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
