IT?S THE BEST THING ABOUT DESSERTS. People may argue about how good was the main course but when it comes to the sweetest part of the meal, there is almost always a unanimous decision.

Either it?s good, which means it tastes rich and sweet enough to balance the taste buds, or it?s bad, which could only mean it?s cloying and disgusting to the palate. There is no gray area when it comes to eating cake.

And yes, because cake, desserts and chocolates are often synonymous to cravings and guilty pleasures, feel free to indulge as the Inquirer Lifestyle?yes, the same bunch which pulled off last year?s blockbuster ?Yummiest List??partners with SM Mall of Asia to present the ultimate in sweets: The 24 Best Desserts.

Those behind the best desserts will be feted on Dec. 4, 3 p.m., at the Atrium of the SM MOA. The awards will be the first between the Inquirer which is celebrating its 24th anniversary on Dec. 9, and for SM MOA, which is kicking off its holiday festivities.

?It?s a kick off of our Christmas activities here in SM MOA,? says Steven Tan, SM MOA assistant vice president. ?There are many things going on in our mall. You see, SM MOA is also a place where people celebrate and indulge. For us, Christmas is a season for indulging.?

What could be more indulgent than scooping at Homemade Ice Cream by Ginny Gonzales, or taking a bite at the moist and decadent Polly?s Chocolate Cake by Polly Garilao.

Some of them have been featured here before like the picturesque Croquembouche by Pasteleria Mallorca, others are new finds. But certainly all of them are pound-for-pound champions in their own right as attested by the country?s top foodies and culinary experts.

There are entries that have come all the way from the far corners of the country, such as Davao?s Durian Pie by Cecil?s Snack Inn and Bakeshoppe. Others have come from veritable food institutions by themselves, like Razon?s Halo-Halo.

Torta de los Reyes by Aristocrat; Frozen Brazo de Mercedes by Dimpy Camara; Butter Rum Cake by Joyce Aragon; Green Tea and Chocolate Marble by Dorothy Ferreria; Banofee Pie by Purple Oven (Jack Colet); Rustic Apple Pie with Butterscotch Sauce by Angels? Kitchen all made it to the honor roll.

Also joining the elite ranks are Mango Madness by Park Avenue Desserts (Buddy Trinidad); Dulce de Leche Cheesecake by Forget Me Not Specialty Cakes (Pixie Sevilla-Santos); Arabian Cake by Symphony Sweets Gourmet Desserts (Joey Prats); Red Velvet Cake by Karen?s Kitchen (Karen Young); Strawberry Charlotte by Sweet Bella (Cristina Santiago Rivera); Frozen Mango Torte By Cuerva Bakeshop (Tony Cuerva); Caramel Cake by Costa Brava (Judah Liu); Belgian Creampuff by Cru Kitchen (Cory Untalan); Chocolate Confection by Maribeth Bailon-Santiago; and White Chocolate Macadamia Brittle by Kitchen?s Best.

Regional entries complete the roster like Cebu?s Chocolate Decadence by Café Georg, Dumaguete?s Sans Rival by Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries and Bulacan?s Inipit by GemSevilla Sweets.

?We?ve worked with Inquirer for a long time already; we?ve partnered for a lot of projects and, in fairness, Inquirer never fails to deliver,? Tan says. ?They always give us the best so we always partner with PDI.?

Among the highlights of the event is the food demo by the award-winning Pastry Alliance of the Philippines. Chefs Peachy Juban and Carol Lavin will prepare some holiday recipes.