Tesco urgently recalls chocolate cake from shelves due to manufacturing error

The recall affects Tesco Finest Chocolate Cake

Tesco has issued an urgent recall of their Tesco Finest Chocolate Cake due to an error in packaging and a fear of putting nut allergy sufferers at risk.

The brand has been forced to admit that a small number of the boxes that claim to be 'chocolate cake' had been packed incorrectly and actually contain carrot cake.

Other than getting a surprise when you open the box to reveal the product isn't what you intended buying, there is a potential nut allergy risk.

Walnuts were mistakenly added to the Tesco Finest Chocolate Cake with a best before date of 17 January.

As it is essential by law for all products to list their correct allergen information on every food product, this now means that the cake inside the chocolate cake packaging could instead be a carrot cake and thus contain nuts, but the ingredient is not listed.

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The issue seems to have been brought to Tesco's attention by a customer's tweet, who wrote on January 6: 'I bought this chocolate cake yesterday for a birthday but was surprised to find a carrot cake instead! @Tesco'.

To make up for the potentially dangerous issue, the supermarket has apologised to its customers and promised that they will happily issue a full refund to anyone who has purchased the product, even if they don't have a receipt.

Tesco made a statement saying: 'Our supplier has identified a manufacturing error affecting a small number of Tesco Finest chocolate cake boxes, which were mistakenly packed with Tesco Finest carrot cake that contains walnuts.

'This means the product poses a possible health risk to anyone with a nut allergy.

'As a precautionary measure, we are recalling this batch code from customers. No other Tesco Finest products are known to be affected.

'If you have bought this product please return it to store where a full refund will be given. No receipt is required. Tesco apologises to our customers for any inconvenience caused.'

On hearing the news, the Food Standards Agency have added: 'If you have bought the [chocolate cake] and have an allergy to nuts, do not eat it.

'No other Tesco products are known to be affected.'

The product has since been removed from the website, most likely in a bid to avoid any extra concerns, but is still available in a ‘Gluten & Wheat Free’ version.

If you'd rather avoid pre-made bakes, try making our own - we'd recommend Mary Berry's chocolate cake recipe.

Jessica Dady
Food Editor

Jessica Dady is Food Editor at GoodtoKnow and has over 11 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the must-buy seasonal food hampers and advent calendars for Christmas to the family-friendly air fryers that’ll make dinner time a breeze, Jessica loves trying and testing various food products to find the best of the best for the busy parents among us. Over the years of working with GoodtoKnow, Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Future’s Test Kitchen to create exclusive videos - as well as writing, testing, and shooting her own recipes. When she’s not embracing the great outdoors with her family at the weekends, Jessica enjoys baking up a storm in the kitchen with her favourite bakes being chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and a tray of gooey chocolate brownies