Cake Run 6: Mary Grace Café “Unboxing Chocolate Truffle”, the Black Twin

Welcome to the 6th episode of Cake Run. This is the Part 2 of the "Unboxing" series for Mary Grace Cafe. Having the same appearance and same design in which only the color differs, one cannot help but notice the other. So after buying the Black Velvet, I decided right then and there that I would purchase its twin, the Chocolate Truffle, the next time round.

Visual: It looks like a king fully clothed with a lighter brown thick silky cream around its body with the dark brown swirls serving as his crown. I just can't wait to slice it open and see what's inside its regal appearance.

The inside is a play of light and dark brown wherein the light is the truffle and the dark is the chocolate bread. 

Taste: Chocolate-y High! It is bursting with chocolate flavor as you can feel the thickness of the truffle sliding down your palate. Despite the thickness of its cream, you do not experience it sticking at unwanted places inside your mouth. There is just something about the ingredients that Mary Grace uses. 

The horns on top are also made of thick chocolate cream similar to its twin, the Black Velvet. I actually had fun eating the horns as I remove them one by one to savor them better. Eat it together from top to bottom, is like an overload of goodness as you get to experience the taste of three different chocolates: thick chocolate creaminess of the horns, light truffle cream and the chocolate flavored bread.

The Box: The logo embossed on the mini box reminds me of a Mother who enjoys baking and takes pleasure in seeing the alighted faces of her family as they taste her homemade pastries and cakes. The paper bag makes use of a classic tone down brown color that reminds me of soft wood, giving it a feeling of homeliness that we rarely experience at this time. Most of the packaging I encounter are flashy and uses hot colors that literally scream for attention. This one on the other hand, catches your attention as it reminds you of the warmness of home. 

For more pastries and cakes from Mary Grace, see links below:p
Pastry Run 1: Mary Grace Cafe: Ensaymadas and Cheese Rolls
Cake Run 5: Mary Grace Café “Unboxing Black Velvet”, the White Twin
The Experience (Cake Run 25): Mary Grace Dining Experience

Have a Mary Day! Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on the comment box below. 

Cake Run 5: Mary Grace Café “Unboxing Black Velvet”, the White Twin

Welcome to another episode of Cake Run. Today, I will be unboxing one of my favorite cakes from a favorite café of mine called Mary Grace. I previously did a review of Mary Grace in Pastry Run 1, which focuses on their special pastries: the ensaymada and the cheese rolls. After tasting their cakes, I want to do it justice by sharing my tasting experience to fellow cake lovers. 

Visual: Wow, would you look at that white expanse of smoothness. It is like a thick white veil that fully encompasses the entire cake topped with chocolate horns of younglings. Upon closer inspection, the tiny horns are quite lustrous which means that it is composed of heavy chocolate cream. The sight alone is mouthwatering. The Black Velvet reminds me of Snow White with her ivory skin and ebony hair. It is a simple design that is already filling the senses.

The Box: Composed of a red covering with a transparent plastic at the center, it gives a sneak preview of what is inside the box and builds anticipation. The paper bag on the other hand is designed to be simple yet classy due to its tone down brown coloring as opposed to red and gives a warm feeling of homeliness as it reminds me one of those ancestral homes wherein wood is the main component.

Even before enjoying this treat, you can already experience a certain feeling of warmness from the packaging alone.

Taste: If Snow White is the fairest of them all, Black Velvet would surely be the fairest of all of its kind. The white thick veil is apparently cream cheese! I thought it was simple cream all this time which explains the resilience it has from melting since it has been out of the freezer for almost 3 hours after buying it. The cream cheese was unexpected but a pleasant surprise. Since it is dairy, it is quite heavy as opposed to the usual entre of Mary Grace, so it is not for those who are after a light, hearty meal.

Look at the inside, it apparently is composed of chocolate bread which explains why it is called Black Velvet. The wonderful surprise here is the fact that the cream cheese is not just an outside coating but extends all the way in, like it is seeping through each layer of the chocolate breading and solidifying its presence there, giving the cake its full and filling taste.

Plus, you get your money’s worth as the makers did not skimped off the cream cheese and even gave its customers more than what is expected.

This one will really make you feel full given that dairy products are heavy and tough on the stomach. Nevertheless, it tasted heavenly; just don’t forget to share for you definitely cannot eat it in one sitting. I’ve tried and I only get to finish half of it.

For more pastries and cakes from Mary Grace, see links below:p
Pastry Run 1: Mary Grace Cafe: Ensaymadas and Cheese Rolls
Cake Run 6: Mary Grace Café “Unboxing Chocolate Truffle”, the Black Twin
The Experience (Cake Run 25): Mary Grace Dining Experience

Have a Mary Day! Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on the comment box below. 

Pastry Run 1: Mary Grace Cafe: Ensaymadas and Cheese Rolls

Hello and Welcome to Pastry Run. After having taken trips and side trips to different bakeries, it is almost inevitable to deviate a little from our cakes and be curious once in a while to sink in our sweet tooth in those freshly baked breads/pastries that is equally mouthwatering. This is the first episode for pastry run and the first of the many entries, so stay tune;)

For today’s mouthwatering treat, I will talk about a simple and classic pastry called the ensaymada. An ensaymada is your typical round bread or brioche but topped with butter cream, grated cheese and sugar :-P.

While there are numerous bakeries that sell this classic pastry treat, I decided to commend this café called Mary Grace for leveling up the playing field in terms of taste and quality of the ensaymada.

Visual: Ensaymadas technically do not differ in terms of appearance unlike your cakes and cupcakes but usually it can be differentiated through the design of the grated cheese on top. Some design their cheese in stripes just like the ones used in pasta and some less prominently as shown in the picture above, which makes use yellow roundish bits.

Taste: Heaven of all ensaymadas I have tried so far. The bread texture is soft, fluffy and not dry. The cheese, oh my, is salted and blended well with the bread as it slides down your tongue. I still can’t forget my first bite;-P

It is also the perfect example wherein taste meets quality. By quality, I mean, the maker does not only focus on the taste but also on the impact it has. After eating one, I did not even feel stuffed as the usual case whenever I eat this pastry. It is grilled and light which means that it does not have detrimental effects to your health. What’s more, due to it being surprisingly light, it does not ruin your appetite for dinner, making it a perfect afternoon treat.

Paired with the Classic Hot Chocolate is like an unexpected bonus to your taste buds. Just when you thought that you are already pampered by the yumminess of the ensaymada, you would be surprised for being blessed with the creaminess of the hot chocolate. I just can’t figure out how they do it. An ensaymada and a hot chocolate that is not sweet but tasted exactly as what its name implies, meaning the maker did not skimp on the main ingredients and used less additives such as sugar, cream etc.

Since Mary Grace’s ensaymada does not make you feel full, you can still opt to try their other specialty pastry called the cheese roll.

Visual: Just like their ensaymada, it does not really differ much from any cheese roll that we see. Although, I love the packaging; makes it look classy as you unravel the golden bread from its white skin with Mary Grace embossed on top. Even if you are not in the mood for pastries, the wrapper provides enough excitement to whet your appetite.

Taste: Light, airy with feathery texture similar to the ensaymada. I guess the bread base is similar for both but it’s not so far the best I have tried mainly because I was expecting the taste of the bread to be different from the ensaymada. However, it definitely is also A Grade quality as it does not make use of additives but rather concentrates on main ingredients which are the bread texture and the strip of cheese at the base. I really enjoyed that cheese base.

For more pastries and cakes from Mary Grace, see links below:p
Cake Run 5: Mary Grace Café “Unboxing Black Velvet”, the White Twin
Cake Run 6: Mary Grace Café “Unboxing Chocolate Truffle”, the Black Twin
The Experience (Cake Run 25): Mary Grace Dining Experience

Have a Mary Day! Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on the comment box below.