Home sweet home

MANILA, Philippines - What’s better than ice cream and cake? Not much, really. While most of us just enjoy the end product, Gel Colet and Xandra Rocha take pleasure in the creation of these sugary desserts.

Gel Colet

There is probably some novelty in eating a cake that looks nothing like a cake,” says home baker Angela “Gel” Colet, who creates yummy cakes and cupcakes for her custom baked line, Swell Sweets. The delectable table toppers run in an assortment of shapes and are highly personalized for special occasions and party themes. “The most difficult cakes to make are those that involve a lot of sculpting and fondant molding. They eventually turn out to be the most interesting cakes,” she says. Think cakes shaped like a Louis Vuitton Speedy, tiered vintage luggage, a Nikon camera, a PSP controller or a hamburger — replete with all the little details that make them so life-like. Her designs are definitely unconventional and end up being conversation pieces.

 I always think that there is something about not being a “schooled” baker/cake artist that makes me a bit more adventurous about my designs.

 I’d like to believe it was my exposure to baking as a child that got me into this whole thing. But it wasn’t until I was working (as a producer at ABS-CBN) that I actually decided to take a cake decorating class. I started making cakes for friends’ special occasions. I continued taking short courses at Heny Sison and ISCAHM.

Three things that make a good cake: taste, design and color.

Top baking rules: Know your lead times. With personalized cakes, there is no way to determine how long a new design will take. Make everything you can ahead of time. Second, pay attention to detail. Small details spell the difference between mediocrity and something that is totally awesome! Third, be open, be adventurous and don’t set limits on a cake design that you’ve never even tried. At the same time, I think you should be open enough to accept that there are some designs that are just not doable.

 I started working with PAWS a couple of years back when I donated some doggie treats for a fundraiser. It’s a very informal setup, they call when they need baked products, whether it is for dogs or the PAWS volunteers, and I send over what they need.

 I made cakes for a cancer foundation for children, and the kids there had never eaten cupcakes before. This was probably my most memorable project.

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For orders, e-mail swellsweets@gmail.com / swellsweets.multiply.com.

Xandra Rocha

It’s hard to believe that lithe and lovely Xandra Rocha is the brains behind the decadent ice cream line, Pinkerton. Yet this foodie goes the full mile when it comes to eating. In fact her dream job is to host one of those travel food shows where she samples everything from roadside stalls to Michelin restaurants. So you can imagine that word spread quickly about her happily head-spinning line of rich, sweet, creamy concoctions. “If you are going to do something, do it well. So if someone is going to indulge in ice cream — and does not have any health problems — then you might as well go for something luscious and decadent!” says Xandra. Some of her mouth-watering flavors include carrot cake, apple pie, banana honey glazed walnuts, mocha cake chunk chip, chocomint chip, chocolate fudge brownie with walnuts, and vanilla nutella. Even her “basics” sound luscious — cinnamon, café au lait, chocolate, vanilla bean, and banana. “People love the feeling of customized goods, something made especially for them. Everyone loves ice cream, and people love homemade goods,” she says. Xandra is currently finishing her bachelor’s degree in the hospitality industry at Enderun, major in culinary arts.

Texture makes good ice cream. It has to have that smooth creamy texture. And mix-ins! Crunchy, chunky, chewy.

I try to use local ingredients. Of course not all ingredients I use are local, but I feel that people have this preconceived notion that in order for something to be excellent it has to be imported, which is not always true. There are many amazing local products here, and I think we should be supporting them.

About a year and half ago, my sister and I were obsessed with frozen yogurt, and we started talking about creating our own line in Manila (it wasn’t so popular in Manila at the time — I knew it would make it big in the Philippines!). So she bought me a small ice cream machine and a couple books to play around with. But with the soft serve frozen yogurt boom that happened so quick, I ended up making ice cream instead. It would have been a shame to let those books and machine collect dust in a corner. 

Top 3 rules in making ice cream: One, no skimping on ingredients! Two, do not compromise on quality. Three, stick to what people like.

Many of my ideas come simply from what I happen to be craving that day. Most ideas come from demand, though. A majority of the time someone will call me and ask me to customize a flavor for them. It’s always a challenge.

How to best enjoy ice cream? Temperature! It’s all about the right temperature. The ice cream has to be firm enough to not melt right away, but it’s really the soft goopy texture that makes it so enjoyable. Also, stick to what you like! Usually people have their comfort flavors. It’s fun to try different strange and even scary flavors, but I think the classics are enjoyed the most.

I love the comments: “It’s so rich and creamy!” “My kids love it!” Amd my ultimate favorite comment came from a childhood best friend of mine when I was telling her about my logo and how I want to package the ice cream as something sweet, cute and classic: “There is nothing sweet and cute about your ice cream, Xandra. It should be x-rated! Have you seen the faces and heard the sounds people make when they eat it?”

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For orders, email pinkertonicecream@gmail.com.