Kau Tim Lah: cake

I was invited to the launch of a new name in town: Seven Deadly Sins Desserts. Just to refresh your knowledge, the seven sins consist of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.

Seven Deadly Sins (7DS) is a one-woman show by Liz who chose to take the less trodden path of giving up a corporate career and chasing her patisserie dreams at the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu. She says she also surprised herself by taking such a huge leap of faith but is visibly ecstatic to embark on this new journey.

The rustic setup of 7DS cakes

The sugar-loading kicked off with the Snickers Cheesecake. With a cookie base, this was chewy, thanks to the generous overflow of dense caramel. The nutty flavour that is synonymous with Snickers was prominent throughout the slice of cake I had, so this is definitely a rich sort of cheesecake which will go well with a cup of aromatic coffee.

Snickers Cheesecake

Next up was the Red Velvet. The cake was coloured an eye-catching carmine red and smooshed in between two layers was cream cheese. The sensitive balance of sweet and savoury was attained successfully in this creation, with a slight tang from the cheese and possibly, a hint of lemon?

Red Velvet

Of course, no cake collection is complete without the evergreen chocolate cake. Invoking memories of comforting home-made chocolate cake, this was one of my favourites. The chocolate ganache was rightly sweet and made the perfect luxurious blanket to the cake, keeping it moist.

Moist chocolate cake

*drumroll* The star of the 7DS cakes, I must admit, is the butterscotch and rum glazed vanilla bean cheesecake. Served with a simple finish on top, the heavenly taste of butterscotch overloads your tastebuds, leaving you wanting more, as though you didn't believe how good that was. The sensuality of the vanilla flavour permeates through your nostrils. Really, if you have to choose one sin from 7DS, this has to be it.

7DS signature: Butterscotch and rum vanilla cheesecake

And to end the night, there was the entremet, which is a complex cake with many layers of different textures and usually, tastes that complement each other. This time, Liz combined japonais, chocolate cremeux and praline buttercream. The richness of the chocolate was coupled with the silkiness of the buttercream. Unfortunately, the humidity (no thanks to the incessant rain and our local climate!) robbed this masterpiece of its textures. Liz explained that it was meant to have a little crunch to it. Nevertheless, this was also very popular with many people, some even proclaiming that it bested the butterscotch and rum! Imagine if it turned out exactly how it was supposed to be!

Shot borrowed from @sevendeadlysinsdesserts

The cut section of the entremet

(Liz, you really need a name for this!)

Honoured to be invited to such a sugar & carb affair, I think 7DS is set to go to Paris, with high drive and passion for what Liz does. To add on to that, she is actually selling her creations to fund her own education at Le Cordon Bleu. Big kudos on such independence!

If you would like to try her cakes, do contact her at

Seven Deadly Sins Desserts

sevendeadlysinsdesserts@gmail.com

Website

www.sevendeadlysinsdesserts.com

Tel

0129715883

Attention all social media junkies, VCR Cafe is a place you have to go to.

Attention all caffeine junkies, VCR Cafe is a place you have to go to.

Attention all cake junkies, VCR Cafe is a place you have to go to.

That being said, parking is a bitch here.

Located just behind the Swiss Garden Hotel (yes, the aged building opposite Berjaya Times Square and the old Pudu Jail), this cafe looks like a converted double-storey house

Hipster wannabes' hangout? Something like that, but don't be surprised to see families and backpackers lounging around too. There is something about the clean interior in black paint highlighted with woody finishes that adds charm to the cafe.

Honest opinion: I don't think I would be too comfy sitting on these for too long!

VCR prides itself on offering quality coffee, both Artisan and Coffex. Apart from the usual coffee suspects on the menu, they also have filter coffee (aeropress, Harlo V60, Chemex, Harlo Syphon, etc). The up and coming Tapping Tapir sodas are also available here.

Upon placing your order at the counter, you won't miss this hulking beauty. Sleek with a matte black finish, this Synesso fits in perfectly with the building interior and exterior. It invokes class and professionalism in the eyes of the beholder.

Dim lighting fixtures are complemented by the flood of natural lighting via large windows.

The second storey has an outdoor area with some faux greenery should you wish to enjoy some sunshine. There is also a large table on this floor, great for large groups or sharing with other people.

The lattes we enjoyed were silky smooth, with a dense foam sitting on top of the magic liquid. We hear that the VCR baristas (professional and all-knowing as they are) use Coffex beans for dairy-based caffeine and Artisan beans for the non-dairies. Now, such ability to distinct quality base for coffee is highly appreciated, especially since most cafes these days only harp on cost and stick to one bean to avoid over-oxidation of the other. The hot chocolate came as a surprise as we have been disappointed one too many times by hot chocolate with no art. The expertise with which the barista poured the milk to create the art only served to highlight how well they understand the physics of their liquids.

The King: Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Cake

VCR gets their cakes from Frost & Flourish, which is essentially a one-woman show run by Sophia Foo. This piece of royalty sits majestically atop the cake counter and is ever-so popular among customers. It maintains a wonderful balance between savoury and sweet. Nuances of fluffy banana cake interspersed with a layer of banana and melted chocolate, coated with a frosting of creamy peanut butter make mouths water and it is common to see only one or two slices left on the counter top, but those are quickly snapped up too.

Black Velvet

When asked to recommend something apart from The King, the cash registrar suggested the quiche. However, we just had had lunch and wanted something to satisfy our sweet tooth so we went with the next recommendation: Black Velvet. Very much a Red Velvet, we suppose that the only difference is that unlike some bakers, Frost & Flourish does not

a) dump red colouring into the cocoa batter

b) use vinegar which will react with the cocoa & baking soda to create a red tint

The cake itself is lovely, soft and fluffy. We do prefer the cream cheese frosting a tiny bit cheesier for that additional bite to tea time. Nevertheless, the Black Velvet deserves praise for both its taste and dramatic aesthetic appeal.

Superb lighting, delicious cakes and coffee handled with care = kau tim lah!

(Don't say we didn't share!)

VCR Coffee & Cakes

Address

2, Jalan Galloway
50150 Kuala Lumpur

Business Hours

08:30 a.m. - 23:00 p.m.

Tel

+60 3-2110 2330

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/vcr.my