Winter can be a dreary time of year, and everyone could use a little more to celebrate; maybe that’s why so many brands have been debuting confetti-flavored snacks recently. It seems like every time I blink, a new novelty Oreo has been released, so of course, the beloved brand’s take on the trend couldn’t be far behind. But its new Confetti Cake offering isn’t a regular cookie, it’s a Cakester: the spin-off treat that retains the iconic “sandwich” concept but swaps out cookies for cakes and the traditional crème for a fluffier layer more akin to frosting.

Perhaps I have been conditioned to associate packaged sweets with “cake” in the name with Hostess Cupcakes—or perhaps I was just bamboozled by the enticingly ginormous picture on the box and missed the conveniently tiny “enlarged to show detail” disclaimer—but even though I’ve had Oreo Cakesters before, I was expecting these to be larger. They’re about the circumference of a standard Oreo, but each Cakester is plumper and more substantial than the flat cookies, so they’re not too tiny.

Classic confetti cake is a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles, so those flavors are replicated here. All the vanilla gives the Cakesters a strong aroma that overwhelmed me as soon as I opened a pack; unsurprisingly, they tasted very strongly of vanilla and were very sweet. They’re in the “soft baked” style, and while that gives them a consistently smooth texture, I find it often comes with a vaguely synthetic aftertaste as well (though that seemed less noticeable with these than in the standard Golden Oreo Cakesters). The cake is so dense that when I bit in, it didn’t leave any crumbs. In fact, my mouthful was pretty dry, so it’s a good thing that the generously applied filling, which oozes over the edges in its abundance, added some much-needed creaminess.

According to the package, the filling is “birthday cake flavor crème,” but visually it just looks like vanilla. I really can’t find a more precise word for the flavor than the one I already used: sweet, sweet, sweet! Sure, that could describe “birthday cake flavor,” but it could also describe… vanilla. Maybe it’s just dramatic marketing language? That would fit in well with the rest of the box, which proudly proclaims, “CAKE MEETS OREO… IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST BITE”. Alleged crème flavor and loud, all-caps declarations aside, the only other way these were visibly different from the Golden Oreo Cakesters was the rainbow sprinkles. They didn’t have much taste, but they excelled at what I assume to be their main jobs: a) creating a nice crunch and b) looking pretty and fun.

Ultimately, though, while they are visually cute and taste alright, I found Oreo Cakesters Confetti Cake to be a little lackluster. They made me crave either freshly baked cake or a basic Oreo, and unfortunately, their in-between nature didn’t fully satisfy either desire (even though the box declares “HAVE YOUR CAKE AND COOKIE, TOO”). They’re worth a shot if you can find them, but despite their festive name, don’t expect them to be the life of your party.

Purchased Price: $5.59
Size: 10.1 oz box/5 packs of two
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pack) 260 calories, 13 grams of fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.