Midnight by BakerZin

Midnight by BakerZin

Mooncakes have become more exotic over the years and it is no surprise that dessert chain, BakerZin presents a series of contemporary feel to its mooncakes. Black is a classic colour but has never been a lucky colour for the Chinese neither are black food tempting.


Surprisingly for this year, it is the black mooncakes that caught my attention. Apart from Home Favourite's black durian mooncake, BakerZin adopts the use of bamboo charcoal for its snowskin.

Sesame Truffle Mini Snowskin$36 nett for a box of 8
Although the filling is said to encases a blend of sweet lotus and black sesame paste, the overall feel is similar to eating black sesame soup (a type of Cantonese dessert, 芝麻糊). Nothing fanciful but each mouthful is filled with the goodness of the rich black sesame. Hence, fans of this Chinese dessert should not give this a miss. The overall feel is similar to black sesame paste.

BakerZin, United Square
101 Thomson Road
#01-07/60 United Square
Singapore 307591
Tel: 6251 5550

Operating hours - 10:30 am - 10 pm (Sun to Thur)
10:30 am - 11 pm (Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday)
http://www.bakerzin.com/

BakeZin's promotional page

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Sweet Pleasure - Bakerzin

Sweet Pleasure - Bakerzin

Guess it is time for me to redeem myself for doing injustice to BakerZin's Sweet Pleasure (also known as Plaisir sucré). After seeing Evan's photo, I wonder have I overlook a good cake from BakerZin and believe it or not, I bought 5 slices of Sweet Pleasure and 3 macarons.

Sweet Pleasure ($6.90++)
Layers of hazelnut praline dacquoise, Jivara milk chocolate ganache with fleur de sel, topped with chocolate mousse.
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Fen's comments

I guessed the one I had at Laurent was distinctively better than this one. Although all the components were nicely matched and that the hazelnut praline is crunchy enough, I felt that the chocolate is not smooth enough to have a melt-in-your-mouth effect. The chocolate sheets weren't thin enough and thus was similar to eating milk chocolate bars. I would prefer to have the Chocolate Amer from BakerZin and pay alittle more for Laurent.

It is worth a try but I prefer the other chocolate selections from BakerZin.
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Yuan's comments

Bakerzin seldom disappoint, this one is no exception. Fine chocolate sheets with creamy hazelnut paste. A stint of salted caramel and hazelnut praline adds to the crunch. However I must say that readers like me that dislike the salted caramel would prefer those from Laurent or CentrePs.
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BakerZin, United Square
101 Thomson Road
#01-07/60 United Square
Singapore 307591
Tel: 6251 5550

Operating hours - 10:30 am - 10 pm (Sun to Thur)
10:30 am - 11 pm (Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday)
http://www.bakerzin.com/

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An indulgence at BakerZin

An indulgence at BakerZin

It was another memorable desserts meet-up at Bakerzin with Evan, Brad, Sihan, Yingyan, Elaine (Etel), Vicki, Weili and Claire and this would not have been possible without BakerZin being so accommodating to our request. My sincere thanks to BakerZin's senior marketing executive, Ms. Alison and the warm hospitality given by Ms. Janet, the area manager who was stationed at Bakerzin United Square branch to ensure everything was in order.

BakerZin needs no introduction and being around for more than 10 years (since 1998), Pastry Chef Mr. Daniel Tay has never fail to curb our dessert cravings.

Before I continue, I would also want to thank Brad for his suggestion of sitting outdoor, the experience would never been much enjoyable if we have chosen to sit indoors. Not only will there be many restrictions, we might end up disturbing other Bakerzin dinners.

From the array of cakes on the display, Janet highlighted that bakerzin bestsellers are none other the Chocolate Amer (also featured in the 50 yummiest cakes) and the all-time favourite, the Strawberry Shortcake.

For those who have tried the Bakerzin's Chocolate Amer, you will enjoy the heavenly combination of the chocolate mousse and flourless chocolate sponge. The springy texture of the chocolate sponge and the smooth milk chocolate mousse simply blow everybody's mind away. Definitely a love on first bite. Bakerzin's Strawberry Shortcake, on the other hand, only satisfy a handful of us but having found the Strawberry Shortcake from Rive Gauche, this is pretty pricey even though there is no doubts about the quality of this Japanese fresh cream sponge cake.

It was my entry on Bakerzin's Fraisier and Evan's comments on Sweet Pleasure that tempted everybody to come for this bakerzin dessert outing but alas, the latter was sold out for the day. Fraisier, on my personal note, has always been an interesting combination of pistachios, tangy strawberries, fruity liquor and almond essence but to pistachio lovers, the pistachio flavouring was way too mild.

Ambrosia was also another cake which I have blogged before and similarly to our previous entires on bakerzin, we didn't like this as much as the rest due to the weak banana taste. In fact, there was a debate whether coffee has been included in the cake or a cross-contamination from Sumatra. Bottom line, the nicest part of the cake is the top thin layer of chocolate which was a unanimous vote.

Foret Noir aka Blackforest is another liquor concoction which will appeal to those who fancy a chocolate and alcohol combination. In addition, the brandied cherries were juicy with a strong alcoholic punch.

Having tried so many cakes in BakerZin, there are also a handful which I haven't try too, namely Bloom Cheesecake, New York Cheesecake, Sumatra and Coeur Noir. The 2 cheesecakes are silky smooth with a light cream cheese after-taste. The good thing about BakerZin's cheesecakes is the sufficient cheesy taste but not being overly sour. Both cheesecakes are good with Yuan preferring the highly recommended New York while me liking the Bloom for its lemon zest and the refreshing after-taste.

Bakerzin's Sumatra has a wow factor on its first bite but became pretty ordinary in the subsequent bites. The coffee mousse is pretty strong and is a better bet over Roulade if one favours coffee-flavoured cakes.

Coeur Noir shared some similarity with Foret Noir with an additional layer of dark chocolate glaze and hazelnut dacquoise at the base.

Of course, with the existing promotion on the warm chocolate cake, everybody got to savour it as the last cake. However, some felt that the chocolate was not rich enough to their liking and has a burnt chocolate after-taste. For me, it is just right.

Warning when you are out with paparazzi-dessertarians, one might end up salivating (in a prolonged manner) when looking at the cakes yet they are unreachable to your mouth due to the (ah hem) dangerous, intensive, massive firing session... Of course, with such dramatic actions, the cakes are warmed-up in the process (OMG!!!)...

To view my fellow blogger friends' entries, here are the links...
1. Bakerzin: Cakes & Desserts Fiesta by LadyIronChef
2. A Lazy Sunday Afternoon at Bakerzin by Evan
3. Food Blogger Gathering at Bakerzin by Elaine
I can't find the direct link to your entry & thus I linked to your flickr instead)
4. Coffee and a slice of cake, a prelude by Vicki

BakerZin, United Square
101 Thomson Road
#01-07/60 United Square
Singapore 307591
Tel: 6251 5550

Operating hours - 10:30 am - 10 pm (Sun to Thur)
10:30 am - 11 pm (Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday)
http://www.bakerzin.com/

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Giving you more reasons to go BakerZin

Giving you more reasons to go BakerZin

Usually I will leave my special for 2 days or so but I got to tell all my readers all this... BakerZin has a 50% promotion for their warm chocolate cake...

As usual, I met Yuan after work and we were on my macarons spree, my main objective is to convince him that one of the outlets weren't that good and I get him to eat 7 macarons from 3 different places in a go... I am happy with his conclusion...

Anyway, with my blood sugar running rocket high in my body and my hormones trying frantically to keep everything in check... My brain has not registered the message, somehow or rather I needed some visual satisfaction too... So I have decided to swing by BakerZin Deluxe... What caught my attention explains the existence of this entry...

You are not seeing things, BakerZin's signature warm chocolate cake is going at $4.90++ (i.e. $5.70) and the promotion ends on the 31st Jan 08.

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Fen's comments

Having ate one of the chocolate creations from Canele, I am quite tired of extreme richness of chocolate... Somehow or rather, even though I have a liking for dark chocolate, I prefer it just like how BakerZin has done for their warm chocolate cake.

With a crispy exterior, a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake and the oozing gooey rich Valrhona chocolate, it just makes me suffer from excessive desserts syndrome (EDS). Need me to say more? There are enough reviews about this cake and its reputation of being good is unquestionable. ____________________________________________________________________

Yuan's comments

Think I kind of lost it for the warm chocolate cake. I now prefer the dark rich chocolate mousse. Having eaten the Juipter from canele the previous day, the warm chocolate cake seemed "diluted". None the less the plus point of this warm chocolate cake is that it does not have the burnt taste.
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Deluxe by BakerZin
Wisma Atria Shopping Centre
435 Orchard Road
#01-37-41
Singapore 238877

Tel: 6736 0266

I am not sure about other BakerZin branches since we dined in Deluxe by BakerZin which is a partnership between BakerZin and Lee Hwa Diamond Gallery to allow customers to browse jewellery and enjoy light snacks and drinks at the same time.

Yuan: Just saw on the papers: promotion applies to all BakerZin branches

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Fraisier from BakerZin

Fraisier from BakerZin

Have been ages since we have last walked around Jurong Point and thus stepping into the new extension of JP2 looks so foreign to me but one thing never change about this place, it is always so crowded.

Last month has been a random cake spree and thus was unable to finish the carrot cake special, but despite saying this, this is not going to be a carrot cake entry. Since when BakerZin sells carrot cake...

Presenting one of my first love of BakerZin, a pistachio baby, Fraisier. When I first stepped into BakerZin, this was known to be their signature and till now, I have not found a second alternative to this creation.

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Fen's comments

Whole strawberries (pretty sour) intertwined with pistachio butter cream, are bounded neatly by two thin almond sponge sheets that had been soaked in strawberry liquor. The Fraisier, in my perspective has always been an interesting combination of pistachios, tangy strawberries, fruity liquor and almond essence.

Selling at $6.90++ per slice, I have always prided BakerZin for affordable and yummlicious cakes and this is no exception.
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Yuan's comments

Having eaten this cake a second time it gives me a second opinion. There was just too much strawberries. The mousse was nice but too little of it and you get a full strawberry. Worst till, the strawberries are sour. Apart from the sour strawberries, i really enjoyed the mousse in Fraisier. It has this almond essence coupe with liquor soaked sponge.
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BakerZin, Jurong Point
1 Jurong West Central 2
#03-58/59 Jurong Point Shopping centre
Singapore 648886
Tel: 6791 2155

Operating hours -
10.30 am – 10.30pm (Sun to Thur)
10.30 am – 11.30pm (Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday)
http://www.bakerzin.com/

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Chocolat Grand from BakerZin

Chocolat Grand from BakerZin

What happens when Fen and Yuan are deprived from cakes for 3 days? Tired after walking for 4 days... Been on the bus for 5 hours... Do we rush for our beds to rest or the nearest bakery to curb our craving... Well, if it is the former, this entry would not have exist.

Since we are so exhausted after all the walking and long journeys, we have decided to pop by BakerZin to grab a cake or two. Yuan was curious what will his verdict be after all this cake spree and thus stick to the Chocolate Amer while I am curious to try another Christmas special of theirs. This time round, Chocolat Grand was my choice as I insist that it is the equivalence of Chocolate Amer based on their description... "Flourless chocolate sponge layered with bitter chocolate mousse"


Each slice of Chocolat Grand costs $6.20 (excluding 7% GST and 10% service charge), the same price as Chocolate Amer.
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Fen's comments

When compared to Chocolate Amer, this is no where near when it comes to its texture of the chocolate mousse. Although its chocolate content is higher than Amer, the texture is relatively coarse, just like how it is portrayed in the photo. The flourless chocolate cake is the same as Chocolate Amer and instead of having one type of chocolate mousse like the Amer, Chocolat Grand has a layer of glossy dark chocolate glaze with crunchy milk chocolate layers. Hence, despite having 4 types of chocolate layers in this cake, too much just makes it cloying instead of addictive.
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Yuan's comments
Effectively, this is simply the harder and less moist version of the chocolate amer. Not sure is it meant this way or its simply left in the fridge for too long. Well the main difference is this layer of chocolate fudge. I always felt that chocolate fudge with mousse is a really good combi but in this case, I found the texture of the mousse rather disappointing.
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BakerZin, United Square
101 Thomson Road
#01-07/60 United Square
Singapore 307591
Tel: 6251 5550

Operating hours - 10:30 am - 10 pm (Sun to Thur)
10:30 am - 11 pm (Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday)
http://www.bakerzin.com/

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Macarons from BakerZin

Macarons from BakerZin

Yuan was craving for macarons after eating the chocolate souffle and chocolate splendor. Looks like he finds that desserts are never complete with macarons...

So, ta-dah, got 3 macarons from BakerZin, namely Blueberry (refreshing blended with white chocolate), Sweet Pleasure (Creamy Hazelnut with a slight flowery scent), WCG (Seduction of whisky and chocolate). He didn't look satisfied and thus I am leaving this entry for him to voice his opinions.


Yuan's Comments

Well as Fen pointed out, I was rather disappointed with today's macarons. The shells just collapsed and was so soft, with its outer shells lacking crunchiness. Overall I felt that I was eating chocolate and blueberry biscuit.

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Christmas Splendor from BakerZin

Christmas Splendor from BakerZin

Christmas has always been my favourite festival and since young I have always look forward to celebrating this occassion. Those who know me long enough will know why.



Anyway, when I dropped by BakerZin early on, I saw their Christmas series and just by looking at Christmas log cakes just make me smile. Although BakerZin's series does not look like the conventional log cakes but somehow or rather it reminds me that Christmas is coming closer. Wow, the year is coming to an end and time really flies, isn't it.

Yuan was looking for his Chocolate Amer but alas, it was sold out and Christmas Splendor caught his attention. This is basically a chocolate almond sponge cake soaked in kirsch, layered with chocolate mousse, chantilly cream, dark cherries and brandied cherries. On the contuary, Chocolat Grand caught my attention, maybe I will try it on my next visit.
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Fen's comments

This reminds me of the Forest Noir (aka Blackforest) of BakerZin. Though it is not chocolately enough to my liking, the overall combination is pretty tempting to finish. The chocolate mousse with brandied berries compliments well as the taste of the mild chocolate mousse interlocks with the alcoholic taste of the berries. The cake sponge is soft, thereby adding some txture to the mousse while the chantilly cream neutralizes the overall taste.
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Yuan's comments

This is one of the Xmas log cakes released by Bakerzin this year. I really liked the combination of the Christmas Splendor. A layer of chocolate, chantilly cream mixed with berries soaked in alcohol and finally chocolate mousse. Those who love the chocolate and alcohol combination will love this. Try it before the season is over.
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BakerZin, United Square
101 Thomson Road
#01-07/60 United Square
Singapore 307591
Tel: 6251 5550

Operating hours - 10:30 am - 10 pm (Sun to Thur)
10:30 am - 11 pm (Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday)
http://www.bakerzin.com/

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Chocolate souffle from BakerZin

Chocolate souffle from BakerZin

Hmm... In BakerZin's opinion, Souffles is one of the best French inventions in the kitchen. It seems like apart from the warm chocolate cake, BakerZin prided their Bailey's Irish Cream souffle and chocolate souffle as BakerZin's range of delightfully flavoured souffles taste like heaven on earth but 15 minutes wait is required since they bake it a la minute but guarantee it's worth every secnd's swet anticipation.

Each serving costs $10.80 (excluding 7% GST and 10% service charge) and with a minimum spending of $20 and charging it to Citibank credit cards will entitle a 15% discount.

Soft, fluffy and totally to-die-for, BakerZin's chocolate souffle is baked a la minute and not to be missed. Enjoy it with a sensational scoop of Sumatra white chocolate ice-cream for that extra oomph!
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Fen's comments

Hehe, for those who are regular on this blog will know why I have ordered this. It is always easier to make a back-to-back comparison and thus was a dilemma for me since I wanted the warm chocolate cake.

I have only tried chocolate souffle from Max Brenner, Laurent Bernard and Pastry Bar, thus making this the 4th.

Max Brenner's seems to be a warm chocolate cake so I won't include into my comparison.

Laurent Bernard as claimed by some of the food bloggers seems to be one of the best but Yuan felt that the chocolate is alittle burnt and does not justify the trip to Portsdown Road while Crystal (one of my ex classmate) felt that souffles could be puffier, but love the dark chocolate sauce inside... Overall, not the best souffle she've tried, but still quite gd. To me, the winning factor about Laurent Bernard's chocolate souffle is the sauce that came with it and according to Ice, they used Araguani cocoa in their souffle. The only setback is that it is very expensive ($16.50++).

Pastry Bar, on the other hand, was too liquified one-third of the souffle's base so it tasted better when it has cooled down.

So, for BakerZin... I thought it was the cheapest best alternative among the entire lot I have tried. I am okay with its chocolate content. Light and fluffy with its base soaked with chocolate and the ice-cream that goes with it is not overly sweet but sufficiently rich and smooth. The only thing that disappoints was that the souffle sank before I took a picture so the presentation was not as beautiful as the previous few. I think I will stick to eating a souffle from BakerZin since the serving and pricing is reasonable.
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Yuan's comments

This is a simple chocolate souffle. No fancy ingredients, just chocolate and some nuts on the top. I liked the texture of this souffle - light and fluffy. The only disappointment as Fen pointed out was that the souffle sank before it was served.
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BakerZin, United Square
101 Thomson Road
#01-07/60 United Square
Singapore 307591
Tel: 6251 5550

Operating hours - 10:30 am - 10 pm (Sun to Thur)
10:30 am - 11 pm (Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday)
http://www.bakerzin.com/

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Macarons & Ispahan... from BakerZin

Macarons & Ispahan... from BakerZin

Decided to drop by BakerZin again for macarons since we have tried from 2 places, namely Amande and Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie. Thus, this is the best time to see which is our favourite.

We ordered the Ispahan. Some background information, Ispahan, also known as 'Pompon des Princes', is a clear pink, half-open kind of Damask rose.

It seems like the famous Pierre Herme is obsessed with roses and these array of rose desserts simply melts my heart, must include France into my honeymoon trip...

Don't they look lovely...
Some acknowledgments to be done... The picture of the Ispahan rose is taken from List of rose photos at woodlandrosegarden. As for the picture of the macaron from Pierre Herme, it was taken from potatomato.blog and lastly the lovely array of desserts were obtained from the blog, paris breakfasts. In Singapore, BakerZin presents Ispahan as a must-have for the macaron lover as it has a lovely pink rose-scented meringue filled with rose butter cream, fresh raspberries, lychee and a sprinkle of fresh rose petals.

And our choice of macaron is the blueberry as I have mistaken it as the equivalence of violette. This traditional French pastry is the perfect complement at the end of a delightful meal or as a light snack on its own. These creamy chewy meringue biscuits are crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle. With a crackly shell and a hint of almond flavour, BakerZin claims that these handy mini-snacks are simply irresistible.



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Fen's comments
After eating this back to back with Amande and Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie. I realize the main difference between BakerZin and the mentioned two is that the former doesn't have a chewy feeling. It is more to a the crispy side and generally are sweeter.

Selling at $1.50 (excluding the 7% GST) and with a diameter of 4cm, I guess this won't be my first choice when purchasing macarons. I prefer the chewy after-taste even though their flavours are generally more tempting...

Comes in 16 flavours, they are arabella, blueberry, chocolate, coffee, foret noir, framboise, hazelnut, ispahan, lemon, opera, pistachio, rose, scarlet, sweet pleasure, tanariva and WGC.
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Yuan's Comments

Having eaten amande and canele back to back with bakerzin. I personally would prefer the former over bakerzin. The macarons from bakerzin do not have the chewy feeling, just a crispy crust. Personally i feel that macarons should have the chewy feeling if not, it would taste almost like cookies. However i guess Bakerzin win in terms of flavours. It has a wide range of flavours, 16 to be precise. And as I pointed out, macarons taste better with milder flavours such as rose or blueberry. Thus when deciding on your macarons, its between the chewy feeling or flavours. At this point, i would prefer the chewy feeling.
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BakerZin (Millenia Walk)
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-23/24/25 Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: 6837 2422

Operating Hours:
Sun to Thur: 10:30 am - 10 pm
Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday: 10:30 am - 11 pm

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Bailey's Irish Cream Soufflé

Bailey's Irish Cream Soufflé

This was described in BakerZin's menu as "lovers of this after-dinner liquor will find its presence in this soufflé a comforting delight. The perfect complement is just the right amount of espresso vanilla sauce on the side."


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Fen's Comments

Having tried the Max Brenner's chocolate souffle, I wasn't convinced how soufflé is supposed to taste like. Thus, I dropped by BakerZin for my soufflé treat. As mentioned in that entry, a soufflé should be a light and fluffy dessert that "blow up" or more loosely "puff up". Moreover, Yuan told me the Lemon soufflé he has tried was a completely different entity from what we had at Max Brenner and thus...

This thing really take quite some before it is served and it was really wobbly when placed on our table, at least the "cap" was vibrating slightly. It has a very light and egg-y taste and the centre of this dessert has a cream that is so such in the alcohol taste. Moreover, it comes with a small cup of espresso and I don't deny the fact that it reminds me of my tiramisu spree.

Generally, I didn't quite like it as the alcohol content was just too much, it was not sweet at all. However, with such a soft and springy texture, I am looking forward to try their chocolate soufflé on my next visit.

For your information, this baby costs $9.80 (excluding of 7% GST and 10% service charge). Citibank credit cards are entitled to dining discounts.
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Yuan's Comments
Those that love liqeuer will love this dessert. The soft egg-y texture complement with rich alcohol taste is excellent combination. Bewarned that those who don't drink may find this a little too much to handle. The Souffle comes with a cup of expresso. Try pouring some expresso over and it will seem like you are eatting tiramisu with extra alcohol. I guess you will only find this dessert nice if you like alcohol in your dessert.
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BakerZin (Millenia Walk)
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-23/24/25 Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: 6837 2422

Operating Hours:
Sun to Thur: 10:30 am - 10 pm
Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday: 10:30 am - 11 pm

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Ambrosia... Banana... Chocolate...

Ambrosia... Banana... Chocolate...

Another of Yuan's favourite, chocolate banana... So how far did our satisfaction index go?

Ambrosia
A crunchy walnut dacquoise with Jivara chocolate ganache and nuggets of caramelised bananas.


Let's have a mini breakdown of the layers involved in this cake...

1. A layer of chocolate sheet dusted with coco powder
2. Jivara milk chocolate ganache
3. Walnut dacquoise which has the taste the chocolate cake in their Amer
4. A thin layer of caramelised bananas
5. Walnut dacquoise, this time round with chunks of walnut for more crunchy after-taste

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Fen's comments

This cake cannot stand abuses, it falls apart the moment our fork touches it, thereby giving an impression that it is very rough. The very first bite didn't impress either but we usually have a way of eating such cakes. We go by layer to see what are these... As usual, the chocolate mousse from BakerZin is velvety smooth and rich.

I simply love their chocolate, why so? A study reported by the BBC indicated that having chocolate melted in one's mouth produced an increase in brain activity and heart rate that was more intense than that associated with passionate kissing, and also lasted four times as long after the activity had ended. Wow... so good chocolate are important... so do indulge in them from time to time...

However, something to note, to get a good banana chocolate cake, the proportion must be important. In this case, the chocolate is too much and thus overshadowing the taste of the banana. It is only when we ate it by layers then we notice the existence of the bananas. In fact, Yuan thought they have gotten the wrong cake for us. But I am ok with it since I never like bananas so I definitely enjoyed this one more than Roulade and Sweet Pleasure.

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Yuan's Comments

I didn't like this cake on first bite. When i stuck my fork into this cake, my thought was that it was another tough cake. However when you really taste it layer by later, you will begin to appreciate it. The top 2 layers of chocolate reminds me of the Chocolate Amer while the bottom 3 gives the banana walnut taste. I guess one thing bad about this cake is that when you bite all 5 layers together, the layer that actually stands out is the walnut layer plus chocolate. You will hardly know the existence of banana. So i guess if this is really meant to be a choco-banana cake, i think i wouldn't pass it.
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BakerZin (Millenia Walk)
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-23/24/25 Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: 6837 2422

Operating Hours:
Sun to Thur: 10:30 am - 10 pm
Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday: 10:30 am - 11 pm

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Macarons

Macarons

When I first tried macarons, it was on Emily's birthday in 2007 in which she told me her attempt to make these French pastry. Throughout my internet search on blogs and of course the popular Mad Baker, I kinda understand the pain of making these babies.


Anyway, in case you are wondering what are these... A macaron is a traditional French pastry made of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar. It is suppose to have a delicately crunchy shell with a moist, chewy, and flavourful in the filling. Some of the difficulties faced while making a macaron...

1. Apparently, macaron shells are so soft on their bottom that they collapse upon piping the filling on them or when sandwiched with another shell. Thus, it is not easy to achieve macarons with a visible filling.
   
2. I can't remember where did I read this from but apparently the humidity level in Singapore is just too high that it is not suitable for baking the macaron shells, so from what I recall vaguely, it seems that they need to blast their air conditioning unit to prevent the shells from collapsing.
3. Also, since they need to dry the shells to obtain a crispy and glossy appearance, it takes time to dry them and some actually uses the hair dryer for heating... From all the above, the making of macarons can be so time-consuming...
4. Since they are generally recognized by colourful hamburger presentation, I think the choice of flavours is not easy since too strong a taste will cover the beautiful texture and taste of macarons. So far, we thought vanilla is the best we have ever tasted...
   

However, with all the publicity on macarons, particularly the 8-days articles in which Pierre Herme laid his verdict on macarons from 3 pâtisserie in Singapore, Yuan and I failed to understand why is there such a hype in these ordinary desserts and all these changed after our experience with the vanilla macarons we encountered during the buffet at the Line.

Since then, Yuan and I have been curious about macarons, thus our visit to BakerZin tempted us to order them... I simply fall in love on my first bite, particularly the vanilla and raspberry. Vanilla macaroons always taste so good... Hazelnut chocolate is not too bad but the shells are alittle thin.

*Do correct me if I make any mistakes in the introduction of macarons. Ultimately, only the bakers will know the pain and hassle of making these babies... We are only eating it which is the easiest task of the entire lot.

BakerZin (Millenia Walk)
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-23/24/25 Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: 6837 2422

Operating Hours:
Sun to Thur: 10:30 am - 10 pm
Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday: 10:30 am - 11 pm

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Tiramisu... are we that obessed?

Tiramisu... are we that obessed?

Before our cake spree, BakerZin has always been our favourite for any cakes. Good selection with minimal disappointment. For a period of time, the Tiramisu has been my favourite and we considered this as the best. After eating Tiramisu from Rocky Pizza, the coffee connoisseur and GOBI. Does Yuan love the BakerZin's Tiramisu as much as before? Let's see...

Tiramisu


"An Italian cheesecake made from mascapone cheese. The finger sponge is soaked in an espresso syrup with brandy & white rum. The mousse is flavoured with masala wine."


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Fen's comments

Till now, I still like this Tiramisu as much as before. Why is that so? Simply because the mascapone cheese is light and not too much. In my opinion, I always like a slightly higher proportion of finger sponge over mascapone cheese. The main difference between BakerZin and tcc or GOBI is that there isn't much layering. In these way, the taste of the finger sponge will be more outstanding. When mascapone cheese is too creamy or tipped over 50%, the taste of tiramisu becomes more like a mousse, when the proportion between the 2 is about 50%, the initial taste will be the alcohol-flavoured finger sponge.

So when buying tiramisu, it is important to know one's preference? The alcohol content, the creamy mascapone cheese or the finger sponge... In that way, it is easier to make a choice since they all taste just as good.
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Yuan's Comments

I guess taste is always relative rather than objective. You can only say one cake is nice when you compare it with another. Having tried tcc's Tiramisu, Gobi's and Bakerzin again, I do have an 2nd opinion. What i liked about Bakerzin's Tiramisu is that the mascapone cheese is split into 2 layers with 2 layers of finger sponge. In this way, you will not have the impression that this tiramisu is too creamy. Thus you will taste the sponge and the mascapone cheese together. However i personally like the taste of rum. In this case, the rum smell in this tiramisu is the weakest when compared with tcc and Gobi. Thus i would generally prefer tcc and Gobi over Bakerzin.
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BakerZin (Millenia Walk)
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-23/24/25 Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: 6837 2422

Operating Hours:
Sun to Thur: 10:30 am - 10 pm
Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday: 10:30 am - 11 pm

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Lavande from BakerZin

Lavande from BakerZin

Lavande is one of the richest chocolate cakes in bazerin. You can see a layer of chocolate fudge (dark chocolate sort) and 2 layers of mousse. The bottom layer (the darker mousse) is soaked with lavender essence. Personally I felt that the lavender smell sort of spoils the taste for a chocolate cake. It is like eating those chocolate with orange. Each slice costs $6.90++.

Verdict 6/10 (try it only if you don’t mind the lavender smell)

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Fen: I have always been a fan of dark chocolate and trust me, this really satisfy your chocolate carving. When you have it parallel with chocolate amer, I would say one is a male and the other is a female. Why is that so? Lavande is of a dark chocolate base and despite the high chocolate content, it maintains the smoothness. I find that this factor makes this cake the best dark chocolate mousse due to the velvety smooth mousse. If you have eaten Nama chocolate from Royce you will know that the bitter version is not as smooth as the other ones. So, with a higher cocoa content, the difficulty of making it smooth is tough and Bravo to BakerZin for such a wonderful piece of art.

Females generally will like this cake as we are always into flowery tea. I am serious, I ate this with Chocolate Amer with 3 females and a male. The only male finds the lavender taste yucky while the females enjoyed it with a satisfied smile on their faces. Maybe there is just this yin-yang factor when it comes to a "masculine" cake.

Bakerzin [http://www.bakerzin.com/]

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Strawberry shortcake from BakerZin

Strawberry shortcake from BakerZin

From my previous entries, BakerZin has always been my top choice for boutique designer cakes and this has definitely not disappoint. The vanilla sponge is soft with fresh cream. I don't have to describe much. A picture says a thousand words.

Bakerzin (Takashimaya Food Hall)
(Takeaway Counter)
391 Orchard Road
#B2-08-04
Takashimaya Department Store
Singapore 238872
http://www.bakerzin.com/

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No. 6... Chocolate Amer from BakerZin

No. 6... Chocolate Amer from BakerZin

"This is the ultimate chocolate indulgence, combining a flourless chocolate sponge with bitter chocolate mousse. The dark side has never been so alluring".



As seen in our other reviews, this is the “KING of chocolate mousse. I personally felt that this is the best chocolate mousse that I have eaten in my cake adventure. It is made of 2 layers mousse and 2 layers of cake. The top layer of mousse is scattered with chocolate powder and the center layer of cake is made with dark chocolate similar to those of chocolate fudge. The overall combination is heavenly. Each slice of chocolate amer costs $6.20++.

Verdict: 9.5/10 (9.5 just in case if I did find a better cake)

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Fen: You will appreciate this beauty even more when you eat this with Lavande. I always thought that this cake is the best because of the smooth milk chocolate mousse but having eaten together with Lavande, you will notice that the nicest thing about this cake is the dark chocolate cake sandwiched between the mousse. This thin layer of cake enhances the taste of the chocolate mousse due to its rich chocolaty and chewy after taste, thereby giving an ultimate texture if you leave it to melt in your mouth.

As mentioned, I treat this as a female counterpart of Lavande due to a smoother and lighter experience. My female buddies felt that the best thing is that Amer is infused with Lavender but yuan, being the only guy, felt that it is so good on its own...

On second thought, I think my analogy of a male and female seems to fit into this picture even more.

I wouldn't give a score for any of them as it would depend on individual preference and mood of that day but if I were to rank it, on normal days I will go for Amer and if I am stressed or moody, I will prefer Lavander for the extra chocolate boost. As for the Roulade and Sweet Pleasure. Neh, I don't really fancy "contaminated" chocolate, apart from alcohol.

Bakerzin [http://www.bakerzin.com/]
Takashimaya Food Hall
(Takeaway Counter)
391 Orchard Road
#B2-08-04
Takashimaya Department Store
Singapore 238872

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