Buddy's Dozen - Park Avenue Desserts Part 2

I've been on a dessert spree lately, so after trying out Park Avenue Desserts' French macarons and Molten Brownie Bites (see my post on PAD's macarons and brownie bites here), I went straight for their Buddy's Dozen, a dozen of Park Avenue Desserts' best-selling mini cakes.

I really like the packaging, very simple but with a touch of elegance

Park Avenue Desserts' best-selling mini cakes in one box!

It took some time before our little family of three finished the whole box, but we did it (well, almost), and here's the verdict.

Quadruple Chocolate Mousse

Heaven on Earth cake from Starbucks. Notice how
similar they look? Tastes the same, too.

Quadruple Chocolate Mousse -- What can I say? This is one of my favorites, and the little boss' as well. Layers of dark, milk and white chocolate, and coffee mousse on a thin chocolate cake base. I tried tasting each layer separately (quite hard as each layer was really thin and delicate) and was pleased to note that each layer indeed tasted differently, although I must admit the taste of the coffee mousse was lost on me. This cake is very much like the Heaven on Earth cake at Starbucks both in looks and taste, and left me wondering if PAD is the supplier of the coffee store's mini cakes.

The tear-shaped Roca cake that I ordered ala carte

The round Roca Cake that came with Buddy's Dozen

Roca Cake -- Chocolate overload! The chocolate covering this cake was so thick and rich that it was like  a round chocolate bar impersonating a cake! Chocoholics would love this cake, though those who aren't fond of sweets might find it a little too much. The caramel cream inside was almost lost in the thick chocolate frosting. The first time that I ordered this ala carte, the cake was shaped like a teardrop, but the one that came with the Buddy's Dozen set was round like the rest. I like the round one better, simply because it was a bit bigger, haha!

Muscovado Cheesecake

Muscovado Cheesecake - A very light cheesecake that tastes, well, like muscovado sugar, except that it's not overly sweet. I'm not fond of cheesecakes, but this one's good enough for another try.

French Apple Pie

French Apple Pie -- Again, I am not really a fan, but I definitely like this one. Just the right amount of sweetness and cinnamon flavor, and not too thick pastry which is the case in some apple pies. 

Lemon Meringue Cake

Lemon Meringue Cake -- Like their lemon macaron, PAD did not scrimp on lemon on this cake. Really tart lemon curd, and would go well with a nice cup of green tea with lemon. But what we really liked was the meringue on top, soft and just the right amount of sweetness. I would have liked it better if the meringue was a bit toasted like the ones on their promo photos as it would give the meringue a slight burnt-sugar taste.

Chocolate Mallow Malt Cake. 

Chocolate Mallow Malt Cake -- The little boss loved this because of the little marshmallows. It was good like the rest, but I didn't think it was that special. Just layers of chocolate cake with marshmallows and chocolate ganache. It didn't help that the marshmallows on top were quite burnt instead of just toasted. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but not as good as the Roca cake and Quadruple Chocolate Mousse, at least in my opinion.

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake -- I normally don't like red velvet cake, simply because I don't like its color (Weird, I know!). It was good, though quite crumbly. It actually felt like cake crumbs formed into a mini cake. It was just OK for me, though.

Mango Crunch Cake

Mango Crunch -- Crumbly graham crust with cream and mangoes. Hubby and the little boss liked this, too. Sweet cream, but not overly so, with little pieces of fresh mangoes in between and on top. Again, this one looked a lot like the Mango Madness mini cake at Starbucks, though with a slight difference in the cream topping. I didn't get a photo of the Starbucks cake, though.

Rum Bundt Cake

Rum Bundt Cake -- Comfort food. That's what came into my head the minute I tasted it as it reminded me so much of the cupcakes that I loved when I was a kid. I can't remember the name, but the texture and taste are almost the same. It's basically pound cake with rum and sugar frosting. I almost didn't taste it as it looked so ordinary. So simple yet so good. It would go so well with a cup of tea on a rainy afternoon.

Blue Velvet Cake

Blue Velvet Cake -- I wasn't able to taste this one as we had a few unexpected visiotrs and I had nothing to offer them but the mini cakes. It would have been rude if I asked our guests to let me have a bit of their snack, haha!

PAD's description of the Blue Velvet Cake: A stunning Blue Velvet Cake studded with layers of blueberry filling in cream cheese filling. Warning: This cake is addicting!

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake -- Another one that was served to our guests, so we'll just have to make do with the product description from PAD: The quintessential crowd-pleaser! Light and enticingly moist carrot cake covered in classic cream cheese frosting. Who doesn't get hungry just thinking about it?

What's My Name

What's My Name -- The third one that I didn't get to taste. Oh, well. Nine out of twelve ain't bad.

Product Description from PAD: Nutty, chewy oatmeal and brown sugar tart. Topping of tangy lemon cream and blueberries completes this new creation. It's so good that we don't know what to call it.

The stand-outs for me are the Roca Cake, Quadruple Chocolate Mousse and Rum Bundt Cake, while the Hubby liked the Mango Crunch. The little boss, of course, liked everything. But what I really liked about these cakes is that each one had just the right amount of sweetness. I'm defintely going back for more of these mini cakes, and the macarons and molten brownie bites, too!

Park Avenue Desserts can be found at #7 G/F MegaCenter, Paseo de Magalanes Commercial Center, Makati City.

Photos by Mike and Shella Esguerra

Note: This is not a sponsored post.