Birthdays, holidays, sleepovers, whatever the occasion, you could rely on someone pulling a carrot cake or chocolate bavarian out of the freezer. We knew they weren’t homemade, but we were still impressed by their light, mousse-y texture or perfectly set frosting waves. Come with us as we reminisce about the best ready-made cakes that were good then, and great now.

Starting strong, the Sara Lee carrot cake. If you had the patience to let it defrost, you’d be rewarded with the lightest sponge studded with cubed carrot pieces and most delicious cream cheese frosting with walnuts sprinkled on top. Heck, it was even delicious when consumed frozen solid.

Did it taste good? No, not really. Was it an absolute thrill to see? You betcha! The original ice cream cake was, of course, reserved for children’s birthday parties but that didn’t mean it wasn’t the perfect convenience for parents who were dealing with multiple meltdowns, popping balloons, and more than a few grazed knees. Shove some strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream into everyone’s gobs and enjoy approximately seven seconds of silence.

Getting this cake out of its crinkled foil packaging was always a struggle, but worth it for the frozen treat within. Under the circular cardboard lid you’d find a rock-hard chocolate and vanilla cake with chocolate shavings on top, which would oh-so-slowly defrost into a creamy, dreamy treat. It was a lesson in patience we’ll never forget.

Ooh, fancy. Nanna’s Apple Pies weren’t here to mess around. A scoop of ice cream, a cup of French pressed coffee and actual napkins were in order when the apple pie came out, usually when polite company was visiting. Always in ‘the good room.’

The big dog of the frozen dessert world. We accept that the Viennetta isn’t technically a ‘cake’ but honestly in the 80s and 90, it’s more about the vibe of the thing. And the vibes for the Viennetta were huge.

Not a frozen cake, but we thought the muddy boy deserved a special mention. Loyalists will pledge their allegiance to either the Coles or Woolies chocolate mud cake but at the end of the day, this dense, fudgy, delicious ready-made was – and remains – king of the cakes. It slapped particularly hard when you caught your parents on a good day at the supermarket and they put it in the trolley after hardly any whinging.