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Cakes, cookies, leche flan, and more: Desserts to indulge in this Christmas
With that ambitious effort on Keto interspersed with that IF experiment, wouldn't you say you've been pretty good and well-behaved, food-wise, all year?
Now that the Christmas season is here, surely a little indulgence won't hurt. Below is a list of desserts and sweet nothings that's worth your calories. Share it with your family, give it as a gift — the idea is to indulge just a little bit. It's Jesus' birthday after all.
1. Chocolate Dream Cake by Le Sucre Lab
Meet chocolatier and pastry wunderkind Marvin Bagube of Le Sucré Lab. Yep, he’s the genius behind the chocolatey craze called Dream Cake!
This indulgent and constantly imitated treat has five decadent layers: moist chocolate chiffon at the bottom topped with a layer of perfect chocolate ganache, topped in turn with Chef Marvin’s signature chocolate goo (a luscious marriage of custard and pudding). It's then covered with crisp chocolate shards, and finally, a generous dusting of dark cocoa powder.
After the Dream Cake went viral, Le Sucre Lab started churning tinned cakes by the hundreds every day. With a new and bigger location, they’re ready for the holiday rush of orders. P475 each. 2428 Tejeron Street, Sta. Ana, Manila. +63995 775 7218
2. Bibingka Cheesecake by Gel Salonga
It’s savory and sweet and absolutely delicious. It’s exactly the reason why Chef Gel Salonga’s signature Bibingka Cheesecake won the “People’s Choice Award” at the 2017 Ultimate Taste Test Pro Edition.
Her Bibingka Cheesecake is an homage to her hometown of Santa Cruz, Laguna.
“Fresh Kesong Puti lends its creamy, salty and tart characteristics, combined with the oily and savory itlog na maalat (salted egg), plus silky coconut cream and sweet and toasty Latik (toasted coconut meat) all mixed together in one dessert. If you were to encapsulate Santa Cruz and Laguna’s flavors in one sweet bite, it would be difficult to top the Bibingka Cheesecake,” says Chef Gel. P1,300 for 8” round cake. Place orders 3-5 days in advance. Ted’s Santa Cruz Laguna, +63905 227 4045
3. Giant Leche Flan by Beng Garcia Arciga
The homemade leche flan is not just huge. Every single bite is an explosion of lavish flavors of velvety cream and a faint hint of bitterness from the caramelized sugar.
Fondly called “Mommy Beng” by her customers, Beng started her home business in 2008 after winding down their family business. “I just wanted to go back to one of the things I loved doing best, cooking and baking,” she shared with GMA News Online.
"[The Leche Flan is] everybody's favorite even after all these years, even as I learned to bake more fancy and complicated stuff like tortes and cakes," she added. P275 per pack. Place orders at least three days in advance. Order via Facebook
4. Ube Leche Flan Cake by Anghelica’s Dessert
This heaven-sent saccharine creation is the marriage of two of the best Filipino desserts: leche flan and ube.
In 2013, Angelica M. Atanacio was craving for some custard cake. The ones from local bakeries, she found, were often lacking in custard, so she "decided to bake for myself but with super thick leche flan," Anghelica shared.
It was an instant hit with her family. Soon, she decided to make an ube version and shared it with my colleagues in Center for Culinary Arts (CCA),” said Angelica who is a baking instructor at CCA Manila.
She launched her Facebook page, Anghelica’s Desserts, in October 2013 and has been a hit ever since. P600 for 7.5” round cake. Place orders at least three days in advance. Facebook. +63917 7256038.
5. Seda's Holiday Cake
If you're looking for something different but still has that festive taste, may we suggest Seda's Holiday Cake? It's a layered beauty composed of Bailey's, strawberry ganache, and cashew nut meringue that's rich and solid but with enough tang to prevent umay. A bite is all you need to feel that warm Christmas feeling. P1,450. Website. +632 7398888.
6. Special Gourmet Cookies by Epilogue
Even Santa will want to say in your living room for longer, if your kids serve this with a glass of hot milk. Epilogue’s special gourmet cookies aren’t just delicious, they’re huge! Each cookie is roughly five inches in diameter and roughly 180 grams each. Think: four to five regular sized cookies.
“[Our cookies are] packed with only the finest ingredients [and they’re] baked in small batches throughout the day,” says Alyanna Uy. Epilogue only uses premium French chocolate Valrhona, and D?Matcha, the finest Matcha powder from Japan, for the matcha variant.
Each cookie is crispy on the outside and morishly chewy and gooey inside. Finishing one giant cookie may be a daunting task but definitely not impossible, especially when it’s this good!
As of press time, they have seven gourmet flavors: Dark Choco Sea Salt, Valrhona Dulce, Valrhona Reese's, Cranberry Oatmeal, Chocolate Walnut, Double Chocolate, and Matcha White Choco Almond. Epilogue, G/F, S Maison at Conrad Manila, Pasay City. +632 8167088
7. Turkish Baklava from Pierre Loti
For those with a more adventurous palate, why not try Turkish Baklava from Pierre Loti? If you’ve been to UP Town Center, chances are you’ve heard the bells clanging and seen the showmanship behind the Pierre Loti Turkish Ice Cream cart. Now, they’re offering authentic Turkish Baklava for the holidays.
According to owner, Turkish national Ersin Ozkan, Baklava is a great family gift, an end to a meal, or accompaniment for coffee and tea. Starts at P1,200 for 24 pieces. Facebook. Place orders at least three days in advance.
8. Gourmet Popcorn by Chicago Popcorn Factory
Don't just munch of your usual bag of chips. Treat yourself to a tin can or two of gourmet popcorn from Chicago Popcorn Shops.
Founded in 2008, Chicago Popcorn Shop’s mission is simple: to provide the best confectionery popcorn in the Philippines.
Today, it offers gourmet flavors like Caramel, Cheese, Chocolate, and Chocolate Almond. You can even mix and match the flavors! Plus, it comes in a beautiful tin can, so it’s ready for gifting any time. Pro-tip: Bring the tin can on your next purchase and get a discount! With branches in Greenbelt, SM Megamall, and Alphaland Southgate.
9. Milk Cheese Cake by Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory
Luscious, creamy, and just the right combination of sweet and savory. There’s more than one reason why people are raving about Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory’s fluffy and soft Japanese Milk Cheese Cake.
The Milk Cheese Cake is made of Hokkaido Jersey milk, making it so creamy and silky yet extremely light. The flavor is delicate, so it goes well with coffee, hot chocolate, or tea — perfect for merienda. Various locations across Metro Manila. Facebook. — LA, GMA News
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