REVIEW: Hostess Suzy Q’s (2018)

Hostess Suzy Q s  2018

Suzy Q Review: Take 2.

Back in 2015, I reviewed the re-release of Hostess’s Suzy Q’s and absolutely hated them. To this day they’re the lowest rated food I’ve ever had the (dis)pleasure of reviewing for this site.

I remember being timid when submitting the negative review, thinking the comments section would light me up for blaspheming a classic snack cake. Thankfully, everyone kinda agreed. We all seemed to have some Q’s for Suzy.

There was a social media outcry for Hostess to fix their mistake, and they did, by re-re-releasing Suzy Q’s.

Guess what folks? They’ve now gone and *REEEEE-MIXXXX* re-re-re-released them.

Here we are in 2018 and Suzy is finally back and better than ever? Let’s find out. Everyone deserves a fourth chance.

Hostess snack cakes all have the same welcoming smell of oily processed chocolate goodness, so these started out on the right foot. The smell instantly put me in mind of a Drake’s Devil Dog. These even look like a Devil Dog’s stubbier little sister.

These new Suzy Q’s boast 50 percent more cake, and 50 percent more crème. I’ll let you do the math there. I will not fat shame Suzy, but I do feel the need to shame Hostess.

Hostess Suzy Q s  2018 2

Hostess Suzy Q s  2018 3

Hostess Suzy Q s  2018 4

While the cake is spongy and moist enough, there’s too much of it. Sadly, it’s still the highlight here.

The crème is out of control. There’s wayyyyy too much crème. It’s thick, slightly gritty, cloying, and overbearing after two bites.

After the first bite, I was ready to say these tasted like Hostess’s famous cupcakes without the top coating and swirl, a.k.a. the best part. After the second less pleasurable bite, I knew exactly what these tasted like – Whoopie Pies.

Are you all familiar with Whoopie Pies?

My mother used to go to Pennsylvania Dutch Country and buy these Amish-made hockey puck-sized Whoopie Pies and that’s exactly what these put me in mind of. That may not exactly help you, but if you’ve ever had a Whoopie Pie from a Farmer’s Market type place, that’s a circular Suzy Q. They basically taste like a more processed knockoff of Whoopie Pies, and I was never a big fan of those to begin with.

For those reasons, Suzy Q’s almost taste like another company trying to mimic Hostess’ formula. I realize these were one of the O.G. Hostess cakes, so maybe I’m just not well versed in Hostess’ taste history.

In the end, these were an improvement from the last time, but I still think they’re in the bottom rung of Hostess products. The previous duds were definitely a more manageable size. With all the variety on shelves, I see no reason to ever buy Suzy Q’s.

Suzy Q, baby, I don’t like you.

I’m gonna freeze the rest of the box, because I feel like the crème will taste a little better cold and hardened, like my soul.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 cake – 260 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 520 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 27 grams of sugar and 2 grams of protein..)

Purchased Price: $2.97
Size: 15.66 oz. (6 cakes)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Much better than last time. Extra point in rating for Hostess admitting to its mistakes. I’ll probably like these better when I find ’em in the back of the freezer in a couple months. CCR is the greatest American rock band, don’t @ me.
Cons: Way too much crème. Too much cake. Tastes like a Whoopie Pie knockoff. Fool me twice, shame on me.

34 thoughts to “REVIEW: Hostess Suzy Q’s (2018)”

  1. I love whoopie pies, what isn’t there to like? A good homemade whoopie pie is one of the best cake objects around.

    1. just one of those cakes that are good for 1 bite to me. i find the sweetness overwhelming yet still force myself to finish it

    2. Very true, Suzy Q’s do not taste as they did in the 80’s. Just had one yesterday after discovering them on the shelf at an off brand market called Food Bazaar in NYC. Prefer the 80’s rich creamy filling between 2 real chocolate tasting cakes. I now opt for Funny Bones (frozen of course, imo) over any other snack cakes. Noooo please don’t eat Suzy Q’s after freezing. They taste even worse, my son tried it that way and was appalled, making me into a liar after boasting how great they were. In my defense I told him the taste I speak of is from the 80’s. Nostalgia couldn’t convince him or me, sadly we won’t be buying anymore. Nice comeback try Hostess.

  2. I’ve never liked Suzy-Qs, going back to the late 60s. My mom bought these, because for some reason they were always on sale. Not the other, better Hostess snacks, just these things. Probably one of the few cake-type items I’ve never liked, since I generally love all things cake.

  3. Disagree with this review but hey if we were all alike it would be a dull world. I posted my mini review on the spotted on shelves post on this product a week or so ago. But suffice it to say I would give these an 8 out of 10 and a HUGE improvement over the 2015 iteration!

    1. the newest version is excellent, the cake has the proper sheen, rounded corners, correct amount of filling. i’ve been eating these cakes for 30+ years these are faithful to the original. too much filling to not make a mess=perfect. now if they would bring back the “Berry” flavored pie snack time would be wonderfull again!

  4. I ate one out of the box I bought and left the rest in the kitchen at work. It was the creme that killed it for me.

    1. Yep it’s not the original creme, and 50% more of a bad thing = a really bad thing. Come on Hostess, dig out the right recipe, and let’s make Suzy great again!

  5. I tried them and while they may not be the same as the original version they are still way better than the first comeback and the cake is much closer to the original plus it has the most crème filling of all Hostess snacks which is awesome but it is also more like a marshmallow fluff instead of the cream you find inside of a Twinkie.

  6. I eat boxes of these at my security post everyday. They are delicious. I have to try and remember not to fill up on these before my lunch break. They are really good in the microwave. before I go to work I stick the box in the microwave and heat it up for about a minute then try to suck the cream out before it dries.

  7. Well, while they don’t look as hideously dry as I thought in my comment on the first try…the cream looks even worse. You can just about see how gritty it is by the picture. I haven’t had any Hostess products in about a decade, but will occasionally get a craving for their cupcakes(right from the fridge!). I don’t think I’ll be giving in to that craving now, and it makes me a little sad.

    Another thing that makes me sad: Why TF are Cupcakes so FLAT now?!

  8. These are far superior to the first re-release of the original Suzy Q’s and I didn’t think there is too much creme at all, that is what Suzy Q’s always were after all! Sloppy, messy, sweet cakes of joy! If you don’t like em, you don’t like em. I think they are close to the original cake wise, I believe the cream lacks the beef fat that was used in the originals. But that isn’t a bad thing..

  9. They are much better than before. I do like the cake and think it is about the same as the original. The frosting is too sweet (it is not creme).

    I would give these a solid 7 with need for improving the frosting by replacing it with creme found in Twinkies.

  10. Don’t much care for them I loved them in the 70’s…..To much nasty cream, and I don’t care what anybody says, the cream is different. It just does’t taste the same. Too bad. I’ve bought my last box.

  11. I really liked the original Suzy Qs and would have a 2 pack with a Dr. Pepper every Sunday on my way to church when I was a teenager. Fast forward to 2015 and the re-release of the Suzy-Q…I was so excited…until I saw them! They were dry, small and skimpy and looked NOTHING like the originals. Fast forward to 2018 and the release of the IMPROVED Suzy-Q. I was optimistic when I saw them…the cake had rounded corners…like the original, so that was great. The amount of cream filling looked substantial…it was always my favorite part…creamy, smooth and had a marshmallowy taste…I’m a huge marshmallow fan and Hostess seemed to have the best cream filling of any other snack cake company. I was all set to love these new Suzy-Qs…and then I tasted one. Wah! Wah! Wah! The filling SUCKS! As others have said, it is cloyingly sweet and gritty. HOSTESS, WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO WITH THE OLD FILLING? Yeah, so back to square one. I can’t eat this new version unless I scrape out almost all of that white sugary goo and the cake isn’t good enough to go through all that. Sigh! I give up…

    1. I came here to see if anyone from my generation was as disappointed as me!! I am very health conscious and normally do not buy these items anymore. But when I just ran to the store to buy some detergent I saw a box of Susy-Q’s and I became completely nostalgic!! My favorite childhood sweet was back! And in a 6pk!! I too would purchase a 2-pack in my youth. My memories were of a dark rich moist chocolaty cake with a soft moist marshmallow-y texture white cream – perfect combo!!! I would run my finger along the side and eat the cream. (I was 8-10 years old) I would purchase this with my own money on my way home from school at the “candy store” and relished it slowly and methodically as I wanted it to last. I’d eat one first and then save the other for later in the day! Just delicious! Fast forward today 2020, I couldn’t wait to get home and have my sweet tooth tamed with this “dream cake”. Then like you Robin- wah! wah! wah! I was SO disappointed!! It was dry and left an awful aftertaste!!!!!! Did not look or taste the same at all!! Not worth the 300 calories and corn syrup I was willing to sacrifice and eat to fulfill my cravings!!! Never again will I buy it. Just flat out gross!!!

  12. For those of you, who don’t like the “New Q’s”. Put one in a bowl, with a little bit of milk, then eat it with a spoon. Afterwards, if you still feel as you did while leaving your initial review, proceed by scooping your own eyes out with that same spoon. Bunch of jokers. Someone should slap your mother and kick your father in his nuts(if he has any).

  13. I’m glad that they re-released these and I agree with others that they are much closer to the pre-bankruptcy Suzy Qs than the previous hideous version. But I also agree that the filling is not right. To me it almost tasted more like (poor quality) cake frosting than the tasty cream filling that the originals had.

  14. I agree with both of your reviews. You were spot on with both. If anyone from hostess reads this use the cream of the previous cake and I think you’ll have a hit. Keeping the calories under 200 would help. These new ones are disgustingly sweet.

  15. I Tried It not Bad Don’t Care Close To The Original But Good I Am So Glad It Came Back My Friends Loved It So Again Who Cares I Got My Suzy Q’s Back May Not Be The Original But Good Creamy Cakey But Good Hostess I Love You

  16. I tried the smaller version last year. It wasn’t as good as the original but the frozen version was at least edible.

    I have now tried the 2018 version. It tastes horrible. I could barely eat one and had to throw the rest of the box away. I won’t be buying Suzy Qs again.

    Why couldn’t the current owner of the brand get the original recipe from the previous owner ?

  17. I come from the generation of the original Hostess Twinkies, Ho Ho, Ding Dongs, Cupcakes, And Suzy Q’s!!
    They were the Best!!
    These latest attempts at copying them all
    Has Failed!! Case in point, Suzy Q’s!!
    The cake is VERY DRY ! and the Cream Filling is on Overload !! Not tasty! My Grandkids, My Daughters, And Me ! All Agree!! Stop making BIGGER and Focus on
    Making BETTER!!

  18. I love the new version of Qs. But I am going crazy trying to find them in my area. I got to try the new ones just once and now none of the stores around me are carrying them. What’s up with that? Please hostess get them up to lake county, ca. I am craving them so badly.

  19. I would give the new Suzy Q a solid 8 out of 10 rating. I agree, the creme filling is not quite what I remember from the 70s, but the devil’s food part is excellent in my opinion. I’ll also add that the new Hostess are making a bit of a comeback. They have improved across all of their snack lines. Hard to find em’ here in stock where I live.

  20. Back in the 70’s I would eat boxes of Suzy Q’s and was excited when I heard they were bringing them back. Well, the cake is pretty close to the original but doesn’t stick to the wrapper which means they are to dry. Maybe add a little more liquid or something . The creme filling is down right nasty. It is gritty and way to firm and overloaded. I used to lick the creme off both sides of the cake and it was soft and smooth. I would’ve bought stock in this company if you could’ve perfected this tasty treat. The filling in the Hostess cupcakes are way closer to the right filling than the filling in them now. It needs to be light and fluffy and silky. PLEASE FIX EM. I beg of you.

  21. These are SOOOOOO much better than the first re-release. They are not exactly the same, but I still love them!

  22. I love Suzy Q’s, I always have! I was sad when they stopped making them and hated the replacement ones, but the new ones are even better! Love the cream! I’m always amazed when people say they’re too sweet, because I’ve had other things that I thought were a lot sweeter that the same people liked better. These are mostly just rich, but I like that. The cream is delicious, very creamy, and I’m glad they actually added more of it. If you Google Suzy Q’s, there are tons of recipes out there for the cream, though none of it really sounds like it would taste like Suzy Q cream. It has a definite marshmallow flavor. Not the healthiest thing in the world to eat, but you can’t always be good. ?

  23. I grew up with the Hostess Suzy Q’s and have very fond memories of downing one with a big glass of milk.
    I was so excited when I saw them back on the store shelves.. However, I am very disappointed in the new
    version of Suzy Q’s.. The cake is very dry and the crème filling is not right and not good! You need to focus on quality and not giving us 50% more cake and crème.. Very disappointed in Suzy Q’s..

  24. The new improved Suzy Q is amazing, fresh cake and love the amount of cream in each bite. I eat pastries maybe once a month, maybe. I’m on my second box in 5 days.

  25. I’m a Hostess lover from back in the day but have never tried these.

    On impulse I bought a box yesterday at my local Publix supermarket.

    We’ll see!

  26. My family and I LOVE the current Suzi Q’s. I like the extra cream. ( I also prefer double stuff oreos.) Surprised so many dislike them on the thread. Not disappointed though, since they can be hard to find…more for me.

  27. The whole point of Suzy Q cakes IS the awesomely-large amount of cream FILLING. Otherwise, you can buy other cakes that have far less cream and dark cake sponginess. Or you can eat just a bite or two if it’s too much for you but you can’t ask the factory to put more cream in there if you want it.

    WE love Suzy Q cakes for the large amount of cream inside. I am a big fan of creme-filled goodies and this one is right up there with The Most Stuf (Oreo) limited edition cookies they had put out in summer of 2019.

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