Estrel’s caramel cake
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Been hearing and reading — with superlative raves — about Estrel’s caramel cake for a long time but never got to try it until last weekend when we went to a niece’s birthday dinner. It’s good. In fact, it’s great but I wouldn’t call it “the best”. It would be “the best” only if one grew up with stuff like Goldilocks’ or even Red Ribbon. But for some of us who are lucky enough to be introduced to store-bought cakes before mass-produced cakes became the fashion, Estrel’s caramel cake would simply be a reminder of our childhood birthday cakes — specially ordered, hand made and customized to our specifications. None of those brazenly commercialized showpieces sporting plastic figures from the latest animation craze.
I grew up with birthday cakes from Betsy’s, a cake shop in Malabon that specialized in handcrafted birthday and wedding cakes. Butter icing was the standard in those days, not cheap boiled icing. In my husband’s family, special occasion cakes were ordered from D’Swan bakeshop.
I don’t know if Betsy’s is still there. I do know that after some attempt to revive D’Swan, it still lost out to the aggressive marketing of cake chains like Goldilocks’ and Red Ribbon. I suppose that, in a way, Estrel’s is a survivor from that genre of cake makers. I read that Estrel’s has been in existence for decades and it never expanded to become a chain. That is what makes it special — the relative inaccessibility, the low rate of production, the fact that orders have to placed in advance… and the quality, of course.
Think of your mother laboring lovingly over your birthday cake paying special attention to every detail rather than running to the nearest cake chain.
Think haute couture in contradistinction with RTW.
Estrel’s caramel cake is a chiffon cake. Many refer to it as a sponge cake but there is a difference between a sponge cake and a chiffon cake. Sponge cake is the generic term used to describe cakes made with stiffly beaten egg whites and chiffon cakes are made that way too. But while “sponge cakes” generally contain no oil, chiffon cakes do — a lot, in fact. The ever famous taisan, for instance, is a chiffon-type cake.
What makes Estrel’s unique is the caramel. Strictly speaking, I wouldn’t even call it caramel but, rather, something that is a cross between caramel and custard. Not as thick or as chewy as caramel but not as firm as the normal custard so that it is spreadable. The flower trimmings are made with butter icing, not hardened sugar in toothpicks.
Estrel’s caramel cake is unique. It is delicious. It is memorable. It is special.
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39 Responses to “Estrel’s caramel cake”
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It’s great that you finally did an artic on them. I
It looks super yummy… if this was in front of me, South Beach is out the window
hello there!
have you tried mernel’s chocolate cake in los banos? it’s along the road going to the entrance of UPLB. i love it!
hei,
now that you have reminded me of estrel’s cake, would need to ask a friend to bring me some if she can when she visits me over here in norway. wow, i miss that caramel cake….hhmmm…!!!! yummu!!! to think that i don’t have a sweet tooth..
thanks for the review and reminding us that there still a place that exist lke this in manila.
miss.adventures, no, i haven’t. parking in that area is a little problematic. but thanks for the info. next time we’re there, i’ll remember mernel’s.
connie,
i’ve finally found some recipe of napoleones. what’s your email address?
Hi! Love your blog because I’m quite fond of food myself : )
Yes, Betsy’s is still alive in Malabon. Once in a while, I crave for their yummy egg pie!
I’ve tried Mer-nel’s Choco Cake just outside UPLB. Yummy too. And the price isn’t bad!
Have you tried TORTA DE LOS REYES and the BRAZO of Aristocrat Bakeshop??? You can’t go through life without them!!! : )
connie,
i’ve sent you the recipe na sa gmail address
hello… i chanced upon estrel’s bakeshop somewhere in the scout area…it was night time so i missed the street name. where is it exactly?
oh, i don’t know, elaine, so sorry. the cake photos were taken at a birthday party we attended. we didn’t buy the cake.
elaine - Estrel’s - Scout Tobias cor Scout Torillo - 3722965
I found some details online. I think i’ll inquire about this too.
hey peterb, thanks for the info!
hi connie, i was surfing through your arcives then saw the cucumber juice(drinks category).. i first tried t his in bodhi and discovered that they add a bit of calamansi (you may adjust taste).sugar and lots of crushed ice. it’s super sarap! Btw. never bothered to de-seed them but it’s still good for me.
and yeah thanks for featuring estrel’s…love anything with caramel.
hi! just want to ask were exactly Betsy’s in malabon?
It’s right across the municipal hall.
have you guyz tried the cake of the new cake shop?
hmmm…what the name again..
oh yeah its something like “fairies cake land”
the chocolate that they are selling is so delicious
unlike any other chocolate cakes
even there caramel cake is good.but not only the cake,there designs are also unique
so colorful if you ask me.there bake shop is located near “brgy.tubigan” in laguna
do you happen to know the price for the caramel cake?? it looks so yummy. i’d soon be celebrating my birthday..hehe..:-)
adie, sorry, i have no idea.
i believe that cake i about 2k.. its a bit expensive but its really worth it.. they also have other sizes the smallest would be 8×10 i think its around 800-900.. but its really worth it…
Hahah! I also grew up with birthday cakes from Betsy’s. It’s still open..Ãœ
Hello! Again, wonderful site..congratulations! Could you please feature Choco Butternut Torte of Cafe Ysabel? That was one of my favorite cakes when I was living in Manila.
Thanks!
tried mernel’s choco cake not too sweet but its really yummy!
that cake is disgusting. it tastes like watered down condensed milk. lasang cheap. parang tinipid yung ingredients. yuck. CRAVINGS’ chocolate caramel cake is the ultimate best.
I did grew up on red ribbon goodies but ESTREL’s cakes are great. When I first tasted it I thought it’s too old fashioned but the TASTE is exceptional just the right sweetness. Now I know why people talk about it and today’s kids got the cravings!
i bought estrel’s caramel cake last week. you were right, ate connie, it’s not the best. it is really good, though. i heard a lot of good reviews about estrels and maybe i expected too much. but dont get me wrong, it is good. the cheapest would cost around P450 (without the filling). but the layered cakes would cost 2k and up.
estrel’s is good, but you have to eat it right away, madaling mapanis.
please send me napoleon’s recipe, so i can make for my family..thanks…
Hi,
Please do come to Malabon and visit Betsy’s. It’s good to know that my mom’s cakes have made lasting impressions on your childhood birthdays.
My mom is always on the lookout for new recipes and improving old ones. Who knows? You might be pleasantly surprised.
You can pick up pre ordered cakes and pastries in sgt. esguerra in Quezon City.
conti’s mango bravo in serendra is yummy too talking about sweets.
That goes for all Conti’s branches.
i love chocolate cakes and i always bake dark chocolate cake,i use cacao fr.germany,its really taste chocolate.
can i get the recipi of caramel cake of estrel’s??
im from tomas morato when someone bought a cake last feb..it was the first time that i taste e cake that really like my taste buds..since then i always buy cakes and give it to my firens everytime i visited a friends…hope i can get recipi…thanks a lot!!more success!!!
can i get a recipe of caramel cake??
nancylyn, don’t you think that’s a closely guarded trade secret?
he he he.. right on connie!!!
nancylyn, parang di ko nabasa na si connie ang nag bake… mas mabuti siguro sa estrel’s mo mismo itanong, di kaya?
Hay, E, you won’t believe the number of similar requests. People asking for Dan Eric ice cream’s recipe, for Aristocrat’s barbecue sauce recipe…
have you tasted banofee pie in banapple? yumm!
ako din, when I tried this before… it was good but i’d never call it greater than the ones I enjoy from Becky’s or Hizon’s… at par lang kumbaga…
ang tanging cake lang na super rave ako talaga is Junior’s Cheesecake… ibang level talaga ang pagka-cheesecake!