About a decade back, a good slice of cake in Trivandrum was a thing of a rare. Dry and parched bread- that’s what it was like. But there was no dearth of buyers because they thought it couldn’t get any better. The city hadn’t got a chance to relish on the most soft and delicious wedges that are trivial in almost every corner-store of countries in the developed spectrum.
Thinking of it today with the tables drastically turned, the advent of the new cake synopsis in town has belittled the old arid portion to silence. The best methods of baking and icing have swept away every nook and cranny. Whether it be the moist softness of the sponge or the sweetness of the cream frosting, folks today have had a taste of the top-notch bakes from around the globe. Here are some of the finest bake-houses flag-shipping the cake business across the city to acme.
For starters, there are some of the first-born cakes that are worth the candle. Supreme Bakery and Bread Factory have been around for quite some time and have been peddling some really noble cakes. They’ve been sharing the spotlight on many a birthday orders and have never failed to impress. Their tartlets and pastries are still the hot-seller amidst the antagonism. Their abundantly moist Black Forest and White forest are the oldest tricks in the book amongst the scores.
Nostalgia too is just around the corner as Supreme Bakery still runs with their all-time show-stopper ghee cake. Ambrosia too have been in the homesick forefront with their Devil’s food cake.
Moving to fresh horizons, the entry of the legendary ‘Red-Velvet’ flavour into the city’s carte du jour, although a little late, has added an absolute rouge boom to the resume. The carmine-coloured slice with its creamy white-frosting is now a frantic hit. Bun Café, at YMR junction makes a killer Red-velvet cake for a budget price of Rs 85 per slice. They beat all the phoney reddish dupes out there with their soft and creamy pastry in red. They even rocked the streets with their Zam Zam Milky cake- another sure-fire hit. They’ve itemized about 20 other flavours of cakes to choose from.
Then, one after the other, came the never ending race-to-the-finish-line Red-velvet retailers. Panavila Bakehouse showed up with their share and did quite good, apart from the higher price-tag. Ovenly too was a departure from the same bake-house. They too did a pricey fine job on a tweaked-up appearance of the cake. Both the places make an array of other delicious flavours too.
Buttercup Bakehouse makes a variety of indulgent Jar cakes- cakes stuffed into jam-jars in a melt of frosting. And, trust me, it never get any creamier than this. They’ve mastered the tricks beyond basics- the best cream cheese frosting, melting like butter in one’s mouth, on the supplest cake. They’ve got a Red Velvet Jar too but for an insane price of Rs 220. Buttercup even gives baking classes to share their knowledge to a wider reach. As living proof to the saying- ‘good things come in small packages’, their cupcakes and muffins come in all the best colours and dollops of double cream.
Paul’s Creamery upped the stakes with an even creamier and cheesier, but expensive variant of the Red velvet that is priced at Rs 190 per slice. Likewise, they’ve been hitting the jackpot with their chocolate cheesecake and classic New York cheesecake which is, beyond question, the Friday-night winner. Japanese cheesecake too is available, but is a fluffy and timid version in the cheesecake family.
Talk about chocolaty! The best Chocolate cake in town can be found at Square one talents. Starring a juicy and soft chocolate chunk, the slice has put quite a shine on their portfolio which has spearheaded them for years. Sink your teeth into it and get stung to heaven.
Their ghee cake and butter assortments are also to die for.
Pinroll, A relatively new outlet, crossed the threshold with their knock-out PISTACHIO NUTELLA cake, a really expensive cut that has the nutty brown and emerald green colours. A little crunchy through the green layers, the taste of the cake is a love-bite direct from the cupid’s quiver. They even brought the soft rainbow cake to the menu which has all the seven colours.
Fresh frosting is one thing, but going buck-naked and still winning hearts? That’s the challenge. Good-old-fashioned is still all the rage for a segment of the city. Some delicatessens have been climbing the bake-ladder with their no-frosting, no-icing, bare and undressed cakes- just the simple layer that comes straight out of the oven. Zero added embellishments. Bread Fort is one of those commanding stores that made their entry into town about a year back with their decadent White Blondie- a cake rich in butter, melted caramel and nuts. A bite through this one would take you through layers of crispy-crumb glaze on top, a soft & sweet inner strata and a bottom crunchy nut-filled deposit. It sure is a divine bite.
Beautifully burdened with butter, their all-new Australian chocolate cake is a cloud-9 reservation- a subtle delicacy that stay’s in one’s heart forever. It is the supplest brown-grey cake with chocolate crumbs studded into the layers.
Talk about more subtlety, some of the low-key bakeries such as Taste world and Marvel at Nalanchira have been shining with their Carrot and dates cake. Both outlets offer a different taste of savoury, but each is exquisite in its own way. For a rabbit-magnet vegetable on the menu, this one really tops it off.
Nowadays, More and more bake-houses are popping up on the map every day. Gopika’s cake basket and **Cake Bliss **are just a few to name. New ventures on the cake cuisine are also cramming the tariff. Places like Upper Crust have given a whirl at the strange and festive Praline cake.
Today, with the choice of great cakes being endless and bursting at the seams, Trivandrum has a confusing itinerary of options to cherry-pick from. An influx of cake variants from around the globe has upped the ante at ‘begging-for-more’ to a whole new level. With no need to look any further, the people of Trivandrum can sit back and enjoy the treats as the cakes keep getting better and better.
I invite all Local-Guides Foodies to check out more on Food in and around my locality on my INSTAGRAM page.
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