This post was written by Sarah Rees

Christmas, as with all festivals, is partly about tradition and goodwill, and partly a chance to gorge yourself on all those wonderful edible indulgences that surround the occasion. Plus, you can guzzle guilt-free by telling yourself ‘it only comes around once a year’!

While the savoury delights tend to stick to the traditional menu of turkey and stuffing with all the trimmings, sweet treats allow for more creativity, and here we have compiled a pick of just some of the cakes around to make your Christmas indulgence complete!

Winter by Pastry Union
For a sleek and impressive cake this season, the Winter, by Le Cordon Bleu-trained local cake fiend Yin Wong, is a real winner. This flourless chocolate cake has a delicious centre of chocolate cream and mixed berry compote, and is iced with cream cheese frosting to complete the ultimate indulgent experience. Yin Wong is a girl with a lifetime love-affair with chocolate cakes, and spends weeks researching and perfecting her recipes to make sure she delivers the ultimate chocolate experience, right down to the flawless presentation. The Winter serves 10-12 people and costs RM98. Visit www.pastryunion.com and be prepared to want to buy everything on it – the Devil cake looks utterly divine too, while the cute Mooo cake is fun for a friend’s birthday.

Lychee Cheesecake by Simply Divine
If you need something fruity and light after your heavy Christmas dinner, this lychee cheesecake could be just the ticket. Sharm, a former lawyer, has always harboured a baking hobby, but only started selling her cakes to the public because she was cooking too many for her family to keep up with their eating! She now sells her homemade treats at restaurant Chilli Rush in Jaya One and her triple-layer cheesecake is a refreshing yet decadent combination of real lychees in lychee jelly, a rich lychee cheese base and a crumbly layer of biscuit on the bottom.

It serves 10-12 and costs RM150, and can be ordered at www.simplydivine.com.my. To break the tradition completely, they are also offering a Love Cake, which is a rich and sweet Sri Lankan cake made of cashews, honey and various Indian spices for those with a serious sweet tooth.

Christmas Brownies by Bisou
Let’s face it, sometime its nice not to have to share. Be selfish this season and buy yourself one of these these cute Christmas-themed brownies from the cupcake specialists Bisou during the festive season. They have chocolately Christmas trees, but it is the smiling gingerbread man that will melt your both your heart and your stomach. These rich, fudge brownies are topped with dark chocolate ganache and are far too good to share, so make sure you buy one each for the kids too. The brownies serve one hungry Christmas guest and cost RM15, and they are available to buy at Bisou stores in KLCC and Bangsar Village from 5 December. Bisou may now be a popular chain, but it was still a business inspired by a woman’s love for cake and each recipe retains that homemade touch, with cakes being perfected at home before making it onto the shelves.

Chocolate Gingerbread by A Slice Of Heaven
Christmas revellers with a penchant for the spicy taste of gingerbread will be delighted with this Chocolate Gingerbread cake from A Slice of Heaven. This boutique baker has been in business for a decade now, and logging onto their website and looking at their pictures is enough to make you hungry (the Banana Cream Pie looks out of this world). Their Chocolate Gingerbread is a perfect treat for Christmas – a rich, traditional gingerbread cake topped with chocolate frosting and iced suitably festively – and costs RM88 for an 8-inch square cake. Order online at www.asliceofheaven.my or visit one of their stores at Bangsar, Pavilion, Jaya One, Plaza Damansara or their brand new store at Hock Choon on Jalan Ampang.

Yule Log by SK Homemade Cakes
It wouldn’t be Christmas without the Yule Log, and the cake-lovers of Penang will be delighted to get their hands on a homemade Yule Log from husband-andwife team Kenneth and Sharon. They may have only set up their business in 2008, but Kenneth says he has been “in love with cake” since he was a child – a love affair that ensures that each cake is made to a deliciously high standard. The Yule Log comes in a variety of flavours, with their most popular choice being the Chocolate Chip Raspberry or the Rum and Raisin, but coffee-lovers shouldn’t miss the Latte Walnut version. Choose between a 500g cake to feed 4-6 (prices from RM44) and a 1kg cake to feed 10-12 (from RM88) and make sure you opt for the thick, creamy frosting to top it off. Place your order at www.skhomemadecakes.com before 20 December, and while you are online, check out their cute gingerbread men which would make great gifts when you go visiting this month.

Panettone by Craft Bakers
The Italians made their mark on Christmas by baking their delicious Panettone, which can be bought this festive season at newly-opened bakery Craft Bakers, where Gandhi and Ellen make delicious, fresh, organic bread and pastries. In their efforts to recreate the European bakery experience, Gandhi and Ellen bake all their own bread, cakes and pies, and their Christmas offerings include a panettone (RM25 for a large, RM5 for individual sized-portion) that is just as it should be: fruity and a lighter version of the seasonal fruit cake – a welcome contrast to your heavy Christmas meal! They are also serving up cute star-topped mince pies (4 for RM16 or RM4.50 each) that are 100% hand-made – from the fruity filling to the organic pastry – that are perfect to serve your Christmas guests. Order the festive foods by emailing [email protected] or by calling +603 6205 3913. If you are in the area, stop by their café at Publika at Solaris Dutamas and buy them fresh.

Source: The Expat December 2011
This article has been edited for ExpatGomalaysia.com 
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