I have always loved desserts. From as long as I can remember, I have always had a sweet tooth. And if I may say so, The Spoiled Mummy blog itself stemmed from my love of all things sweet.
So in this month of love, let me share with you my top dessert picks for Valentine’s…
Salted Caramel Chocolate Torte by Dessert du Jour
This sinfully delicious cake is made of crushed shortbread, chocolate “pain de genes”, ganache and salted caramel glaze.
This cake has the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness because of the salt added to the glaze. This is perfect for those who love chocolate but don’t want to be overpowered with too much of it!
This dessert has always been my choice whenever I host dinners at home because the 3 layers of the cake, shortbread, chocolate and caramel, mean that there is something here for everyone. (I have written about this cake previously here and here.)
Mara dela Rama of Dessert du Jour has many other delicious cakes in her repertoire. She makes it hard for anyone to choose just one. But this Salted Caramel Chocolate Torte has always been my favorite from the very beginning. As a baker, she has remained consistent in delivering everything fresh. She uses only the best, premium ingredients. Without a doubt, Dessert du Jour remains to be one of my go-to dessert places, especially when I am clueless about what to serve at my dinner parties or what to bring in potlucks.
P1,250 / Dessert du Jour – 0917 811 6272
Strawberry Pavlova by The Bandana Baker
You all know how I love strawberries, especially the big, fat and sweet ones. And pavlova? This is quite a unique and complicated dessert to make. So when I found out that a homebaker, Victoria Carlos of The Bandana Baker, specializes on Strawberry Pavlova, I immediately called and ordered one. Aside from Strawberry, she has other flavors too : Mango and Nutella.
As soon as I had one forkful of this delicate meringue-based dessert, I knew this is the pavlova I had been looking for. I served this during my last birthday dinner, and all my guests went back for seconds and wiped the cake platter clean in a matter of minutes!
P1,200 / The Bandana Baker – 0917 8101580
Strawberry Lava Cupcake by Cupcake Lab
Of course the tried and tested formula of Chocolate + Strawberries = The Spoiled Mummy is a given. I have written about this sweet combination a million times in the blog, that whenever friends see me, they say that they see a strawberry dipped in chocolate on top of my head!
So when I was looking for some desserts for my daughter’s Strawberry-themed birthday party (yes she loves strawberries too!), I chanced upon Cay Cuasay’s Cupcake Lab once again. I am not really a big fan of the typical, colorful cupcakes with buttercream frosting that we see almost everywhere. But since Cupcake Lab is known to have some of the tastiest and better quality cupcakes out there, I gave this new flavor a try. And boy was I hooked since then.
As a matter of fact, this cupcake is not really a “cupcake” to me. Think of it as a mini strawberry cake with a chocolate liquid center inside. It has buttercream on top but deliciously mixed with strawberry jam. Every time this is in front of me, my resistance is futile. How can I can say NO to a little piece of cake that combines my love for chocolate and strawberry in one?
P110 regular, P25 mini / Cupcake Lab Podium and Greenhills Promenade (02) 400-2296
Cakelets by The Delightful Miss Joyce
Joyce Urieta Dizon of The Delightful Miss Joyce is one talented homebaker specializing on wedding cakes. She recently came back from the US, trained by no less than Maggie Austin, the celebrity cake maker to Hollywood and the White House.
With her expertise in baking and designing beautifully crafted wedding cakes, Joyce has come up with a smaller and daintier version called : Cakelets. She is the first to introduce these little cakes to the market today — that some say may soon become the next dessert trend, just like what happened to the cupcake a couple of years ago. These Cakelets are perfect for giveaways, birthday parties and even tea time at home! Because of their cute sizes, I think they are perfect for our little ones’ tiny fingers too!
These cakes may be small in size but are packed with flavor. The cake base is soft and fluffy while the cream, is perfectly sweet but not overwhelming. She has come up with a wonderful mix of flavors too : Chocolate Cappuccino, Chocolate Vanilla, Chocolate with Salted Caramel, Chocolate Strawberry, Lemon Blueberry, Lemon Strawberry, Coconut Lime, Raspberry Lime, Vanilla Berry Melange, and Red Velvet.
A box of 24 P1,200 – P1,800 / The Delightful Miss Joyce – 0917 577 8365
Cookie Bonbons by Cookiebar Manila
Cookiebar Manila has a big selection of cookies, cookie cups and cookie cakes, most of which I have gotten for my past children’s birthday parties. They have always been a hit with both kids and adults alike.
But for Valentine’s, Cookie Bar Manila has come up with Cookie Bonbons, made of their popular chocolate chip cookie cup covered with graham cracker crumbs and topped with marshmallows and dipped in dark chocolate.
Ivorie Acosta of Cookie Bar Manila has reinvented the simple cookie so many times, that you will be happily confused not knowing which one to order first. She is always researching, reinventing and coming up with new cookie offerings. (If you remember, she and I collaborated last December to come up with The Spoiled Mummy Cookie Cups.)
A box of 8 – P280 / Cookiebar Manila – 0917 555 1228 or (02) 984 7450
Strawberry Shortcake by Chef Miko Aspiras
Being a big fan of strawberry desserts, I have most likely tried a whole lot of strawberry cakes out there. Usually when it comes to Strawberry Shortcake, there is a popular homebaker that comes to mind. But recently, I have been willing to experiment and give other bakers a chance.
Miko Aspiras is the pastry chef of Fairmont Hotel Makati. I first met him back in 2012, when he was still the pastry chef of Impressions, the French fine dining restaurant in Resorts World Manila. This talented young chef has been winning international awards left and right. So when my daughter’s birthday party came and I wanted to have a dessert table filled with the good stuff (which I’ve written about here), I challenged him to come up with a Strawberry Shortcake to rival the best one I’ve tasted here in Manila. True enough, he did not disappoint. His Strawberry Shortcake is tall and big and laced with light and delicate Chantilly cream. The cake itself is deliciously moist and has just the right amount of sweetness on its own that you would think you can eat it without anything else. And then you are hit by the wonderful combination of the fresh, sweet strawberries and the silky, smooth cream around it, which just make the whole cake taste even better.
P1650 / Chef Miko Aspiras – 0927 387 2703
Do you have your own top dessert picks for Valentine’s? Share them here with me!