Well, the results are in. I must first of all apologise for my tardiness in presenting this eagerly awaited review for your enjoyment and delectation.
I have now consumed a few slices of this cake with pristine, steaming mugs of hot tea.
Do I spy a little rivalry between Lidl & Aldi? Surely not. Whilst Lidl's offering was 'hand finished' Aldi's is 'hand finished'
and 'specially selected' (by who/whom??) & topped with wait for it
'walnut nibs'...no I ain't heard of them before either.
Anyway, back to the cake, that's what we're all here for, forget all this Enid Blyton malarkey.
First, what do you want from your carrot cake? You don't want it to be too heavy or earthy? Good because the Aldi cake isn't.
Flavour: should be more complex, mixing caramelised brown sugar, warming cinnamon, nutmeg and clove with its main ingredient. Topped with cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with walnuts, it should be soft, but not so much that it falls apart into a million crumbs.
Check. The Aldi cake hits all those targets.
But, and it's a sad, big but, not unlike my own, there are three major drawbacks to this being a rival to Lidl's superb 9/10 cake.
One: Although the sponge is well mixed, light and fluffy, they have swirled in copious amounts of large sultanas into the mix.
At first you think there's something wrong with the sponge, there isn't, the cake is just too overloaded with
sultanas - why? Again I ask why? Is this what you expect from a carrot cake? If so, why is this the only carrot cake I have ever tested that is so overladen with the damn things???
Two:' walnut nibs' - if you are going to make such a big song and dance about your cake having 'walnut nibs' they should at least be a prominent, tasty part of the cake's makeup surely?
Problem, not enough nibs, not nearly as nutty as Lidl's cake which did not promote any nibs at all.
Three: The Icing/covering of the cake. It tasted divine. Not too sweet, balanced and cut through the moist sponge perfectly.
So what's the problem? The icing layer was at least 3/4 mm too thin and therefore affected the overall balance of the icing to sponge ratio experience.
Come on Aldi - it's not rocket science. Get the depth of your icing right and you'll blow the competition right out of the water.
Minor Grumble: If you are going to plaster expressions like 'hand finished' on your cake I can just about understand that. Lidl do it, and I agree, I don't think
'iced by machines in a West Wales Food Production Plant' would draw extra punters to this cake...
It's the expression
'specially selected' that rankles. 'Specially Selected' by who? Jim from logistics? Jenny from The Midlands tasting panel - or heaven forbid, you have just added that term to the box as an empty soundbite...
Remember Aldi,
I'll tell you what we want, what we really, really want - less sultanas and less soundbites, got that -
we wanna zigazig ah!!!
Score: Aldi, your cake has the potential to be the very best or at least the equal of lidl's 9/10.
I'm here to help you - here's what you must do: ditch the sultanas - not needed in such capacities and ratios in your cake mix.
Make your icing layer 3/4mm thicker - don't cheat. I have a friend who knows someone who has a micrometer, and my Dad owns a set of calipers.
Don't oversell the descriptive labelling on the packaging, put all your energy into the cake itself and everything else will follow.
Word of mouth and our expanding waistlines will be all the proof you need that we are right..
Don't procrastinate, or rest on your nibs. Lidl's cake is priced very similarly to yours and it's a groundbreaking carrot cake indulging experience.
Score: Aldi, I'm giving you a generous 7/10 based on what the cake could be not what it is at present- I won't buy it again though because of those damn sultanas.
Despondent: Don't you dare get despondent Aldi. Lidl's first attempt a few years ago scored the lowest mark ever given 3/10 and yet has risen from the oven to snap at the heals of the very, very best.
So, in conclusion, go for it Aldi, show us what you're made of - Your cake has no reviews from satisfied punters, that should tell you all you need to know.
If you don't, I'm telling you! - And as a purchaser of
five or six carrot cakes from varied suppliers every five of six years, you need people like me in you corner.
I will return to your cake again without warning Aldi during the next couple of years - get your carrot cake sorted - I know you can do it.
If you can offer the general public a cement mixer for £49.99, or a full genuine equestrian horse blanket at £19.99 these cake improvements are fully within your grasp.
This ends my review.
If you've read this far, why? I have written this, but even I won't be re-reading it - too much cake to test and so little time! 
But Aldi will never read this review Pete you cry. They will as I have emailed a copy of this honest review to them.
They have sent an email back already acknowledging receipt of my email directed to:
Head Of Quality Control, Carrot Cake Department.
Pete out...
Hope Aldi enjoy the review as much as I just have! As I'm allergic to "his nibs", I'd be happy to see all nibs tossed into bins! 
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