GASTRONOMY by Joy: In Oblivion at Classic Confessions

Monday, November 28, 2011

In Oblivion at Classic Confessions

Finally!

If you are a bazaar-goer, like me, you might have seen, or known Classic Confessions.

A typical bazaar-goer on a typical day after an event, but definitely not a typical partner for my coffee.

In one of the food bazaar that I went to last summer, I came to know about this pastry shop. I was able to grab hold of their leaflet and since then, I've been dying to have a taste of Nono's Chocolate Oblivion. Why is that?

What made it so intriguing was that it was awarded by Food Magazine as one of Manila's Top Ten Desserts, just didn't tell when it made to the roster.

Okay, now this isn't what you will get if you order a mini version of the Nono's Chocolate Oblivion cake. I got a more or less 4-inch in diameter cake. But since I came from an event at the American Eye Center just upstairs, that served lunch (in which Bravo catered) which had my tummy still heavy, I had it sliced in two. More so, I asked if I can have a smaller slice for me to have with a cup of coffee and the other slice to box which I will take home.

A kitschy look for Cafe Americano with Latte.

When I got home, I immediately opened the box and was way excited about sharing it with Bhogs. I assumed it not to look perfect, due to travel and heat. Delving into cake details, it is has two layers of light chocolate cake with whipped chocolate cream sandwiched. The side is coated with walnut praline bits and top dusted with powdered cocoa. In the top-most picture, the praline still clung on the cake marvelously. However, as you can see the praline melted off a bit and scarcely met with the chocolate cream, which gave quite a luscious touch to the shaken cake .

If you may ask what a praline is, which made this cake selection a blue ribbon, in French confectionery, praline is a cooked mixture of sugar, nuts, and vanilla, often ground to a paste for use as a pastry or candy filling or a sugar-coated almond or other nut meat.

Alright, let me now tell you how I loved it. Though my coffee was not that good, too bitter for me, it complemented well with my cake. I love the play of crunch and moist as it fork its way to my palate. The crunch and gooey sweetness from the walnut praline give extravagance to the usual chocolate that we have for dessert. I think it is what sets it apart from other moist chocolate cake. Just the sweet indulgence that I needed to give my day a special knock. The price however is a bit high, but I don't mind, considering the authenticity of their pastry selection. Aside from cute sugar cookies that I have tried, the following are also delectable must-try's: Banana Cream Pie, Cheesecake Obsession, Opera Torte and Calamansi Bars.