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There are 74 days to go before Christmas, so the hunt for the best cake is on. We’ll be rolling out our finds as the weeks go along. For now, let’s start with some Puto Bumbong Cheesecake from Miss B’s Infused Honey. No room for subtlety here.

Regina Lopez, 1/2 of the brand, shares that the product is an “innovative way of introducing a Christmas favorite for Filipinos.” It’s a rich cake topped with toasted Queso De Bola and coconut cream drizzle. I foresaw the extra minutes I’ll dedicate to my #chloetingchallenge at first bite but kept going until it was all gone.

Miss B’s Infused Honey started last 2019, initially to sell flavor-infused honey. Before ube cheese pan de sal became the trend it is today; the shop had a premonition to get on it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGOpvINnchE/

“Miss B’s special pan de sal happened because of my sister’s cravings. She asked me to bake for her ube cheese pan de sal, and back then, I didn’t have any experience in making bread,” shares Regina. “I usually play around the kitchen and try out different recipes and make them my own.”

From there, more products popped out of the oven. And that distinct homemade goodness? It’s because Miss B is all about keeping it true to what their tastebuds like.

Regina says, “Our brand solely focuses on what our family loves to eat. Everything we sell is food that we really make at home and requested by our mom and dad. We also focus on the idea that we only sell products that we enjoy eating and use ingredients that are of quality.”

Let us know a little something about the bakers at Miss B’s Infused Honey
My sister (Bianca) and I (Regina) are the two bakers of Miss B. I graduated with BSBA Major in Management last year and focused on Miss B since then.

I’ve been baking since I was in grade school. Growing up in a family who loves to cook, I had the eagerness to learn how to bake since we would always have a ton of ulam, but our dessert was always store-bought.

My sister, Miss B, graduated as a Psychology major and will be pursuing her medical degree.

We primarily learn from YouTube videos and recipes that we see online. I really can’t say that we have mastered our craft, but what we do is we try and work on the recipe until we’re satisfied with it. It’s very common in our house that we use at least 50 pieces of eggs to perfect a specific recipe.

What’s your star product? What makes it truly stand out?
Our star product is the flavored pan de sal. The texture is not the usual pan de sal that we buy. It’s more on a cakey, chewy texture, which makes it richer. We also don’t rush the process. We’re strict with the rising and fermentation of the bread.

In my opinion, all the recipes that we use for the goodies that we sell are personal since we do tweaks to the original recipe. Also, all the food that we make are my family’s favorites.

How long does it take for you to release a new product?
It actually depends on the product. For the pan de sal, it only took around three days. It was very quick since our teaser post on Facebook had so many likes and inquiries. We took advantage of it and launched it right away.

As for the Puto Bumbong Cheesecake, it took me a while to perfect the recipe. I would watch so many videos and tried out different techniques to get that fluffy texture and a very sharp cheese taste. I also ensured that all elements in a traditional puto bumbong are there, but with a twist.

We usually spend so much time debating on the packaging. For the longest time, we always knew that we could improve on that aspect, and it’s only now that we truly love our packaging. These days, it’s hard to be unique. What I usually do is look for what is “lacking” in the same products in the market and try to address that to make our own.

What’s the best thing about working during this time?
We usually take orders during weekends only since we have things to do during the weekdays. Now, we can accommodate more clients since our baking days are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. We also have more time to experiment and create new products.

What’s next?
Before the pandemic started, we were planning to open a commissary. As soon as everything gets better, we’ll surely look for a place so that we can cater to walk-in Miss B customers.

Photos courtesy of @missb_infusedhoney

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