Canele's Gateaux Chocolat

My girlfriend bought me this beautiful cake today from Canele after school. Full marks for the presentation. It was so georgeous that I forgot all about not finishing the questions in my chemistry test today. The moment the cake came to our table, my girlfriend kept hurrying me to faster snap my photos so that she could start attacking the cakes :P

There was a description of this cake at the counter, "64% darl chocolate mousse, almond succes hazelnut feullitine, chocolate genouse with rum." Wow. What's 'succes'? Nonetheless, it makes the cake sound high class.

The roof of this cake was a square tile of tempered chocolate, ingenously embossed on one side with the surface texture of handbag leather. I think it was the reason why we chose this cake.

Naturally, the first thing we did was taste that shiny black droplet atop the entire cake. Unlike its attractive appearance, this thick black fluid was acrid, and thoughts of industrial tar came to my mind. My girlfriend even said out, apparently without careful thought: " Very terrible leh, not nice!" The chef who did this should be punished by making himself eat 5 whole tablespoons of that black stuff. What an introduction this posh looking cake!

Then we took off the leather patterned chocolate tile and tasted it alone. Chocolate, but with the subtle flavour of mothballs! I remember clearly what mothball vapour smells like because as a kid, they used to fill my auntie's cupboard. If I'm not wrong, the molecule that causes the characteristic smell of mothballs is napthalene, and whatever is in that chocolate could be having similar olfactory properties to the reagent. We didn't finish the whole leather chocolate roof. I think that as a luxury chocolate brand, Canele should seriously start benchmarking their chocolate aganst other good brands like Valrhona. Certain off-tasting notes are just not acceptable for the flavour profile of chocolate, a problem which has also plagued the cakes of Chocz.


Trying to forget the eyebrow twitching introduction that the cake gave us, we moved on to the body below. It was like a 3 storey flat, with 3 layers of cake alternated with 3 layers of ganache. The ganache was quite thick and dense in texture. The flourless cake too was on the dense side, such that the whole cake when eaten toghether was thick and dense, and also smooth and chocolatey. But chocolatey in a heldback sense because somehow the ganache was slow to melt, giving a percieved texture quite akin to soft candle wax. It tasted like lots of chocolate went into the cake, but the flavours of which were kept captive within the ganache and not released during the chewing process.

The leather chocolate tile did not go well with the ganache and cake layers because hard chunks of it remained in the mouth long after the ganache had melted and the cake chewed to pulp.



Despite the reserved comments on certain aspects of this cake, it was still quite chocolatey overall and will give you dopamine.

Shiokness Verdict: 6/10

$7.15 after GST ($7.55 after service charge)
Will you skip 3 meals at the school canteen to gather enough cash to buy the Gateaux Chocolat?

Canele Patisserie Chocolaterie
Shaw Centre
1 Scotts Road
Tel: 67389020
http://www.canele.com.sg/

Canele's Le Royale

In today's outing with my girlfriend, I chanced upon Canele's Le Royale. This cake had a stunning resemblence to the reknowned long cakes produced by Sadaharu Aoki. I can imagine Sadaharu Aoki frowning at the boss of Canele after seeing this cake, and saying: "kore watashi no design jia nai ka!?" :P In Singlish, "isn't this my design!?" Anyway, that long black streak stretching across the cake looks like one of those from the bamboo.


I was terribly hungry when the cake came to our table, so immediately after taking these photos I whisked out my fork and began attacking the cake.

Naturally, the first thing that I tried to taste was that reddish brown powdery stuff on top. Alamak, it had a medicinal taste, somewhat artificial in nature. But then, if you eat it with the other layers, it doesn't really affect the overall flavour because its only a small part of the cake. I think Canele should cut this unpleasant tasting powder coating and replace it with something else. Usually, pastry chefs use a fine spray of warm chocolate droplets to cover a cake surface with this powdery texture. Or they can simply dust the cake in cocoa powder for a similar look.



Canele's description of the cake was " 64% dark choc mousse, almond succes hazelnut feullitine, chocolate ganache."

This cake melted nicely in the mouth, had the perfect density, a wide array of textural variation, and very strong and pleasant chocolate and caramel notes. Hidden somewhere inside the feulletine layer in the middle was the unique flavour of caramel, the kind that you can only get when you heat sucrose above 180C for a brief moment. It was pure shiokness. Very very very shiok. If you need to fly to heaven for a few minutes, this cake has enough power to provide you the wings.



Crunchy in the middle, smooth on either side, this cake was packed with the intense flavour of chocolate. Its designed to release a torrent of flavour molecules with every bite you take. To create such a sensation, you need to craft layers that weakly bind to the flavour molecules such that they get desorbed from the cake surface upon slight agitation. I'm guessing the brilliant chef that came up with this cake must have had some insight into the chemical interactions taking place at the molecular level within the cake. He deserves a promotion!

The crunchy feuilletine brought a new dimension to the smooth and rich chocolate layers, adding lots of extra shiokness. We humans have evolved to appreciate crunchy textures in foods, especially when the crunchiness comes alongside soft and smooth textures. When we were still monkeys, this innate sense had helped us pick the ripest berries, crunchy on the outside, and soft and juicy on the inside. The Le Royale has successfully mimicked this 'crunchy berry' effect so it will naturally appeal to the brains of all humans. You will smile with your very first mouthful of this cake.


So, this is pure chocolate goodness with a hint of burnt caramel. I think it beats many of Sadahu Aoki's own pastries, and even many of those found at Le Maison du Chocolat. Perfect, except maybe for that wierd tasting powder on top.

Shiokness Verdict: 10/10

Very very shiok. Possibly the best chocolate cake in Singapore!

$7.70 after GST ($8.20 after service charge). It's totally worth it skipping 3 canteen meals in exchange for the Le Royale!!


Canele Patisserie Chocolaterie
Shaw Centre
1 Scotts Road
Tel: 67389020
www.canele.com.sg

Chocz Sacher

Unfortunately, I had bought this cake together with the Chocolate Truffle from Chocz at marine parade on the same day. That cake was dissapointment. What about this one? This is the Sacher, as says the letters inscribed in glaze atop the cake.

Woosh, the plastic wrap peels off under my nose, taking off a chunk of glaze with it. Usually at the shop the reflection from transparent plastic prevents us from getting an accurate picture of the surface texture of the cake. Now without the clothes, we can see properly :P

The internal appearance is that of a very dense cake, filled with lots of nuts chocolatey goodness. There was a description for the cake at the counter, "Swiss Chocolate with Hazelnut Sponge, Apricot Compote and Almond Cookies." I gave the cake a sniff and inhaled lots of splendid chocolate molecules.

Once more, I *chomp chomp chomped* into the cake and the first thing that greeted my tongue was that very same acidic, acrid, tobacco-like glaze. Its the exact same glaze from its brother cake, the Chocolate Truffle. And hidden beneath this layer again is that very same ganache layer from the Chocolate Truffle which had an unpleasantly raw peanut oil flavour. These 2 layers only make up 0.5mm of the cake, but their flavour dominates the entire cake. They caused discord among the cells of my olfactory bulb which immediately released fantic impulses that generated a frown upon my face.


And so I scrapped off the ganache and the glaze, leaving just the plain cake and biscuit crust below for a second chance. The cake itself was moderately moist, quite generous in nuts, but had the lingering flavour of benzaldehyde. Benzaldehyde is naturally found in almonds but once you cross a certain threshold, it doesn't taste like natural anymore. I think there was also a hint of cherry in the flavour. Then squeezed below the cake was thin lining of apricot compote - a pleasant addition that and went quite well with the crunchy buttery base.

Nonetheless, the dark chocolate glaze and ganache were horrible, potent enough to stauch all supply of dopamine. Not shiok. I think stress hormones were released instead.
Shiokness Score: 0/10
I wonder, if there's an apple that was good on one side, but had a huge bruise on the other, would you still buy it? This cake costs $7.00.

Chocz
#B1-83P Parkway Parade
Tel: 6345 0181
http://www.chocz.com.sg/

Chocz Chocolate Truffle

Chocz's main line of products is chocolates and so I thought since they do chocolates they would naturally be good at chocolate cakes. I must say I have never tried chocz before today, and this is their first chocolate product I'm trying. Anyhow, there was a description for the cake, which went "Swiss Chocolate Ganache with chocolate sponge".

Off goes the wrap, and we see 3 layers of airy chocolate sponge, and also 3 layers of ganache. The topmost layer of ganache is actually hidden beneath the shiny dark chocolate glaze.


And then perched right on top was a ball of tempered chocolate, sealed at the middle from 2 smaller halves. I thought there might be a surprise inside, but it turned out to be hollow. The ball was chocolate but had cardboardy notes that were a mismatch for the flavour profile of chocolate.

So *munch* *munch* down layer by layer before *munching* the cake as a whole. It was a huge major major major dissapointment. The dark chocolate glaze was acidic, mildly acrid, with an unpleasant cigarette-water kind of flavour. Then the ganache tasted of cooking oil, either canola or peanut, but more likely peanut. It was the raw kind of vegetable oil flavour that I tasted before in oil that has not yet been cooked. Both the glaze and the ganache acted in synchrony and destroyed the entire cake. The sponge, on the borderline between being moist and dry, crumbled into tiny granules in the mouth that disrupted the smooth texture of the chocolate. When all the layers were eaten together as one, the acridness from the glaze and the raw oil note from the ganache took over and I somehow found my eyebrows twitching uncontrollably. I didn't finish the Chocolate Truffle. Not more than 1/4 of the slice.



I don't know what to say. Isn't chocz supposed to specialise in chocolates? The cardboardy taste of the hollow chocolate ball is still in my head.



Shiokness Verdict: 0/10

This cake cost $6.00. I don't think I'll be touching it again.

Chocz
#B1-83P Parkway Parade
Tel: 6345 0181
http://www.chocz.com.sg/

Bakerzin's Brownie & Mousse

Straight after school today I headed off to bakerzin for one of their chocolate cakes. They had a huge range, no less than 5 I think, and I spent quite a pleasant moment gazing at them before deciding to buy this. The Bakerzin Brownie & Mousse. I chose this because of its very attractive mirror glaze and also the 'chef's recommendation' placed beside the cake.


The construct of the Brownie & Mousse appears quite simple, with only 2 main layers - the brownie below, and the mousse on top. Covering the cake is the mirror glaze, sprinked with some golden brown specks. These specks aren't nuts, and have the texture of miniature rice crispies but not so much flavour on their own. Does anyone know what they are? Nonetheless, I think they make the cake really attractive (well before I removed the acetate wrap at least).



And so *ohm nom nom*, I sunk my teeth into the cake and *phwa*! The mouuse was perfect. Flawless, like the most beautiful woman on earth. Light and smooth, enriched with the pure goodness of proper chocolate. Even the mirror glaze was excellent, silky with a chocolate intensity that was matching of its dark colouration.

Then *ohm chom chom* my teeth reached the brownie layer which was generously embedded with chopped walnuts. The brownie itself too was very good, also flawless, like the most handsome man on earth. It had a unique caramel note to it that will stay in my memory for a long time =)



So will this cake get a full shiokness score? When the most beautiful man on earth marries the most beautiful woman... it seems we don't neccessarily get the the most loving couple on earth. Turns out that in this cake, the brownie and mousse are are nice toghether, but unfortunately they are not the most perfect match made in heaven.



Shiokness Verdict: 7/10

This cake costs $6.95 after GST, the equivalent of two and a half canteen meals from school. Will you skip 2.5 meals at school in exchange for the Brownie & Mousse?

Bakerzin
Vivocity #01-207
Tel: 64558885
http://www.bakerzin.com/

Sweet Secret's Royaltine

The royaltine is a predominantly mousse cake by Sweet Secrets. Their cakes are wrapped in transparent acetate plastic which you have to peel off before eating. From far you will instantly notice it from its shiny dark mirror glaze. The white chocolate curls on top enhances the lustre of the glaze because you can see their reflection on the glaze surface.





Upon removal of the plastic wrap, a beautifully patterned sponge was revealed. I thought it was rather brilliant to make the mousse sit nicely atop the edge of the sponge in an undulating sinosoidal wave pattern =)


And then *chop* I went inside the cake. Well, despite the beautiful appearance, the encircling yellow sponge layer was harsh with dryness. It surrounded the whole cake, so almost every bite was bound to have sponge. When sponges get too dry, they stick in your throat and gives quite an unpleasant feeling. The mousse on the other hand, was pleasantly light and airy, moderate in terms of chocolateyness, but even so, the dryness of the surrounding sponge was plain overwhelming. The mirror glaze on top and white chocolate curls both had coca cola flavor molecules in them. I don't know how it got there, but their other cake Etiole had it too. I wish the shiny glaze tasted more of chocolate to an intensity that would match its dark colour. At the very bottom of the cake, theres a liquid soaked genoise, but I couldn't make much out of its flavour.

There was also an almost hidden chemical-like flavour within the mousse, a very familiar and characteristic note that I think I came across before in Poon-Huat. An off- flavour, not conspicuous, but still detectable.

Nonetheless, the petite royaltine boasts an outstanding coffee feuilletine layer thats is delicately crunchy and robust in coffee flavour. I think Sweet Secrets has accomplished a tremendous technical feat by designing feuilleine that stays crispy in a cake with high moisture content. A big thumbs up to their feuilletine layer!

Actually, I would consider the royaltine a coffee-chocolate cake rather than a pure chocolate cake because of the strong coffee notes.



It's important to eat mousse cakes at 5 degrees C or straight from the refrigerator because the lipids in the mousse are solid and gives the right eating texture. Once you thaw mousses to room temperature, they become fluid and the cake collapses into mess. When this happens, you'll feel egg white bubbles popping on your tongue when you eat the mousse. When I review mousse cakes, I always eat them at refidgeration temperatures. Also, because light and volatile flavour molecules diffuse around in the air fairly quickly, you want to keep your cake in tightly sealed containers away from other strong smelling foods. These molecules can adsorb onto the surface of the cake. Such might be the origin of the coca cola flavour, or it could well be the natural flavour profile of the chocolate ingredient.

In all, I think that without the dry sponge and this cake would have released more dopamine in my brain. If you are eating the larger version of this cake, make sure you get a centre cut without any sponge. For less discerning cake eaters, this is an affordable chocolate cake that can satisfy sweet cravings.

Shiokness Verdict: 5/10

This cake costs $2.50, the quivalent of 1 canteen meal from school. Will you skip 1 meal at school in exchange for the Royaltine?

Sweet Secrets
Bishan Branch
Junction 8
Tel: 63534714
http://www.sweetsecrets.com.sg/

Sweet Secret's Chocolate Souffle / Etiole

This cake here is also known as the Etiole if you buy the larger birthday cake-sized version. The top is dusted in cocoa powder and topped with chocolate curls. The first thing I do when I get a cake is smell it. Taste is smell, all flavour from a chocolate cake is detected by the nose. This is why professional wine tasters always smell first before sipping. On the other hand, the tongue gathers textural information, while the ears aid in cruch or squishiness detection.



Sweet Secrets is a familiar family brand. They've been around for a long time and I fondly remember eating their mango cake as a kid. They produce a number of chocolate cakes, including one of my favourites (the concorde), and it's inevitable that I'll review all their chocolate cakes on this blog.




Actually, I dont think wrapping cakes in acetate plastic is the 'in' thing these days. Its asthetically unappealing and is sort of a hastle to remove for the customer. Better to build a structurally sound cake without the acetate wrap.



Naturally, the first bit I reached out for was chocolate curls on top. I was kind of dismayed by the unbelievable flavour molecules that reached my nose. It tasted like coca cola!! I wonder what kind of chocolate they were using! Then I went on the mousse, and found it light and smooth, but somewhat witheld in terms of chocolate intensity. There were liquid soaked sponge layers in the middle but these weren't very noticable as they had almost identical texture to the mousse. If I hadn't looked, I wouldn't have known about the sponge. What exactly was the chocolate sponge infused with? Can't tell.

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Well, if you love mousse, this would be your kind of cake, since its mousse all the way. I personally think its texturally monotonous. This cake would have farred better if they cut the sugar and up the chocolate intensity.

This cake costs $2.50, the equivalent of 1 canteen meal in school. Will you skip 1 meal at school in exchange for a slice of the Etiole?

Shiokness Verdict: 5/10


Sweet Secrets
Bishan Branch
Junction 8
Tel: 63534714
http://www.sweetsecrets.com.sg/