Friday, March 5, 2010

Baumkuchen from Pâtisserie Glacé

Like the peach-shaped buns made by the Chinese, I think a baumkuchen is also quite significant a cake for birthdays. Peaches symbolize longevity while the circling layers resemble tree growth rings - age.

My first taste of a baumkuchen dated back to 2003 in, surprisingly, Japan. Muji's banana-flavoured baum cake, to be exact. I immediately like the soft, moist layers of bake. There's something nice about layered desserts - Indonesian layer cake, kuih lapis etc. I think it has to do with the firm texture. I began trying the different flavours like sweet potato, pumpkin and milk tea. With anpan, these cakes became a regular part of my breakfast for about a year.

I haven't liked a baumkuchen since. Not because I'm tired of it but they were just incomparable to what I had in Japan. Even Muji's in Singapore was bland and hard. It was until last week that I found hope again.

Pâtisserie Glacé is a bakery that I discovered on the net and the fact that it sells Japanese-made pastries and desserts really got me interested. I'm all for refinement when it comes to desserts. Why shouldn't I? Aren't desserts supposed to be dainty, delicate sweet things? I don't see myself chomping a Big Mac-sized panna cotta anytime lor.

The baumkuchen is apparently one of their bestsellers and it has crossed my mind to send it as a birthday gift. Instead, it became my birthday cake this year (it's good to imply to friends what you prefer, sometimes). Okay, seriously, it was good - moist, refined and subtlely sweet with a hint of caramel. This is also a cake that is not candle-friendly (I mean, where to poke them?) and that's really cool. Not long ago, I tried their organic matcha tofu sponge as well and again, I was impressed with the fluffy, almost melting soft sponge. That really requires skill.

Thanks for the cake that was not candlelit and dinner, XLB. I should start researching for my your next cake.

Pâtisserie Glacé
12 Gopeng Street
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877
Tel: (+65) 6400 0247

18 comments:

Selba said...

Baumkuchen? Not familiar at all... It sounds German as it mean Baum = Tree and Kuchen = Cake but I never heard that German got this kind of cake or it's just my ignorance? Hehehe...

Anyway, so nice to have someone buy you a cake! Romantic? ;) LOL

Ciki said...

wah this xlb gonna spoil u rotten one.. chis (xlb if ur reading this.. STOP spoiling the market mwuahaha:P)

ok, ok.. when u say, I'm all for refinement when it comes to desserts. Why shouldn't I? Aren't desserts supposed to be dainty, delicate sweet things? I don't see myself chomping a Big Mac-sized panna cotta anytime lor...

then hor, wot do u call AHPA's hugeass pavlova and Tim's nuts and mockingbird that we tuck into and put away by the POUND?! hehe...

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

nice to litter a few hints here and there hor, cant possibly say "aiyer, why u buy this cake 1 ar? me no like"..

Babe_KL said...

happy belated birthday!

red fir said...

Happy Birthday nic!

minchow said...

Brilliant idea about planting your cake preference, so that come the time to blow them candles, you'll be sure to get a spot-on slice! I must try it this year!

choi yen said...

This really looks like the Indonesian layer cake~~

Rebecca Saw said...

This is new to me! Needless to say, there aint any in KL.. *wails*!!

Paranoid Android said...

Looks authentic and beautiful with it's Gold Rings, and probably made in a spit!

Happy Birthday!

Jun said...

send one to oz too kthxbai.

Xiu Long Bao said...

quote hairy - it's good to imply yo preference.

i like bags that start with 'c', ice-cream that starts with 'a' and any edible stuff that starts with 'g'.

i think i've expressly implied my preference...wth :p

HairyBerry said...

selba, check it out when you are in Sg! and you can make a comparison between this and the Indonesian layer cake! :D yupe, am really grateful for the cake! :D

cumi & ciki, i buy good cakes for friends also lah. so, it's vice versa lah. hehe. and harlowwwwwww, eventhough ah pa's cakes are huge, we eat by them slice by slice la, woman. we don't gobble the whole cake, do we? slice=dainty. oh, and btw, ah pa's cakes are refined and delicious, definitely. i long time no eat d.

joe, agree! it's good to spread the word around sometimes...hehehehe.

babe_kl, thanks so much!!! :D

thank you, ice! :D

HairyBerry said...

minchow, i discovered this idea by accident, actually. :) i hope you get a cake that you want this year! time for cake catalogues browsing!

mimi, yeah, agree! that was my thought initially. but without the spices la, of course. :D

thenomadgourmand, hmmmm, i'm not sure about kl though. perhaps it is available la but i really have no idea. time for cakeries to make some!

paranoid android, thanks so much! yeah, i was thinking about the spit as well. it takes hours to make and for the price we paid, it's definitely value-for-money. nice!

jun, better still, come back to sg and we go buy some! :D

xiu long bao, omg, never knew you like carlo rino bags! so cool. :D maybe yesterday's burger blurred me, but what edible stuff starts with 'g' ar? grapes?

Xiu Long Bao said...

That implication obviously din work. Stop that carlo rino thing that gimme goosebumps
T________T

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

love is in the air....

HairyBerry said...

xiu long bao, u shd me more specific, like me. hahaha!

lyrical lemongrass, .....everywhere i look around...*hum hum*

fatboybakes said...

awhhhhhhh howwww sweeet....

HairyBerry said...

fatboybakes, yerrrrrrrrrrrrr......haha! :D