Spoil Mom with a cake—or gourmet pie
Filipinos take Mother’s Day seriously. In fact, it’s one of those celebrations where restaurants, flower shops and gift stores make a killing every year as everyone is out to show their love and appreciation for their beloved mothers.
Linfred Yap of the Relish Group, the company behind Japanese bakery Kumori, says, “Mother’s Day is one of our tentpole campaigns for the year, which is why we always launch something special during the season.”
“There is definitely a soft spot for moms, judging from the amount of The Pink Rose cake that we make. Mother’s Day creates pandemonium for us as everyone wants their special dessert for Mom on that particular day,” adds Roshan Samtani.
Cherry Blossom Matcha Torte by Homemade by Roshan (@homemadebyroshan)
Apart from her bestsellers, Samtani gives people a fresh alternative to surprise their moms with. She always takes inspiration from her trips when it comes to developing new pastries.
For the upcoming celebration, she turns to her recent travel to Japan during the height of hanami or cherry blossom-watching. The cake has a mild floral scent with a subtle hint of almond, and it is paired with a strong matcha ganache filling to provide both a complement and contrast.
“It’s just like a mom who can be soft and beautiful on the outside, but strong on the inside, especially when it comes to protecting her children. I thought it would be a perfect seasonal variation for our torte,” says Samtani.
Peaches and Cream Cake by Kumori (@kumoriph)
Kumori also turns peachy this Mother’s Day. The color peach is said to be rejuvenating and provides calmness. Kumori’s limited-edition cake brings sweet satisfaction with its soft peach-infused sponge layers mingled with fragrant cream and custard flan. It is then dressed with caramel crumble and crowned with a garden of flowers.
Chocolate and Hazelnut Cheesecake by El Born (@elborn.ph)
El Born Restaurant’s cheesecake is definitely one of the best in the metro. And it’s exciting to know that we can soon expect a range of flavored iterations from chef David Amoros.
“There is so much demand for our cake that the restaurant is overwhelmed with cheesecake production. It will always be limited in production since we do not want the quality to drop. It’ll continue to be 100-percent an artisanal process,” says Amoros. “I am preparing others that will not have a cookie base and will have Spanish cheese too like the payoyo one.”
Amoros starts us off with this version, which has the same composition as the resto’s signature cake, but this time combines the flavors of chocolate, hazelnuts and orange.
Vanilla Mille Feuille by Leonisa’s Kitchen (@leonisaskitchen)
It goes by many names—mille feuille, napoleon, custard slice. I simply call it delicious, because I love the contrast between the crunchy wafer-like pastry and the smooth and creamy custard. Leonisa’s Kitchen’s version relies on vanilla cream to provide the smooth texture and “cement” in between the bricks of bronzed baked layers. The cake is adorned with caramel pearls, Chantilly cream and fresh strawberries. This piece is inspired by the owners’ mom Susan since, on their travels, she orders desserts that are light, vanilla cream-based and with fruits.
Strawberry Fields by Hearts and Bells (@heartsandbellsph)
“We’ve attempted several variations of the strawberry cake where genuine cut berries were used, but the attempts failed since the cake turned soggy and had a mushy texture,” says Marita Ladarran.
Consequently, she developed a strawberry mousse that strikes a balance between sour from the fresh berries and sweet from the Belgian white chocolate. And since this brand is known for its buttercream flowers, it is only fitting that the cake is crowned with a bouquet in different sizes and colors.
Mamita’s Guava Mango Gourmet Pie by Serendipity Gourmet (@serendipitygourmetph)
Philippine native guava may be laborious to work into pastries because of its seeds and subtle flavor, but the people behind Serendipity Gourmet are willing to do the hard work just to produce a decadent fruit pie for Mother’s Day. The mushy filling composed of local pink guavas and mangoes is nestled on a flaky pie base, topped with a layer of unsweetened custard then finished with a cloud of whipped cream. It’s a tropical treat, from the alluring aroma to the delightful mix of flavors and textures—the best way to celebrate summer!
Tres Leches Entremet Cake by Patisserie Le Choux-Colat (@patisserielechouxcolat)
When it comes to entremets—elegant ones at that—you can rely on chef Ely Salar to get the job done. Case in point: his Mother’s Day offering, which features a delicate white chocolate rose-tinted peach. It’s so pretty to destroy—but don’t hesitate, as the cake itself, his take on tres leches, is giving. It’s made with vanilla genoise sponge soaked in three kinds of milk, layers of whipped white chocolate Chantilly cream, salted caramel flan and a vanilla bean white chocolate glaze. The chef dedicates this creation to his wife Jiannina, who craved tres leches nonstop as she carried their baby Olivia in her womb. INQ
