Adventure 1.2 : Mae San's Cupcake Invasion

Yesterday, I bought a couple of Mae San’s Cupcakes. Unfortunately, I left my cellphone at home so I wasn’t able to take pictures of their customized birthday cakes. Well, at least their cake displays are cleaner this time and organized.

A Character (sorry I can’t remember which..I promise I’ll take a picture next time I go there) rectangular cake I saw there costs P1,080  and P1,250 (for size 1 and 2, respectively). Angry Birds Theme Cake has 3 sizes (size 1,2,3) which costs form P1,080 to P1,400+.  One thing I noticed was that the cake toppers they used on their display cakes are mostly actual toys – not the regular cake toppers made out of molds. The Toy Story Set was made out of  plastic toys and the Winnie the Pooh and Hello Kitty Toppers were actual Stuff Toys placed on top of a podium or placed inside a basket. The background and other designs are made out of styro and sugar icing. The Disney Princess and Tinkerbell Toppers were made out of regular toppers (mold) but they almost actually resemble the characters. They also have Justice League, the avengers, Ben Ten, Barbie (actual Barbie toy) and Blues Clues.

So, I bought the much-anticipated cupcakes and to my delight, they come in individual cupcake boxes. (Yeay!)

I bought a Cookie Monster Cupcake, a Basketball Cupcake and a regular Chocolate Cupcake.

The character cupcakes (Sesame Street and Basketball) were heavier than the regular cupcake. They were chocolate moist cupcakes with buttercream frosting. The cake part was heavy though I can taste the cocoa used for the cupcake batter wasn’t the one with good quality. The Buttercream frosting was too buttery for me so I can’t eat it on its own. (hey, mahilig ako magpapak ng frosting..so, no comments from anyone please)

The regular chocolate cupcake was lighter with a sponge-like texture and a marshmallow frosting. The frosting was sweetened perfectly and it matched the spongey cupcake.

The verdict: the character cupcakes are yummier than the regular ones (cupcake-wise and frosting-wise). However, it is not the “wow” cupcakes that will let you crave for more. However, if your looking for cupcakes for giveaways for a sport-themed or sesame street-themed party, this will be perfect as each cupcake comes in individual packaging.

Adventure 1 : The Pink Bakeshop of Sta. Cruz, Manila (Mae San)

Yesterday, June 17, 2012, I decided to visit Mae San's Bakeshop. I've only heard of that bakeshop from a post at SmartParenting. One of the moms in that forum recommended their mocha cake. So there I was, on my trip to the Pink Japanese-Inspired Bakeshop at the corner of Oroquieta and Fugoso St. at Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Mae San was quite easy to spot at it really stands out. Something about the shop will entice you to go in and have a look. With my agenda of having a taste of their mocha cake, I immediately went inside the shop.

The first thing I noticed was their vast display of greeting cakes, cake rolls, breads and (yehey!) cupcakes! At the north-east corner of the shop was their display of celebration cakes - birthday cakes, wedding cakes, graduation cakes, etc.

Some of the celebration cakes on display were quite pretty. I especially the Hello Kitty Two-tiered Round Cake, the Angry Birds Cake and the Blues Clues Cake. (I'm so sorry I wasn't able to take pictures of them, but I'll repost them as soon as I visit the store again.) I only wish they dusted the cakes so that it will look nicer on display.

On the right side of the counter was their display of cupcakes, leche flan, tiramisu and blueberry cheesecake. Here's the photo:

(Regular Cupcakes- P22each; Character Cupcakes - P35 each)

As shown on the photo, they have the regular cupcakes with sprinkles on top and the character cupcakes ranging from Sesame Street Designs, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, etc.

Now, they also have a range of greeting cakes and cake rolls as shown below:

Cake roll flavors are Choco Roll, Mocha Roll, Mocha Caramel Roll, Yema Roll, Malacañang Roll, Brazo de Mercedes and more! Price ranges as follows:

Half Roll: 105-115

Whole Roll: 195-220

The rectangular cakes on the picture have two sizes: Size 1 and 2. (Simple huh?)

Size 1 costs P450 while Size 2 costs P550

The Choco Roll looks so yummy while the Mocha Caramel Roll also makes my mouth water. So instead of buying a whole roll, I decided to buy half of both flavors. I also bought a square of brownie and a pack of Piaya for snacks.

All in all, here are my purchases:

Choco Roll (Half)                     – P 115

Mocha Caramel Roll (Half)       - P 115
Piaya (5pcs)                             - P  30
Brownies (single)                      - P  23

TOTAL                                   P 383  

Choco Roll- The chocolate frosting is yummy! It’s almost similar to Red Ribbon’s Triple Chocolate Roll. They only differ in the cake itself. Red Ribbon’s cake is moister than Mae San’s. Also, Mae San’s Choco Roll has vanilla cream filling unlike Red Ribbon’s which has chocolate filling.

Mocha Caramel Roll - It reminded me of the butterball candy I ate when I was a kid. My hubby loves it. For me, the frosting is a bit too sweet (I don’t like cakes whose frosting  are too sweet. My hubby says it’s just perfect. So I guess, taste, as well as the level of sweetness is subjective). Well, it's caramel frosting so I guess it’s supposed to be sweet. I still love it though. The mocha cake blends well with the buttery caramel frosting. When I ate the cake the next day, the cake tastes better. The sweetness of the caramel balanced perfectly when it was chilled.

Mae San also happens to be a restaurant. You can order sandwiches, cake slices, mami, rice and viand menu and dine inside the shop. The place was actually a bit crowded when I went there.

They also have all kinds of bread displayed near the entrance. Bread rolls, loaves, banana cake, butter chiffon, hopia, ensaymada and many more! It's actually a bakeshop that caters to almost all types of bread normally found in bakeries plus the specialty cakes.

OVERALL: I would definitely go back to Mae San’s. For those on a tight budget but still want to eat a delicious cake, this is the perfect place for you. I especially prefer the Mocha Caramel Roll over the Chocolate Roll.

So with all my heart, this is all I have to say to that Pink Bakeshop on the corner of Sta. Cruz: I SHALL RETURN and eat some more!