Have declared the next two weeks to be cake-free weeks - not because I am off cake...I am NEVER off-cake. The waistline demands I be off-cake although honestly, it has simply driven me potentially into the arms of Goreng Pisang.
Anyway, as a result I have been thinking a lot about cake. And how hard it is to get good cake. When I used to make an annual pilgrimage to H.K to visit sibling and friends, finding good cake was also a bit of a challenge. I found myself ending up in the Peak Cafe, MidLevels on a regular basis because as much as I got through their cake menu in a week of being in H.K, it was good cake. I never made it to this shop called Antique, highly recommended by a friend (next time maybe). The problem of finding good cake isn't just a uniquely Malaysian challenge it would seem.
Here in good old Kay-El, I have abandoned my old favourite, Bakerzin (more on this in a bit) And it seems as though the old faithful, the ever-reliable when it comes to cake, is that doyen coffee-house, Alexis. Thankfully, they have expanded the number of outlets, thus enabling me to obtain my cake-fix without too much difficulty (all the worst for your waistline, grandma, whines my diet conscience). The Bangsar Telawi outlet is finally getting a long-overdue facelift, and it seems frantic renovation is going forth to ensure that the Telawi outlet opens in time for the Bangsar Shopping Center outlet to shut pending BSC's massive renovation of the East Wing of BSC.
My favs at Alexis remains the staples: Tiramisu Cake (emphasis on the CAKE), Bittersweet Chocolate (fabulous on a very, very good day when they get the sticky, gooey chocolate top perfect, excellent even on an off-day) and the Black and White, which tends to only make sporadic appearances and even then, has to be eaten only if absolutely fresh (read, don't eat the last two slices). I do also like the Strawberry Mascapone Cheesecake and the Chocolate Mousse, and if the baker is having a good day, the Chocolate Moist is also a good bet. They do have cakes I won't eat. The cheesecake is claggy, and way too dense, and frankly, it the kind of thing which anyone on a diet who only is allowed to eat cake once a week will order and immediately regret the calorie wastage. This is one cake they haven't got right. I tried the White Forest Cake a week ago and it excites me not. I have an occasional weakness for the Pear and Ginger Upside Down Pudding, but most of the time, I just go between the Tiramisu and Bittersweet Chocolate because they just are so good and so satisfying.
As a second string option during the day if there is a cake emergency would be the YogiTree at the Gardens, MidValley. Personal favs there include the flourless chocolate cake (you wouldn't KNOW it has no flour), the Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake and the Cheesecake with Berry Compote. Consistency-wise, the flourless chocolate cake is usually a very very safe bet. The cheesecakes can fluctuate if the temperature of the refrigerator is too low and the cheesecakes get a bit dense. A new feature on the menu is a Pineapple Upside Down Cake - a nice choice if you're looking for something sweet but not too calorific.
But strictly speaking, it is only if the day is going very badly that one can justify breaking the cake emergency alarm and having cake after lunch. There is no real reason to eat cake at lunch if one actually wishes to remain un-fat. (that's diet conscience talking again....shoo!)
Now, admittedly it sounds like no where else does decent cake. I suppose my standards are high, on the theory that if I am going to expend calories eating something sinful and bad for my waistline, I want nothing less than an excellent top-notch cake-dessert. Which is why for the longest time, I practically had a seat with my name on it at Bakerzin. And which is also why contrary to popular viewpoint, I do not think that highly of the cakes at Delicious. And it is also why I will not just eat cake anywhere either unless it is vouched for. Those extra calories are too precious (and the amount of time spent sweating it off far too torturous) to justify 'average' cake.
For those who are wondering, Bakerzin has been put on on my Titanic Watch - meaning, it's headed for the iceberg of the Condemn List. Reasons being that the management has recently decided that they want to start making the cakes in-house rather than bringing in some of the ready-made sponges and ingredients from Singapore, where the Bakerzin franchise originates. As a result, you basically go to Bakerzin nowadays and your choices are all of about six cakes. From a selection of over 20 cakes, it's now down to about 6. Not only does that suck, but it also means that the cakes get sold out quickly. So late night coffee and kuchen raids are out as far as Bakerzin goes.
And of course, my major motivation previously for eating cake at Bakerzin was the coffee. Perfect cake, with perfect coffee? A reason to be fat really. Although both Alexis and Bakerzin (and Delicious) use Illy coffee, Bakerzin made a mean latte and great Americano and for reasons I still haven't figured out, Alexis still can't get their coffee to taste better than a few notches beyond air longkang (it has improved of late but still not doing justice to Illy). Delicious does a decent job though but because I don't like their cakes, I won't go there just for the coffee. Now, Bakerzin has switched to Lavazza coffee, which during my brief visit to Italy, I seem to recall as coming in 3rd after Segefreddo and Illy coffee. So I don't drink Lavazza and I certainly won't pay top dollar for a cup of Lavazza coffee. Nor do I want to ruin my cake with a yuk coffee.
But anyway, that's why Bakerzin is no longer on my great cake list, which now seems to just consist of one place, and that's Alexis.
So why do Malaysians rave about cakes that are generally just average? Cost probably plays a part. Two cakes and two coffees at Alexis can set you back about RM40 - expensive in a time of inflation, and especially the case now that the prices of key baking ingredients like flour, butter, dairy products and especially cream cheese are going up through the roof. Ditto cake at Bakerzin averages about RM7 a slice. And because at Bakerzin, they're dainty portions, the Malaysian ringgit psyche deems it to be not 'value for money'.
Secondly, I am going to go out on a limb and say most Malaysians don't know what good cake should taste like (and hell, good food) because most of them don't actually cook or bake and thus don't actually KNOW what is good or what is bad. They simply know what they like and thus equate that with what is good. What you LIKE, will taste good to you.But it may not be good on an objective assessment level. Being able to evaluate food on an objective level means to be able to determine if it is good or not, based on the benchmark of the product FIRST, and then by your personal preferences second. Most of the time, when Malaysians say something is good, they mean, by their tastebuds, it tastes good. (Ratatouille rat mode off).
For example, the lemon tart is a rarity in cake shops because not only is it hard to get right, but it's not the sort of dessert that most Malaysian taste buds are attuned towards eating. Yet, a good lemon tart is an absolutely sublime experience and is something I'd consider ordering if I was sure I'd get a good lemon tart (so far, I'm still looking and no one has topped the one at Bakerzin).
Similarly, the perception of the dainty portions of cake like Amer and Jivara at Bakerzin being not value for money reflects ignorance rather than intelligent wallet management. To the average Malaysian, RM7 on a small piece of cake that they could probably scarf all by themselves, and RM7 on a gigantic slice they can share - duh, obvious choice right? But hang on - if I'm getting Valrhona chocolate in one, and Van Housten or worse, Cap X cooking chocolate in the other, I'm paying my RM7 to the Valrhona thank you. But really, if you didn't know your Valrhona from your Michel Cuizel, and your Hersheys from your Van Houston, you'd think RM7 for a dainty slice of cake is a total rip-off.
And at the absolute bottom of the triangle are those who eat cake just to have some sugar or something sweet to go with their coffee. There is no eating in the pleasure, just a sort of sugar or cheese craving that is being satisfied.
Beyond a cake being dry (which most people would instinctively AND correctly associate with bad cake), you don't get a lot of discrimination in what Malaysians are willing to give the thumbs-up to as good cake for the above reasons. And so, we will continue to have establishments that make just average cake (because hey, no one can tell the difference right?)
and get away with it, and I will just have to keep going to Alexis.
