I only discovered the appeal of Solo-brand Almond Cake & Pastry Filling a couple of years ago, and I have been occasionally using it primarily as an ingredient in preparing layer cakes and banana cream pies. I’ve noticed during the past couple of months that it no longer seems to be carried by the local shops where I used to be able to find it here in Miami.
Has anyone seen it in your local markets in the past few months?
I am not sure yet whether the reason I am no longer able to find it is that the few local grocers who used to carry it simply decided that it wasn’t selling well enough to be worth continuing to stock. I do see that it’s still available online (eg Amazon), at least for the moment. I’ve also seen that Solo Almond Paste (which is a different product–the cake & pastry filling has coconut and a different texture) is still easy to find locally here.
After reading your post, I noticed the Almond Cake and Pastry Filling at my Ralphs store (Kroger family) in the Los Angeles area. So yes, apparently still sold in stores, at least here in Southern California.
I love to bake with the Solo Almond Paste— I make Tartine’s Almond Breakfast Cake with jam. How do you use the Cake and Pastry Filling in layer cake? Do you use it for anything else besides the two things you mentioned in your original post?
A year later, and I still haven’t seen it locally (Miami).
Last time I checked, I saw at least one seller advertising it on Amazon, but not worth the mark-up price.
I just used it in those cakes and cream pies. For the cakes, I would spread it as a filling layer, along with icing and sometimes crushed nuts, between the cake layers.
Hi again! That’s frustrating. I checked the Ralphs app and your filling doesn’t seem to be available at my local store anymore either (or I’d offer to buy and mail you some). But it is showing available for shipping from the store with a $35 minimum order. If I see it around elsewhere I can post back here! Another possibility might be kosher markets (I know Miami has some :), they often carry the Solo poppy and other fillings. Not sure about the almond and pastry.