Tesco's Birthday Cake Sandwich: Shoppers debate over sugar content, taste and copying M&S dessert sandwich

While some have praised the £3 dessert-style sandwich as a “stunning” Victoria Sponge-inspired treat, others have labelled it overwhelmingly sweet and suspiciously similar to Marks & Spencer’s own recent dessert sandwich.

The limited-edition sandwich, available for four weeks at 1,000 Tesco stores, is made with brioche-style white bread, full-fat soft cheese, seedless strawberry jam, rainbow sprinkles and vanilla frosting. Tesco says it took nine months to develop and contains 515 calories and 31.5g of sugar per serving.

Tesco brand manager Violaine Barthe called it “a celebration not to be missed,” adding: “We can’t wait to hear the nation’s feedback.”

The nation, particularly TikTok, has responded.

TikToker Sherene | Mum of 2 was among the first to try it and gave it a glowing review. “That’s actually really nice. Definitely better than the M&S one with the strawberries in. That’s actually a solid 8 out of 10,” she said in her video. “Not too sweet, not too savoury, it’s actually a perfect concoction. Quick scenario — if you don’t have enough to spend on a birthday cake this year, spend 3 quid and you’ve got pretty much a birthday cake and it tastes good. Stunning.”

In the comments, others joined the debate over the Tesco-M&S dessert sandwich rivalry. One user wrote: “I(t) just copied M&S,” to which Sherene replied: “True.” Another commenter said: “Have a feeling they are copying M&S,” a comment that gained more than 1,800 likes.

Others were less forgiving of the sandwich’s sugar content. One commenter wrote: “31 grams of SUGAR?! I will admire from afar 🤣,” while another simply asked: “How many calories?” Sherene responded: “Like 500 😂.”

TikToker Angelina offered a far less enthusiastic verdict in her own review: “I don’t want to be a party pooper, you know how much sugar there is in this thing? 31.5g.”

Despite praising the filling of the sandwich, which she described as “evenly spread”, she said: “Oh my god, it's so sweet. As you can see I'm a bit speechless right now. I just can’t believe Tesco made this sandwich. Please save me from this sweetness.” She added: “Think of it as a normal jam sandwich with a bit of sprinkles and 10 times more the sugar. If you have a sweet tooth I do recommend, if not, just get a normal sandwich. I give it 4 out of 10.”

Tesco’s launch follows the debut of M&S’s own dessert sandwich, the £2.80 Red Diamond Strawberry & Creme Sandwich, which it described as “game-changing” and inspired by Japanese “sweet sandos.”