09.06.2017
From rum-soaked infusions to Nutella ganaches, chocolate
cake has upgraded this year. Here are some of the best by homebakers in Chennai
There’s something deliciously debauched about chocolate. I
still remember the first time I was enticed by it. When Augustus Gloop delved
headfirst into a molten chocolate lake in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate
Factory , I jumped with him. It’s been the lone sin in my sparkling
childhood, and as cake, there’s no telling what I’ll do after I’ve had a slice.
Chocolate cake in Chennai has undergone quite the makeover.
And there’s so much more beyond what the patisseries offer. Enter the
homebakers with their creations. Here are the five best slices, along with the
confectioners who’ve designed them.
Messy Nutella Cake
“It’s really simple.” That’s how Cindana Manickavel
describes her Messy Nutella Cake. And it sounds simple enough. Yet, there’s a
twist that has everyone speculating: “there’s alcohol in the base,” they guess.
She gives away the secret with a smile: “Instead of sugar syrup, I use a grape
crush to steep the bottom layer. It gives it that wine-soaked flavour.” It’s
not a studied technique, but it’s innovations like these that prompted her to
start Sugar Monkeys over three years ago. A chance tasting of her red velvet
cake jars at a Zumba class got her the first order, and that Deepavali, she
sold 250 jars. “When I started, no one was doing jar cakes. And once I
developed nutrition labels, I could venture into other products: cheesecakes,
sugar-free baked goods,” she says. 9884857156
Belgian Flourless Chocolate Almond Fudge Cake
It’s a mouthful to say, but a cake like this one warrants as
much, I’m told. With an almond meal base, its gluten-free stamp doesn’t deter
customers, but the process to make it, Shwetha Balakumar says, was
“painstaking”. The cake was a hit at her husband KP Balakumar’s birthday party
last year, and soon, it is all people could think about. Inspired by her veteran-baker mother-in-law, Shwetha began
Sin a Little in 2016 to rave reviews. “I’m very into flavour pairings,
combining chocolate with fruit or alcohol flavours to create something unique,”
she says. Her rum-infused Belgian Dark Chocolate and French Feuilletine is a
personal favourite, but rumour has it she makes a mean Tipsy Whiskey Layer
cake.
Shhh, you didn’t hear that from us.9962116959
Moist Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling
There are cakes, and then there are cakes. And when a
delivery arrives at your office and causes everyone to rush over with their
phones for that Instagram picture, well, that’s the mark of a cake. The logic
is simple, says Risla Meeran of The Cupcake Sisters. Make a standard base, pair
it with fruit, use the best of ingredients, and top it off with a hard-to-beat
white-chocolate buttercream.
The picturesque creations are just some of what Risla and
sister Mubeena have become known for over the three years that The Cupcake
Sisters has been in business. Their ‘date cake’, exclusive to the holiday
season, is another crowd-pleaser. “Our mother is Sri Lankan, so many of our
dishes are influenced by those tastes, those flavours,” says Risla. And it’s
not just the sweets: their Seeni Sambol, a caramelised onion bun, and
fish-based Maalu bun are equally popular.7358371871
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake
“A good salted caramel isn’t shy.” The Barefoot
Contessa never lies, and Sirisha Jonnada knows it. A rather tangy salted
caramel is the perfect accompaniment to her soft Belgian chocolate cake, and
the draping technique she uses to meld the flavours has become her signature. “I do a honey-almond-fig cake and a coconut coffee
cream-cheese cake that are quite popular as well,” she says. Using candied
fruits to elevate her flavours, this Besant Nagar-based baker started Sprinkles
almost two years ago and there’s been no turning back. She can’t wait to
experiment with homemade breads and pizzas, but for now, we’ll be licking the
caramel off the spoon like there’s no tomorrow. 7299662040
Chocolate Decadence Cake
A Ferrero-Rocher sits atop what seems to be a mound of
chocolate. It’s Saritha Subramaniam’s bestseller, getting her a spot in the
coveted Home Bakers Guild and putting The Baker’s Nook on the map. She’s no
stranger to the entrepreneurial field, and inspired by Poonam Maria Prem of
Hyderabad’s Zoey’s Bakehouse, her innovations on the cake board have customers
a-calling. The delicacies don’t stop there, though. Our advice? Try her
Mexican 5-layer dip. The jar will be empty before you know it. 9884841414
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