Larva lamped: Colin the Caterpillar loses to eight lookalikes in cake taste test

After a busy 35 years as a British party favourite, not to mention a bruising court battle with an alleged copycat, you might think Colin the Caterpillar had earned his place at the top.

But the “original” chocolate caterpillar cake has now been labelled the worst, bested by lookalikes in a taste test.

In a contest against eight supermarket rivals including Cecil, Charlie and Wiggles, Colin came bottom with a score of 64%.

Almost half (44%) of the 75-strong panel of cake-testers assembled by the consumer champion Which? complained Colin’s sponge was “too dry”. By contrast, the Waitrose progeny Cecil triumphed with 78% and was awarded a coveted “best buy” gong.

With his hard chocolate shell and white chocolate perma-grin it is probable that Colin will put on a brave face. After all more than 1m Colins are bought every year.

However, it may be time to do some work on himself. The taste test highlighted that he packed the highest levels of sugar (46.3g) and fat (21.3g) per 100g among the caterpillar lineup. At £9.50, Colin was also one of the most expensive.

While M&S was the first to sell a caterpillar cake, Natalie Hitchins, the head of home products and services at Which? , said rivals such as Waitrose and even the no frills chain Iceland had created worthy alternatives. “There are better options out there than the original Colin,” she said.

Colin the Caterpillar made his debut in August 1990 and has, like Rihanna and Beyoncé, become known to fans by just his first name. His fame has led to brand extensions, including his cake girlfriend Connie and a homewares spinoff (paper plates, napkins and straws).

While Waitrose’s Cecil was one of the priciest cakes tested, but also the heftiest. Photograph: Waitrose

While Waitrose’s Cecil was one of the priciest cakes tested, he was also the heftiest at 744g, making him more cost-effective by weight than many of the others. Charlie, representing the Co-op, and Wiggles (Sainsbury’s) finished joint-second on 73%.

The Aldi lookalike, Cuthbert, whose design was amended after a legal face-off with Colin a few years ago, finished fourth, on 72%. He was lauded for the “creamy” texture of his buttercream but just over a third of the panel found his sponge “slightly dry”.

In a competition where “dryness” was the number one complaint, Cecil “remained remarkably moist”. The judges also noted the flavoursome shell and “perfect” sponge-to-buttercream ratio.

M&S came out fighting after the test, pointing to a recent poll of 2,100 adults that named Colin the nation’s best caterpillar cake. “At M&S, blind taste testers regularly taste our products against the market to ensure we remain number one for taste and quality – this includes our Colin cakes,” a spokesperson said.

The retailer added that its caterpillar cake had the highest chocolate content at 39.5%, with milk chocolate made from 31% cocoa solids and 100% Fairtrade cocoa.

How the caterpillars compare

Which? rankings by name/score/price/weight/sugar per 100g/fat per 100g

1. Cecil (Waitrose): 78%, £9.50, 744g, 38.6g, 17g.

2. Charlie (Co-op): 73%, £9.85, 702g, 46g, 14g; Sainsbury’s Wiggles: 73%, £8.50, 613g, 41.9g, 18.7g.

3. Cuthbert (Aldi): 72%, £6.99, 624g, 43.5g, 17.7g.

4. Morris (Morrisons): 72%, £9, 630g, 38.4g, 16g.

5. Letty (Asda): 68%, £9, 613g, 45g, 14g.

6. Lewis & Green’s caterpillar celebration cake: 67%, £4.50, 530g, 45g, 20.2g.

7. Slinky (Tesco): 66%, £9, 648g, 42g, 17g.

8. Colin (M&S): 64%, £9.50, 625g, 46.3g, 21.3g.