack cakes. It instantly dawned on me that they should try and make a version of Ring Dings and Yodels- as I bet they’d do a decent job. Months later, lo and behold… I see the Entenmann’s “Creme Puck”. I buy it, take it home- and give it a try.
Wow! They hit a great recipe. It truly tasted like the Ring Ding of yesterday. I buy them all the time now and am very happy.
Today, I saw the “Tubes”. I knew right away this was their try at the Yodel. Unfortunately, I think they dropped the ball with this one.
First off the chocolate covering was not dark enough. It almost bordered on milk chocolate.
Second, the “tube” isn’t a roll like a Yodel, meaning more “cream” inside and less cake. I prefer more cake and less cream (although they did a good job in copying the cake texture of the Yodel).
Third, way too sweet for me. It might as well be a Drake/Hostess Yodel/Ho Ho of today with no flavor and all sugar. Also, just like todays Yodel and Ho Ho, I got a sugar headache afterwards.
I really wish the people at Entenmann’s would understand people will seek out and go out of their way for quality snacks. Give me less sugar, more flavor, fewer chemicals, better ingredients and I’ll buy them by the case and be willing to pay a premium.
With their “Tubes”, it looks like they’re just making more of the same crap that’s already on the market.
Linda on February 22nd, 2009
Thanks for the tip. I’ve never seen the Creme Puck. I will have to look for it, despite the even more unfortunate name.
And, uh oh, I realize that I have still not followed up on my promise to try at least one Little Debbie cake for the sake of science.
chris on March 14th, 2009
I thought i was the only one who remembers that ring dings and yodels used to taste different when i was younger and they were wrapped in aluminum. Whenever i bring it up to someone they think im crazy . i think it has something to do with the aluminum foil and probably a change in ingredients to cheaper ones. Chips ahoy used to taste better too when they werent so sealed up in their package like they are now.
Jim on September 24th, 2008
Tubes, yeah! Don’t you remember the 80s quasi-pornographic, satirical,
art-rock band, The Tubes? http://www.thetubes.com/ (Check out Fee Waybill on the website — oh man,
he looks sooooo old…feeling old now myself.)
Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls are my one true love in the creamy-centered
chocolate cake category (how’s THAT for alliteration),
and I’ll never stray.
Oh, and remember “tubular”? Surfer-ease for “awesome.” From the
Urban Dictionary: “Tubular is in referance to surfing in the
barrel, the tube. Getting in a tube is awesome, hence the word tubular.
‘That ride was tubular, man.’ “