(Last of two parts)

 

Lifestyle’s second round of best desserts will make your holiday gastronomic celebrations extra-joyful and scrumptious! The list features a variety of traditional comfort food given delicious twists, as well as artisanal cakes and cookie creations proudly crafted by our own local pastry chefs.

 

Midnight Cake

 

Come-on: This is definitely a chocolate lover’s dream: dense, ultra moist, pure chocolate-y and formidably decadent right down to the last bite. This rich bittersweet chocolate also boasts a dark chocolate cookie crumb crust and macadamia nuts, covered with chocolate ganache. What’s not to like?

 

Cost: P150/slice, P1,500/10-inch whole cake. Available daily. For bulk order, call two days in advance. For pick-up only.

 

Creator: Cioccolo Bistro and Café (Chef Froilan Cruz)

 

Contacts: Royal Garden Estate, Fil-Am Friendship Highway, Angeles City, Pampanga. Tels. (045) 8872009, 0917-5002006 and 0917-7944319.

 

(photos best 14, 15, 16)

 

Calamansi-cello Cupcakes

 

Come-on: An ingenious way of utilizing our tropical fruit, calamansi. These cupcakes are bursting with intensely flavored calamansi using pure calamansi fruit, not syrup. Each cupcake is filled with a tart calamansi curd in the center and crowned with a light citrus buttercream icing, giving off a sharp but refreshing citrus kick to the taste buds.

 

Cost: Cupcake, P65 each. For pick-up only. Order two days in advance.

 

Creator: Casa San Luis Pastries by Carmela (Carmela Villegas-Agosta)

 

Contact: Palm Village, Makati City. Tels. 0916-6448522 and 0908-8210650. Visit www.facebook.com/casasanluispastries.

 

(photos best 8, 9, 10)

 

Avocado Ice Cream

 

Come-on: Cool down with this avocado ice cream, the texture and flavor of which produce illusions that you are eating the real fruit. Yes, it tastes like real avocado taken straight from the ref and halved, seeded and scooped! It is remarkably refreshing, leaving your palate happy and content.

 

Milky Way also has cheese-flavored ice cream with real chunks of cheese.

 

Cost: P65/scoop, P125/two scoops, P595/half gallon (tin can)

 

Creator: Milky Way of Malate Since 1955 (Tina Araullo Goquingco Santos)

 

Contacts: G/F, Tuscany Estates, Upper McKinley Hill Drive, McKinley Hill, Taguig City. Tel. 8235088. www.milkywayrestaurant. com and [email protected]

 

Strawberry Pie

 

Come-on: A classic rendition of a lattice pie oozing with fresh strawberries baked to toasty goodness. The fruity flavor of strawberries blends exquisitely with the flaky pie crust.

 

Cost: P195/slice, P1,950/10-inch whole pie

 

Creator: Wildflour Cafe + Bakery (Ana de Ocampo)

 

Contacts: G/F, Netlime Bldg., 26th St. corner 4th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, tel. 8567600; G/F, The Podium, ADB Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 5718588; and G/F, V-Corporte Centre, L.P. Leviste St., Salcedo Village, Makati City, 8087072.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

 

Come-on: Silky rich and wickedly delish combo of red velvet cake and cheesecake baked in dark chocolate cookie crust, then covered with white chocolate curls. If you crave both chocolate and cheesecake in one bite, this one’s for you.

 

Cost: P500/5-inch cake; P1,200/8-inch round cake. Order three days in advance. For pick-up and delivery for a fee.

 

Creator: Cupcake Lab (Cay Cuasay)

 

Contact: Cupcake Lab The Podium, 12 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City; Cupcake Lab Promenade, Lower Level, Promenade Greenhills Shopping Center, Ortigas Avenue, San Juan City. Tels. 4002296, 0918-4451749, 0920-9616143. E-mail [email protected]

 

Matcha Sesame Cookies and Foie Gras Luxe Cookies

 

Come-on: Trust an award-winning young pastry chef to whip up only the best sweet sensations, where every detail and ingredient is presented with yummy precision—like these Matcha Sesame Cookies (crumbly matcha and milk chocolate cookie sandwich with white chocolate and roasted black sesame filling) and Foie Gras Luxe Cookies (heavenly mishmash of foie gras butter cream, bamboo charcoal chewy cookies, strawberry jam and Valrhona chocolate). The cookies are baked fresh every day and artfully presented to tickle both your eyes and palate.

 

Cost: Matcha Sesame Cookies, P95 each; Foie Gras Luxe Cookies, P230 each. Order three days in advance. For pick-up and delivery for a fee.

 

Creator: Scout’s Honor (Chef Miko Aspiras)

 

Contacts: 4/F, Hole in the Wall, Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City, tel. 0927-3872703. Visit www.facebook.com/scoutshonorcraftcookies

 

Champorado Eh

 

Come-on: Sandee Masigan excels at providing comfort food. This native dessert is made of malagkit rice, coconut milk and local tablea chocolate, covered with ganache and cashew nuts.

It is the result of a bet between Sandee and her hubby, Andrew, who loves biko but hates champorado. Now, she has made her husband eat champorado with this clever, beguiling concoction.

 

Cost: P295/box of 6 pieces. Available daily. For pick-up only.

 

Creator: XO46 Heritage Bistro (Sandee Masigan)

 

Contacts: Le Grand Condominium, Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City, 5536635/32; Century Mall, Kalayaan Ave., Makati City, 5568143.

 

Raspberry Cheesecake

 

Come-on: Chef Greg Guy’s Raspberry Cheesecake is a very light, velvety smooth treat; you can almost smell the fragrance of the berry just before slicing. Guy serves 25 kinds of flavored cheesecakes, including Queso de Bola, Lemon, Green Tea, Dulce de Leche, Ube and Carrot.

 

Cost: P165/3-inch, P400-500/5-inch, P1,000-P1,200/8-inch round cake, depending on the flavor. Also available sugar-free cheesecakes. Order two days in advance. For pick-up only.

 

Creator: Cheesecakes by Guy (Chef Greg Guy)

 

Contacts: 2/F, Eastwood Mall, Eastwood City Cyberpark, Libis, QC; and 377 Sen. Gil Puyat, Good Land Bldg., Makati City. Tels. 0917-8988396, 5843372 and 6344362. Visit www.cheesecakesbyguy.com.

 

Puto Bumbong Pancakes

 

Come-on: Puto bumbong in the form of pancakes! An order comes with three-layer pancakes capped with cheese, coconut powder and brown sugar, and served with coconut whipped

cream on the side. As the owner claims: “It’s Christmas in your mouth.”

 

Cost: P325/order

 

Creator: Early Bird Breakfast Club (Ellen Joy Co)

 

Contacts: G/F, Century City Mall, Kalayaan Ave., Makati City, 4031897 and 0905-3311897; G/F, Fort Pointe 2 Bldg., 28th St., The Fort Complex, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, 8089269 and 0916-5393678; G/F, Eastwood Mall, Eastwood City Cyber Park, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Barangay Bagumbayan, QC, 6501125 and 0977-1730808. Visit www.earlybirdbreakfastclub.com.

 

Free Form Bread Pudding

 

Come-on: Amazing things come in one warm skillet: a hodgepodge of homemade brioche, custard, whipped cream and berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries), dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Simple but satisfying.

 

Cost: P350. Dine-in only.

 

Creator: The Bowery (Chef Cuit Kaufman and Patrick Santos)

 

Contacts: Forbeswood Heights Rizal Drive, BGC, Taguig City; 8042188 and 0917-5322612.

 

Coffee Japanese Cheesecake

 

Come-on: The creaminess of cheesecake is deliciously offset by the strong flavor of coffee. It’s comfortingly light, especially after the heavy holiday feasting.

 

Cost: P140/3-inch, P580/6-inch, P1,105/8-inch cake. For pick-up and delivery with a fee. Order two days in advance.

 

Creator: Karen’s Kitchen (Karen Young)

 

Contacts: Unit 107B, 210 Zodiac St., Palm Village, Brgy. Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City, and Edsa corner Antonio S. Arnaiz Ave., Barangay Dasmarinas Village, Makati City. Tels. 5550555, 5550111, 8982280, 8982880, 0917-5273671 and 0917-5394968.

 

Impossible Cake

 

Come-on: The hefty and deftly prepared Impossible Cake is a filling treat of rich leche flan over moist chocolate cake. A winner!

 

Cost: P295/slice, P1,850/whole cake. Orders for whole cakes must be made two days in advance.

 

Creator: Raintree Restaurants

 

Contacts: Museum Café/Kabila, Ayala Museum Complex, Makati City, 757300; Terraz, 3/F, Zuellig Bldg, Makati City, 6254831; Chelsea Grand Café, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, 9097011; Stella and Rocketroom, Bonifacio High Street, BGC, Taguig City, 6213222 and 6213111. Visit www.raintreerestaurants.com.

 

White Toblerone Cheesecake

 

Come-on: For those who prefer something a little lighter, this White Toblerone Cheesecake does the job. It’s a creamy baked cheesecake with chopped white Toblerone on a Graham

crust, topped with shaved white chocolate.

 

Cost: P195/mini size, P1,500/8-inch cake. For pick-up only. Order two days in advance.

 

Creator: Marmalade Kitchen (Aileen A. Anastacio)

 

Contacts: Unit 2-5 Forum South Global, corner Federacion Drive Bonifacio Global City, 7th Ave, Taguig, Metro Manila. Tels. 0917-8370959 and 0917-5237532.

 

Dulce

 

Come-on: Gorge on these not-so-sweet pastillas de leche tart, with roasted, caramelized pili nuts for added crunch. It’s creamy smooth and milky in taste and flavor. Other flavors are langka and guyabano.

 

Cost: P100/plain, P120/with flavor for 2 1/2-inch diameter. Pick-up only.

 

Creator: Cinq Dessert Boutique (Angela Villoria Tolentino)

 

Contacts: G/F, Ceo Flats, No. 4 Jupiter St., Makati City. Tel. 0917-6252611 and 8900886. Visit www.cinq.com.ph.

 

Pralines

 

Come-on: Indulge in luscious pralines with flavors such as cappuccino, Malibu, Almond Rocher, Limoncello, Balsamic, Banana Nutmeg, Macadamia dark, calamansi, peanut, salted

caramel, mango sunflower, nougat praline, pumpkin seed, mango and pistachio. The chocolate bars come in Dark chocolate, White Chocolate and Milk Chocolate variants, with almonds, marshmallow and rice crisps.

 

Cost: P780/box of 12 pieces, P390/box of 6. White Chocolate Bars P390. For pick-up only.

 

Creator: Le Bar and Spiral To Go

 

Contacts: Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, CCP Complex Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. Tel. 5515555.