Let Kage Eat Post-Lenten Cake

Every year during the Lenten season I give up either ice cream or cake. And believe me, it is a struggle for someone who loves pastries and sweets as much as I do. This year was made more difficult by the sudden proliferation of dessert places in the city. But, I made it. 40 days without cake. Woot, woot. And now, time to reward myself for the willpower.

On a lead from an old friend, I chose Banapple to end my Lenten sacrifice. Good call.

Banapple is a small bakery that specializes in pies and cheesecakes. Cookies and brownies go from Php35. The giant chocolate chip cookie (Php40) manages to be crunchy and chewy at the same time and is super delicious.

The Banoffee cake and the Strawberry cheesecake (see photo) are their top sellers. But since I am a contrary sort, I went for a slice of their Caramel-Fudge cake (Php75). And OH WOW... PANALO. The cake is moist and packed with fudgey goodness. The caramel icing is not too sweet. In a word: chewy. This cake is chewy and should probably be shared with at least one other friend because there is only so much gooey goodness that you can have before your body says "stop!" and your tastebuds rebel.

In fact, I still have half a slice left over from this morning. And I'm thinking with a fresh cup of hot milk tea, there's merienda waiting for me.

(Surfers: Bannaple is just beside the Shop, where City Jam used to be. Woohoo!)