Bengawan Solo is famous for their pandan cake. Its been a long standing recognition in my family that they make best pandan cake in the country. I remember one of my aunties telling me that their chocolate cake was also nice, a memory that suddenly resurfaced from the hidden recesses of my brain as I thought about the chocolate cakes for this blog. So, I specially made a trip down to Bengawan Solo and acquired this neat little piece - the Chocolate Gateau. Gateau is french ley... how come Bengawan solo is has got french influence one?
This cake was quite simple, only 3 kinds of layers. A very moist and light chocolate sponge, whipped cream, and a tempered chocolate glaze that had a hint of hazenut or nut flavour. Does this cake stand alongside Bengawan Solo's pandan cake in terms of shiokness?
The chocolate sponge itself was flawless. Its an ideal moist sponge that can be set as the industry benchmark when comparing chocolate sponges across various other cakes. It was very pleasant, something I wouldn't mind munching on plain.
The whipped cream on the other hand, was somewhat a failure. Once eaten it would melt and turn into oil that coats the entire surface of the mouth, giving an uncomfortable oily mouthfeel to the whole cake. When it comes to whipped cream, I demand the real thing, meaning I demand whipped cream made from genuine cow's milk and not the vegetable oil kind. The reality is that there isn't enough real whipping cream to go round the world, so substitutes are manufactured from vegetable oil, emulsifiers, and stabilisers that can keep the whipped product as a stable foam for days. Nonetheless, the bottom line is that that long lasting oily mouthfeel from their whipped cream had a negative impact on the shiokness of this cake.
The chocolate glaze and chopped peanuts were fine.
It seems my auntie who recommended this cake has different tastes from me. Or maybe she just hasn't tried the other cakes I've tried.
Shiokness Verdict: 2/10
This cake costs $2.50, the equivalent of 1 canteen meal from school. Would you skip a canteen meal in exchange for this?
Juntion 8 Shopping Centre
9 Bishan Place #B1-K1
Tel : 62582066
bengawansolo.com.sg
This is actually one of my favorite cakes of all time. To each his own I guess :) Just wanted to let you know that it's not whipped cream in this cake but buttercream frosting. That's probably why it tasted oily for ya.
ReplyDeleteI love this cake too! Actually, especially the cream. :P
ReplyDeletei was gonna say the same thing! LOL! Funny that you critique a cake but got the ingredient wrong! It is NOT whipped cream, it's either fresh cream or butter cream. I'm pretty sure it's fresh cream as only the coffee cake in Bengawan's 'regular' selection has butter cream. The other cakes like mango, fruit gateau, pandan and this choc-hazelnut you featured have only FRESH CREAM.
ReplyDelete