Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
A treat for the sweet tooth
Velvet cakes aren’t just a culinary delight for the tastebuds, they are also a joy to behold, writes Bianca Coleman
ON THE morning I wrote this, I had a Black Cat cupcake for breakfast. As the kids say online, what a time to be alive.
The cupcake was part of my haul from The Velvet Cake Co, which has branches in Bellville and in the Cape Town CBD and is celebrating its first birthday this month. It had a thin biscuit base, a middle of black velvet and was topped with creamy peanut butter encased in a chocolate shell. It was crowned with a sprinkle of chopped nuts. It was the only one of its kind left on the shelf and that just broke my heart; I had to take it home.
In other pretty boxes I had a milk tart cupcake and a slice of red velvet cheesecake. To be clear, these each combine two familiar but different kinds of cake in one fabulous creation. How did I not know about this before?
No matter. I do now and so do you. The Velvet Cake Co was founded by Jandri van Zyl five years ago. After studying to become a patisserie chef in 2009, she worked hard to pursue her dream to create her own cake-haven.
“After chopping and changing between a few creative things like photography and fashion, I decided to pursue what came easily and naturally to me”, said Van Zyl.
This is why her range of cakes is relatively small and specialised – but oh so delectably creative.
The Velvet Cake Co doesn’t make those cakes covered with fondant icing depicting all sorts of themes and characters. The emphasis is on the soft, moist velvet cake – naked, iced or meringued – in fabulous colours, made fresh every day with the best ingredients (and sometimes not always perfectly identical).
The famous Rainbow Cake is the most popular: six multicoloured layers. For extra oomph, you can have it pinata-style which spills out sweeties and chocolate when sliced.
Over a jolly fine cappuccino ( from fair trade supplier Bean There) and a traditional red velvet cupcake topped with a swirl of cream cheese icing in the city centre store, Van Zyl told me cakes and celebration go together. I couldn’t agree more. Nothing says “party” like a good cake.
All the high days and holidays are observed with themed cakes.
With Halloween coming up, the limited edition one will be black velvet with orange frosting, slathered in chocolate ganache and meringue, and decorated with spiders.
If you prefer pretty, there is a new range of Velvet Cakelettes in single colours – sky blue, blush pink, lavender purple, orange, green, and sunshine yellow.
They are almost too beautiful to eat but trust me, you’ll get over it.
All The Velvet Cake Co treats and gifts can be ordered online, with a minimum notice period of 24 hours. Orders can also be placed directly from either store.
Customers can grab a coffee while waiting for collections and if you’re doing it on impulse or if you forgot a special occasion, slightly smaller ready-made cakes can be bought at the stores and jazzed up and personalised with celebratory cake toppers.
If you love someone a lot, you can pre-pay for a cupcake which they can get when they visit. The box even has a thoughtful teeny tiny candle taped to it. I hope someone reading this loves me a lot.
For more information call 021 914 0482, view the online offerings at www.thevelvetcakeco.com or visit the stores at 10 Bella Rosa, Rosenpark, Bellville or 16 Loop St, Cape Town.