Every year calls for a celebration, more so if you’re surrounded by those you love—and by delicious food!

Here’s a list of my favorite birthday cakes and other tasty birthday finds.

Gelatin cakes

Gelatin desserts have been making a comeback and are quite the rage these days—and there’s a new jelly artist in town to feed our cravings.

Arlene Alcantara is a florist turned gelatin master. Being a mom meant having less time to do events that require onsite floral arranging. This prompted Arlene to find another avenue for self expression, and it was three-dimensional gelatin art that she turned to. Her newly acquired skill soon turned into a home business called Gelatin at Its Best.

Inspired by international 3D jelly artists, Alcantara taps into her innate creativity to churn out masterpieces of her own, making sure that each one of her designs is not just eye-catching but also flavorful.

She has an extensive menu of jelly-based desserts that not only captivate the eye, but entice the palate.

Alcantara has a Cathedral Window collection. I must admit that her classic rendition is one of the best-tasting I’ve tried—creamy and fruity, but not overwhelmingly so. It is also of perfect firmness, that is, not gummy.

Her cathedral window innovations include Macapuno, Milk Tea and Fresh Mango.

The Tutti Fruity Cake is basically fresh fruits—kiwi, grapes, peaches, oranges and berries—encased in gelatin with a milk base. It is so refreshing, and it glistens!

Her gelatin birthday cakes are, indeed, works of art. Her designs are not limited to flowers. With clear gelatin as her canvas, she creates ponds with koi fish, cartoon characters, undersea scenes, fighting cocks and even portraits. You can, in fact, request her to create just about anything for you.

As a jelly artist, Alcantara’s style is very detailed and boldly colorful. I find her gelatins more flavorful, too.

Alcantara is now a gelatin cake instructor, and Gelatin at Its Best a center for learning, as well as a one-stop shop for all your gelatin cake needs. (Tel. 0977-8333041; @gelatinatitsbest on Instagram)

Mango cake

There’s a new, great-tasting mango cake in town, simply made with ultralight, moist and soft chiffon, good quality whipped cream and the sweetest mangoes. The cake is easy to eat and so satisfying. It’s the kind you can enjoy any time, all the time. Baked by Bettina Lim and Kristine Yeung of Sainte Anne’s Cakes, the mango cake is a spin-off of their their best selling strawberry shortcake. (@sainteannescakes on Instagram)

Pandan cake

For the last 10 years, there’s one birthday cake that I can never celebrate without—Costa Brava’s Pandan Cake by Juda Liu. It consists of their signature spongy yet feather-like chiffon, with a center filled and iced with pure buttercream flavored with pandan.

Costa Brava cakes are made only with the finest ingredients, and are always so consistently good. I will never tire of Liu’s cakes. (Tel. 88961267; @costabrava2013 on Instagram)

Birthday cake

Wildflour’s Birthday Cake is so pretty! It’s vanilla sponge oozing with dulce de leche, adorned with swirls of rainbow-colored Italian meringue. The visual alone makes you happy! (@wildflourmanila, @wildflourtogo on Instagram)

Burnt Butter Chiffon Cake

My prettiest cake was the Burnt Butter Chiffon with yema filling and boiled icing by Marlene Monfort. This cake is simple and tastes like the birthday cakes of my youth. It was beautifully decorated with a large, handpicked orange sunflower. Marlene’s chiffon cake stays good for days in the fridge. (Tel. 0917-7020005; @marlenemonfort on Instagram)

Chicken sandwich

Stevie Villacin is known to all as the chicken man, who makes one of the best Hainanese chickens in town. But there’s another thing that he makes so well—it’s his heirloom chicken asparagus sandwich. It’s a bite from the past made with a piece of soft, sweetish white tasty bread with a leaf of lettuce, capped with a generous portion of chicken sandwich spread rolled with an asparagus spear in the center, secured with a pick and a pickle. Had with a glass of cold Coke on ice, this simple pleasure is heaven in every bite! (Tel. 0906-5084155; @stevieshainanesechicken on Instagram)

‘Liempo’

For my birthday lunch, I had Chicken Sarap prepare my birthday meal. I am a fan of their very tasty chicken inasal that is grilled on the spot.

However, I am now an even bigger fan of their grilled liempo that’s marinated to perfection. It’s a tad sweet, peppery, seasoned with just the right amount of salt, grilled en pointe. The pork paired with their rice tossed in chicken oil, with toasted garlic bits and kalkag (dried baby shrimps) with a side of their excellent ensaladang tortang talong, is to die for. (Tel. 0998-5770361; @chickensarap on Instagram) INQ

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