The Red Velvet Effect

Alexis Yap
Lex in the city

THE Red Velvet first came into my life as a cup cake. It was the early days of Cebu Trivia Night back in 2010 when Arvy Enjambre-Lopez, owner of The Cupcake Theory (now in Robinson’s Cybergate Mall), were giving out her Red Velvet Cupcakes as prizes to the winning teams. It immediately became a box office sensation as everyone proclaimed it to be the best Red Velvet Cupcake they have ever tried.

Its cream cheese butter cream topping is so rich. It perfectly complements its moist, smooth red velvet cake. To me, it is just the perfect combination.

And then came the Red Velvet Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory… I got the chance to try it in my 2012 trip to the States. Yeah, it was divine. The combination of the two was a match made in heaven. I didn’t want to eat all 1,000,000 calories in that single slice but I couldn’t put my fork down. My friend Gigi Salimbangon is a witness to that. She took me there.

My friend Kristine Kahler Go is also a pastry chef. But she’s not your ordinary pastry chef. Almost every Sunday she invites us over to sample a variety of her many different creations. It’s basically just whatever she feels like making.

She makes the meanest Revel Bars in the world. I’m not even exaggerating. I like eating it fresh from the oven where the chocolate is like molten lava on a chewy cookie. If each bite would be your last, it would be worth it. But we’re talking about Red Velvet here, and Kris made the most beautiful, the most rich, and the most moist, Red Velvet Cake just a few weeks back. It was a glowing angel on a plate and it disappeared in less than 20 minutes.

Last week, my friend Erica Neal, owner of Zöet Cakes and Pastries, sent over a tub of Red Velvet Ice Cream. I was excited! Last time I had something like it was at MILK in Los Angeles. Erica’s Red Velvet Ice Cream came fresh, creamy, and chunky! My advice: give yourself one serving, put the tub away or you’ll end up devouring all of it.

What is it about Red Velvet that whatever form it takes, we still love it? Is it the bright red color? Is it the decadent cream cheese topping? I really can’t put a finger on it. The bottom line is how it tastes in your mouth and how it makes you feel after. That’s what all three girls have in common, they know how to make them just right.